Efforts made and aimed at increasing the development of a circular economy are undoubtedly not enough to obtain the full benefits that its implementation could generate, such as the preservation of the environment, without neglecting its complementarity with the opportunities for economic growth and social development that its practice and operation could generate.

Therefore, the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) calls for maintaining forums and spaces for discussion, exchange of experiences and, above all, dissemination, as well as promoting the culture and importance of circular economy to contribute to the economic and social development of its Member States, which will strengthen the region as an area of the planet focused and willing to take on these challenges. In keeping with the idea and the efforts that are being made on the subject, the dissemination of best practices is essential to broaden awareness of the relevance and positives of achieving sustainable development without compromising humanity.

The Circularity Gap Report 2022[1] has exposed how linear the world is, where only 8.6% of what we use is cycled, leaving a huge circularity gap of over 90%. In just two years, global circularity weakened from 9.1% in 2018 to 8.6% in 2020. As a result of the continued application of non-circular practices, latest brands are broken and established to the detriment of sustainability and preservation of the environment. In 2019, for example, in addition to the world warming 1.1 degrees since the pre-industrial era, society also pushed the limits of extraction, consuming 100 billion tons of resources.

Moreover, it should be noted that global plastics trade continues to grow steadily as reported by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD),[2] which indicates that global exports of plastics or plastic products have doubled in value since 2005, surpassing the US$ 1 trillion benchmark in 2018 and reaching almost US$ 1.2 trillion by 2021. Volume growth has been slightly slower but followed a similar trend: from 218 million metric tons in 2005 to 369 million metric tons in 2021.

In this regard, cities concentrate the highest percentage of consumption of these elements, which contribute to the deterioration of the environment, despite the strategies designed to transform a linear economy to a circular one, continuing the lack of massive application of these strategies to achieve the necessary transformation.

The same UNCTAD report indicates that according to UN estimates, about 75% of all plastic produced since 1950 has become waste. Therefore, an increase of plastic in trade could indicate a rising tide of plastic in our ocean.

The report found that the use of resources with key societal needs and desires (how we eat, move and live) allowed quantitative tracking of trends in use and waste, which will contribute to the development of people-centred, resource-smart, and climate-safe roadmaps for change.

Communities or cities represent the space where the different elements that pose a risk to the sustainability of our planet converge in relevant magnitude, the consumption patterns related to food, clothing, transport and other aspects, have something in common and that is the presence of plastics in its different forms.

Cities, communities and/or towns can help drive the sustainable agenda in social and cultural change, environmental protection, and economic growth as the principles of the circular economy become accepted. Contributing around 80% of global GDP, cities function as catalysts, driving innovation, consumption, and investment around the world, making them a powerful and positive force in addressing issues related to poverty, social exclusion and spatial inequality, shared prosperity, climate, and the environment, coupled with several types of crises.

Latin America and the Caribbean has made some progress in circularity, but these efforts are still not enough, so it is necessary to increase the tools and resources that allow our countries to move towards a circular economy model. In this regard, we highlight the importance of the work of the Circular Economy Coalition of Latin America and the Caribbean.

[1] Circle Economy. (2022). The Circularity Gap Report 2022 (pp. 1-64, Rep.). Amsterdam: Circle Economy.

[2] https://unctad.org/data-visualization/global-plastics-trade-reached-nearly-1.2-trillion-2021

• Understand the key areas to drive real circularity development in Latin American markets through policy, innovation and knowledge sharing to increase circular economy action.
• Encourage the applicability of the circular economy as a way to contribute to sustainable development by identifying which elements need to be strengthened to increase results.
• Disseminate best practices and lessons learned within the framework of circular economy developments to increase their scalability.

The Seminar is organised by the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA)

Date: 31 October 2023.

Time: 11:00 - 13:40 (Caracas time | GMT-4)

Modality: The Seminar will be held virtually.

Registration link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6fC4ncq1SwiHFHca6Hqemg  
Language: with simultaneous translation into English.

For additional information, please contact:

At the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA):

• Gustavo Herrera Caballero, Coordinator of Social Development

 E-mail: gherrera@sela.org 

• Menkar Valladares, Analyst of Social Development
  E-mail: mvalladares@sela.org