SUSTAINABILITY

Circular economy.  On December 6, the member countries of the regional integration body, the Pacific Alliance (Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru) met in Bogota, Colombia, to participate in the organization’s 52nd High Level Group (HLG) meeting. Participants focused on issues related to the circular economy, an environmental protection mechanism promoting the reuse and recycling of industrial inputs to reduce waste production, and evaluated progress on the implementation of the Declaration on Single-Use Plastics signed in mid 2019. Countries will continue to work together to promote these agendas during 2020.

The II Pacific Alliance Public-Private Dialogue summit was also held within the HLG framework to address the Circular Economy. According to the organization, these measures seek to promote productive development from a perspective of environmental “awareness” by recycling raw materials back into industrial production. The idea is to diminish the production of solid waste materials thus helping to reduce environmental contamination. 

During the HLG the countries highlighted the importance of following up and complying with the Declaration on Single-Use Plastics, signed in July this year, which promotes the goals of reducing these plastics in the medium term by gradually replacing them with others which are biodegradable. 

Next steps

During the Pacific Alliance meeting on December 6, the participants reaffirmed their commitment to reduce pollution in the region and agreed to drive negotiations to define ways of implementing measures in favor of the circular economy. They will also seek to implement and enforce agreements reducing the use of plastic throughout the region during 2020.