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Last Thursday, Ladeja Godina Košir was one of the main speakers at the webinar “Chile’s road to a circular economy: European strategies  and visions”, organized by the Eurochile Business Foundation -and in which the Dutchman Freek van Eijk, director of Holland Circular Spot also exhibited – and where she stated that the most important thing in the elaboration of a roadmap in this matter in the country is the process itself, because “what happens to us during this journey is what defines us and what remains. And so stakeholder engagement, leadership, and the role of government are key”.

Ladeja Godina knows about it. Founder and executive director of Circular Change, and at the same time president since 2018 of the coordination group of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP), she has participated in the preparation of roadmaps on this matter for three European countries, and today she is one of the main advisers for the Eurochile team that leads the work of preparing the Roadmap for the Circular Economy in Chile, an initiative led and promoted by the Ministry of the Environment.

Today’s role in the Eurochile team is mainly oriented to the work of the public-private council that is working on the lines of action of the road map, as well as the transfer of its experience in this matter.

“We can not wait for a good time to implement the circular change, we have to decide now the principles that are part of sustainability,” she said at the seminar on Thursday.

From Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia she deepens with Eurochile the role she will have in the elaboration of the Roadmap of the Circular Economy in Chile, as well as the importance of adopting this trend in the economy and development of the country.

 What will your role be in the work that Eurochile is carrying out for the preparation of the Road Map of the Circular Economy in Chile? How will this work be done?

Each circular economy roadmapping process is unique. We cannot just simply “copy paste” the methodology and lessons learned in one country to another environment. That is what makes every single circular economy journey exciting. At Circular Change, Institute for Circular Economy that I have founded 5 years ago, we feel privileged having the opportunity participating in the process of building circular economy roadmap in Chile. Our main role is to contribute with experience and expert knowledge on Circular Economy and roadmap elaboration during the consultancy. Sharing concrete experiences, we have gained while working on the Roadmap Towards the Circular Economy in Slovenia (2016/17), CE Roadmap for Serbia (2019) and kick-off activities for the CE Roadmap in Montenegro (2020), as well as while contributing to several studies and researches on circular economy roadmapping processes in Europe, is what we are bringing in the

project developed by Eurochile Business Foundation for the MMA. Enabling space for discussions and engaging different stakeholders, coaching and orchestrating the process, co-creating recommendation for the roadmap design, and at the very end supporting communication and implementation of the document is what we are going to work on. Due to the post COVID-19 situation it looks that most of the work will be done online, not allowing us to meet in person. Hopefully the time will come to jointly celebrate the introduction of the CE Roadmap in Chile as well as in Europe.

The circular economy is a new trend, which is not yet fully deployed or installed. Why bet on it now?

Indeed, we have used to live very “circular” only few decades ago. I am sure that each of us still remembers how our parents or grandparents have been consuming local seasonal food, maintaining and repairing washing machines (that have lasted more than 20 years), wearing one dress several seasons, reusing plastic bags over and over again … In the meantime, global production and consumption has exceeded planetary boundaries and it became obvious that we need better management of natural resources for lowering our environmental and climate impacts. With pandemic crisis we have finally realised, how vulnerable and fragile we, as human race, actually are. With globalisation we became more interconnected and interdependent than ever. So, the time has come to focus on co-crating resilient economies and societies, based on shared values and joined vision to ensure the quality of (safe and healthy) life for everyone.  In this context, the circular economy is even more relevant than ever. It is focussed on designing out waste and pollution. On keeping products and materials in use for as long as possible. On maintaining value. On regenerating our natural systems. On making business more efficient and effective. On creating new jobs. On encouraging creativity and innovation. On multi-stakeholders collaboration and co-creation. On long term thinking and short-term actions. Wouldn’t you bet on going circular?

How have you seen the progress of this trend in the country, what strengths or comparative advantages does Chile have in this matter, and where do you identify that there is more work to be done?

At this very moment I do not have sufficient insights into the situation in Chile, so I rely more on what the Chilean roadmapping team is providing as the output of their research and engagement with different stakeholders included in the process. What I see as one of the biggest assets are natural resources (forestry system, maritime system, energy and mineral resources) and cultural richness of the country, including very valuable cultural heritage. Country’s extreme length and a wide variety of climates is making it very unique. One of the challenges is also the fact that the majority of population lives in cities (most in Santiago). Exploring potentials together with representatives of different geographical areas and of different professional backgrounds, openly discussing interests of different stakeholders, jointly visioning the future based on shared values, enabling space for constructive discussion where everyone is equally important – that is how even those strengths and advantages that are not recognized on the first sight, can be mapped and considered as an opportunity.

You have already worked on the elaboration of this type of instruments. What is the most complex to solve in these processes?

In whichever country I have been engaged in the circular economy transition exercises – from Japan to Brazil – I have been looking for the “DNA” of the nation, for those core values that are embedded in culture and behavior. We, human beings, are those who are designing our present and future – by decisions we make, by choices we take. I find it crucial that circular economy transition of the country is harmonized with the culture of the country. Therefore, I am always super curious. Trying to understand people, in our case representatives of Chile, first. Being humble and opened for what you have to propose, share, introduce – that is how I navigate through the joint process of roadmapping.

How is it possible to embrace the need to set goals that are ambitious enough to give a real boost to the circular economy, with the possibility of generating agreements and consensus that allow everyone to become part of these agreements?

