First it must be said that the circular economy is the economy of the future, the only long-term sustainable one and in this perspective these initiatives are developed.

This type of approach to the economy and production processes in general allows us to move towards sustainable development, generating a simultaneous improvement in the environmental, economic and social aspects.

In the environmental aspect, greater efficiency in the use of resources is achieved, which implies a lower pressure on the environment in multiple dimensions. Only in the area of ​​greenhouse gases (GHG), reductions of 33% in global emissions are estimated. Economically, this change in approach would represent savings of between 3% and 4% of GDP, and in the social sphere, it means creating multiple new jobs, formalizing and dignifying the work of thousands of basic recyclers along the way. country.

Chile is in an excellent position to lead this path. To achieve this, from the Ministry of the Environment (MMA) we are working in various fields, with the aim of moving clearly in this direction.

The first is to move towards a successful implementation of the Extended Producer Responsibility Law (REP). This law makes producers responsible for organizing and financing the management of the waste generated by their products, with the focus on giving them value through reuse, recycling, or the extraction of the energy contained in them.

The REP Law represents the main instrument to trigger a rapid advance towards the circular economy, generating direct incentives for the growth of the recycling industry and for the improvement of the designs of the products we consume daily.

The packaging has contributed to the development of the industry in Chile and the current challenge is to make it more sustainable every day, to be inserted in a circular economy and to leave the least possible mark for future generations.

Chile is currently in the penultimate place among the countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in waste recovery. We can take a leap and move on to lead the world of the circular economy. From the public sector we are mobilizing decidedly for it. It is key that the private sector, civil society and the academy also point in the same direction.