Capacidade tecnológica e gestão de resíduos em empresas de calçados do Vale do Sinos: estudo de dois casos

The environmental management in the current decade has been seen as a competitivity tool. This happened in the context of the globalization of the economy in which the commerce regulations influenced the competitive advantages linked to the product differentiation and to the cost reduction. It is usually assumed that the enterprises concerned with increasing their competitivity by increasing their technological capability tend to adopt environmental management. This article proposes an analytical model of technological capability and of solid wastes management for the footwear industry in the Sinos Valley, the Brazilian largest cluster of footwear industry production; the high indexes of industrial solid waste generation, as a consequence of the high levels of loss of raw material in the production process, are an economical and an ecological problem for the enterprises of the region. The results showed similarities between the enterprises in what is concerned with technological capability and some differences regarding to environmental management. The research instrument proved to be useful for diagnostic purposes but needs further improvements and testing.