February 24, 2022 - The Circular Economy Coalition of Latin America and the Caribbean presents the document "Circular Economy in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Shared Vision", which presents a perspective of what a circular economy should look like in the region with the intention of creating alignment and cooperation between countries, as well as serving as a guide for future projects.

From the Regional Programme for Energy Security and Climate Change in Latin America (EKLA), we are very proud to be part of the strategic committee and to have been part of the team that prepared the document, which is an important milestone after the Coalition became 2021 as it represents the purpose of all its members to promote the circular economy in the region. In the process of building the Vision, dozens of government officials from the region were consulted, as well as a wide range of representatives from relevant Latin American international institutions, companies and the academic world to collectively imagine the future based on a circular economy that work on a larger scale.

Adriana Zacarías, coordinator of the Circular Coalition, moderated the event where representatives of the strategic partners, Ministers of the Environment and members of the steering committee participated. Likewise, the speakers presented the main aspects of the Vision and discussed the relevance of the document to promote cooperation and make the transition to a circular economy in the region.

As mentioned by Piedad Martin, Deputy Director of ROLAC-UNEP, “Latin America and the Caribbean is a region abundant in environmental and cultural diversity, and the document presents precisely how being able to move towards a circular economy goes hand in hand with greater social inclusion. , with the protection of biodiversity and, in general, sustainable economic development”.

Next, Luisa Santiago – Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF), commented on what the circular economy proposes and why it is important to apply it in the region to face the challenges of climate change.

“During the consultation process it became clear to us that the understanding of what the circular economy is needs to be harmonized,” she added.

For her part, Natalia Espinola Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), commented on the key roles played by the public sector, the private sector, citizens and the financial sector to achieve this vision. Each actor has a role to play and this task must be done collaboratively.

After the presentation of the Vision, a panel began with the participation of Alex Saer, Director of Climate Change and Risk Management of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (Colombia) and Rolando Castro Córdoba, Vice Minister of Energy of MINAE (Costa Rica).

Finally, partners and members of the Coalition commented on what they consider to be the added value of having a common vision of a circular economy for the region. Luis Krieger (ECLAC), Rosa Galvez (PalAmericas-Canada), Diana Montero Melis (European Union) and Carlos Herrera (Andi) participated.

The Coalition recognizes that it is impossible for any one member to make a transition alone as everyone has a role to play: from businesses (of all sizes) to governments and policy makers, citizens, customers and financial institutions. With the help of this vision, they will be able to understand their role, work collaboratively across borders and aim for a common outcome around the circular economy.