SUSTAINABILITY

Circular Economy. On March 6, the document “Circular Economy in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Shared Vision”, was published, prepared by the Circular Economy Coalition of Latin America and the Caribbean. The text is intended as a guide for both regional governments and private actors around a common objective of sustainable economic development based on circularity, which is based on three principles: elimination of waste from pollution, circulation of products and materials, and ‘regeneration of nature’. It is hoped the text can be taken into account by both governments and companies to address regional challenges and take concrete actions in this area in the medium term.

The document urges Latin American and Caribbean governments, as well as other regional stakeholders, to build a shared vision on the circular economy. In the transition towards a circular economy, the report proposes to emphasize how certain products and materials, including food and plastics, are designed, manufactured and used. With respect to the food sector, the text highlights the regeneration of this waste as a challenge in the face of growing urbanization. It also mentions that it is necessary to move towards an economy where edible food waste is avoided and systematically redistributed to alleviate hunger.

The Circular Economy Coalition for Latin America and the Caribbean is an inter-ministerial, multi-sector and multi-stakeholder cooperation body created in 2021 within the framework of the XXI Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of the Environment of Latin America and the Caribbean. This platform seeks to increase knowledge and understanding of the circular economy, facilitate training, capacity building and technical assistance for the development of public policies on circular economy and sustainable consumption and production. Within its structure, it has thematic working groups such as the plastics group and the food and agriculture group, among others.

Next steps

The document presented by the Circular Economy Coalition of Latin America and the Caribbean will seek to function as a roadmap for Latin American governments and the private sector in the framework of aiming for sustainable development based on the circular economy model. In addition, regional organizations, such as the Pacific Alliance and the Environmental Alliance of the Americas, will be able to collaborate in the development of action plans for the region. Large, small and medium-sized companies will be considered key actors to collaborate in the development of these plans for the transformation of production and consumption systems in the medium term.