Circular Economy

Advancing and accelerating Chile’s transformation toward more sustainable development is key to minimizing and mitigating the consequences of climate change. The diagnoses are eloquent regarding the state of the planet, and it is clear that action must be taken with the utmost urgency. One key area to promote is the Circular Economy, which is based on three principles: eliminating waste and pollution from the design stage; keeping products and materials in use; and regenerating natural systems.

• Its impact can address 45% of total global greenhouse gas emissions associated with the production of goods and materials.
• The World Economic Forum, in a publication together with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, estimated that the circular economy could generate savings of up to US$1 trillion by 2030.

The opportunity and the challenge

The figures from the latest Circularity Gap Report show that:

• More than 90% of all materials extracted and used annually worldwide are wasted.
• The circularity of planet Earth is only 8.6%, according to the same report; that is, only 8.6% of materials re-enter our economy.

The initiative seeks to support and enable the Circular Economy in productive sectors and companies through:

• Awareness raising: Facilitate a comprehensive understanding and awareness among executives and employees of the opportunities offered by the circular economy.
• Regulatory framework: They conduct a diagnosis of the company in relation to current and future circular economy regulations.
• Opportunity assessment: Help characterize the current management of inputs and waste in order to identify gaps and opportunities.
• Roadmaps: Facilitate the coordination of a management and technological innovation roadmap for the circular economy.
• Tactical plans: Support and accompany the effective execution of improvement plans and the roadmap toward the Circular Economy.
• Open Innovation: Design, co-create, and manage competitive processes with national and international scope to find a diverse range of innovative solutions that solve complex problems.
• Ecosystem development: Promote the development of local capacities.
• Change management: Support the design and implementation of the cultural change facilitation strategy.
• Measurement: Facilitate the assessment of the economic, environmental, and social impact of improvement initiatives.

• Support the development of circular economy strategies or roadmaps.
• Build resilience and generate economic and business opportunities.
• Support companies in transitioning from a basic to a high level of maturity in terms of circular economy strategy.
• Contribute to establishing measurable goals and prioritizing actions.

This initiative contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals: