The Eurochile Business Foundation will carry out the project “Ecodesign and Circular Economy for SMEs in the Los Lagos Region”, which aims to contribute to sustainability and reduce environmental impact through the implementation of the Circular Economy. This project, co-financed by the Regional Productive Development Committee of Los Lagos through the Corfo funding line Viraliza Training for entrepreneurship and innovation, will last 10 months and will be developed specifically in the region mentioned.

The main objective of this initiative is to promote the culture of sustainable innovation in the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the tenth region. This will be achieved through the implementation of a training programme in eco-design with a focus on circular economy that includes 10 modules in face-to-face format, with the participation of a national expert and two European experts remotely. SMEs in the region will be identified and prioritised with the aim of adopting specific strategies to improve production processes and the design of products, services or processes of their companies, in order to obtain better value offers and reduce environmental impact.

Gabriel Pérez, regional director of Corfo Los Lagos explained that “in the region we have a flagship project on the Circular Economy, seeking to be by 2025 the pioneering region in the prevention and management of non-hazardous solid waste in the main productive sectors, through this type of meeting we want to raise awareness in companies about the importance of solid industrial waste management and the relevance of moving from the current linear economy model to a circular model, as an opportunity to give new life or optimise the use or disposal of waste within the framework of the 9Rs of this circular model (reject-reuse-repair-repurpose-recycle-recycle-reuse-repair-recondition-remanufacture-reconvert-recycle-recycle-recycle-recover). This is in line with the regional governor’s announcement regarding the establishment of the first circular economy technology centre in the Los Lagos region, we seek to reduce waste and pollution, maintain products and materials in use and the regeneration of natural systems, for this, reflecting on how we contribute, we contribute to the regeneration of ecosystems that are already tremendously degraded is a key opportunity for us“, he said.

The training programme will be carried out in person in the municipalities of Puerto Varas and Osorno, with the aim of ensuring the participation of beneficiaries from at least two provinces of the region. The participants of the programme will be companies and/or enterprises, with a special focus on those that have some link with business associations and that operate in sectors of regional interest, such as Aquaculture, Forestry, Construction, Maritime and Shipping Industry and Tourism. The goal is to bring together at least 30 companies and/or enterprises in the area.

In this regard, José Aravena, executive director of the Eurochile Business Foundation, highlights that, “At Eurochile we focus on driving innovation and sustainable development in SMEs. In collaboration with the programmes offered by Corfo, this joint initiative will help a number of companies to change their current approach and take their business to the next level, thus promoting more sustainable economic growth. We know that by integrating circular economy principles into your production processes, you will not only be contributing to the care of the environment, but you will also improve the efficiency of your operations, reduce costs and increase your company’s competitiveness in today’s market“.

The Training Programme to be implemented by Eurochile is an initiative that seeks to strengthen the environment and/or culture of entrepreneurship and innovation, with the aim of fostering the ecosystem, and thus contribute to improving the conditions in which entrepreneurial activity takes place.