A regional coalition was launched today that aims to support Latin America and the Caribbean in transitioning to a circular economy. As the region grapples with the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, a circular economy transition offers new and better growth opportunities to build a resilient and low-carbon economic recovery.
The need to move away from today’s ‘take, make, waste’ linear economylinear economyAn economy in which finite resources are extracted to make products that are used - generally not to their full potential - and then thrown away ('take-make-waste'). was already evident in Latin America and the Caribbean even before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and is now more relevant than ever. The region now has an opportunity to build a new wave of development and prosperity based on a circular economycircular economyA systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. It is based on three principles, driven by design: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature. - one that benefits society, business and the environment and tackles the root causes of global challenges such as biodiversity loss, and pollution and climate change. The Regional Coalition on Circular Economy was announced today during a virtual side event to the XXII Meeting of the Forum of Ministers of Environment of the region. It will create a common vision for a circular economy transition in Latin America and the Caribbean and provide a platform for cross-sectoral collaboration and knowledge exchange to accelerate implementation.
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation is committed to achieving the transition to a circular economy globally, which requires unprecedented collaboration at all levels. That is why we are delighted to announce the launch of a regional coalition that will create an ambitious common vision for a circular economy transition in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as integrating and accelerating regional efforts to achieve it.
- Luísa Santiago, Latin America Lead - Ellen MacArthur Foundation
Coordinated by the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), the Regional Coalition is supported by a group of eight strategic partners, including the Ellen MacArthur Foundation as well as the Climate Technology Centre & Network (CTCN), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS), the Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy Coalition (PACE), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the World Economic Forum (WEF). It will be led by a steering committee composed of four high-level government representatives on a rotating basis, starting with Colombia, Costa Rica, Perú, and the Dominican Republic for the 2021-2022 period.
