SUSTAINABILITY 

Plastics management. On December 11, the XV Summit of the Pacific Alliance (PA) ended, in which the Presidents of Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru participated. The leaders signed a commitment to move towards a Sustainable Plastics Management scheme, which includes the development of environmental impact analysis of single-use plastics and the promotion of sustainable management principles among plastics suppliers. It is expected that the commitments made by the governments will be translated into executive measures and bills in each of the PA countries in the medium term.

Chile, Peru, Colombia and Mexico agreed to finance incubation and acceleration programs that promote innovation in materials destined for the production of plastic goods and those serving as alternatives to single-use plastic. They will also evaluate the utility of using biodegradable plastics in industry.

Likewise, they also aspire to define certification standards for products with an eco-design and those with recycled content, as well as to promote the adoption of circular economy models, both in the public and private sectors. Regarding recycling, they stressed the importance of proposing and identifying economic and fiscal instruments to stimulate the “reincorporation to the production process of raw materials produced through recycling processes.”

Next steps 

On December 11, the four countries of the Pacific Alliance (Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile) signed a roadmap to promote the sustainable management of plastics. The initiative proposes the preparation of environmental impact studies of single-use plastics and the promotion of circular economy models in the public and private sectors. It is expected that in the medium term the national governments of the PA will promote executive measures and bills that reflect the commitments assumed.