We have to be ambitious since there is not much time left to preserve life of human beings on our planet. The climate crisis escalates every year. Fires, droughts, floods, tornadoes are threatening our lives around the world. With COVID-19 the situation became even more severe. We have agreed on SDG’s, in Europe we have adopted the New Green Deal and Circular Economy Action Plan. Now is time to act. What we need is a systemic, holistic approach and global governance. By protecting our “silos thinking” we will never be ready for radical collaboration. I like to use a very bold statement: True leadership is not based on the title on your business card, it is based on the number of people willing to follow you. By opening our minds and hearts for a positive, circular change, we can jointly make agreements a reality.

What are the goals, objectives, and vision that Chile should consider in its Road Map?

It is of crucial importance to understand that the whole roadmapping process is “work in progress”. What counts at the end is not the document as such, but the identification of all stakeholders with the challenges and their commitment to contribute to the circular change. Vision is the first exercise – but it can be revised and updated during the process. The simpler, the better. It has to resonate with what people in Chile would like to jointly achieve in the next 20 years, what country they would like to live in and how the principles of circular economy can contribute to their vision. Goals and objectives are the milestones on that circular journey – social, environmental and economic dimension shall be embedded in them. Concrete actions, sources and leaders of actions needed for the adoption of the circular economy shall be clearly defined, measures set and monitoring process agreed. It is a collective responsibility to make a circular vision a reality.

What factors should be taken into account when establishing these objectives?

Since we are talking about the circular economy roadmap, the principles of circular economy have to be “the compass” while establishing these objectives. For sure we have to consider to what kind of investments are we going to say yes, and to which no. By implementing systemic approach, we can better understand and manage different sectors, since they are all interdependent. Agriculture, forestry, manufacturing, mobility, energy, construction, mining – whatever we address, it is related to other sectors. Objectives we choose will define our future – and it has to be an alternative, sustainable future, providing us a good livelihood.

You are chair of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, which seeks to accelerate the development of this trend by involving and coordinating the work of public authorities, companies, unions, consumers and civil society as a whole. What concrete results has this initiative had?

Our vision is to become “the network of networks” for circular economy changemakers. Established in 2017 by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in partnership with the European Commission, ECESP supports civil society organisations and public authorities accelerating the transition to a circular economy across Europe by fostering dialogue, sharing knowledge and exchanging good practices. Stakeholder engagement is encouraged far beyond the Coordination Group: a website has been set up to serve as a virtual meeting place and conversation space for all members of the Circular Economy community. The idea is to strengthen collective knowledge by learning from each other’s good practices and sharing lessons learnt. So far we have published more than 250 examples of good practices to provide inspiration and facilitate the exchange of lessons learnt by showing how circular pioneers identify opportunities, overcome barriers, and tackle regulatory challenges. Strategies, Roadmaps, News and Events are published regularly and communicated via social media. We have organized 3 international conferences in Brussels, commissioned two studies in 2019: one mapping circular economy policy in Europe and another reviewing the impact of CE on the fast-moving consumer industry. We have published joined opinion on the Circular Economy Action Plan and established several leadership groups jointly working on selected circular economy topics. We are proud that we have extended our activities and engaged different stakeholders form all around the globe.

Many times it has been said that it is the companies that create a circular economy, because at the end of the day it is about the economy. What must companies do to accelerate their transition to circular economy?

A lot of companies have already recognized the benefits of shifting from linear to circular business models. The COVID-19 crisis has put additional pressure on many companies; therefore, it is even more important that they maintain their commitment towards sustainability and make their recovery “green and circular”. Innovating, using new technologies, reducing energy consumption, using sharing platforms, reducing waste, re-using materials, shortening value chains, expanding lifecycles, shifting from products to services, sourcing materials that are fit for a circular economy … all that leads to more sustainable and resilient business. What is needed is strong collaboration between business, government and civil society – transition can not be accelerated only by business sector.

The circular economy is a strategy for economic, environmental and social development. How can we take advantage of the current crisis to give it a further boost? Is it the right time to do it?

It is now or newer. COVID-19 has shown us that we do not have time for going “back to normal«. Climate change was and still remains is a problem. Dealing with two crisis – health and climate – is urgent. Frans Timmermans, the Executive Vice-President in his opening remarks at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue end of April 2020 underlined: “And if we are able to do that [mobilize investment] and have the possibility to invest, then we have to make sure that the investment we make takes us into the new economy. Because if we don’t use our investment capacity to create a sustainable economy, an economy that is resilient for the future, based on the Green Deal, then the old economy might be more or less restored, but we will not have the means to transform that into an economy that can weather the next crises. Then we will lose out twice. This is something that I believe is unacceptable and we should at all cost avoid.”

This Wednesday, the Eurochile Business Foundation organised a successful international webinar to analyse the role of the circular economy in a sustainable recovery after the COVID-19 crisis, which had nearly 400 attendees from Chile, Latin America and Europe to listen the presentations by the Director General of Environment of the European Commission, Daniel Calleja, and the Manager of Circular Economy at Enel Holding, Luca Meini.

In a conversation that was moderated by the Executive Director of Eurochile, José Aravena, both delved into the progress that is being made in Europe in terms of circular economy, the importance that the Green Deal will have as the motor for recovery, the role of the energy sector in this task, and also the opportunities that open up for innovation, new business models and -in particular- for small and medium-sized companies in a more sustainable future economic development.

At the beginning of the seminar, the President of Eurochile, Vicente Caruz, affirmed that our country has been affected in recent months by a triple crisis: social, climatic and the coronavirus pandemic. “Then, the task of facing a recovery that is environmentally, economically and socially sustainable appears as gigantic and urgent.” And in a scenario where the State contributes large resources for the emergency and stimulates economic activity to recover jobs and productive capacity, Caruz said, “how these resources are invested will be the key to a recovery with a medium and long-term future.”

“The circular economy,” added Caruz, “then appears as a main tool to face the double challenge of achieving ecological and environmental balance that allows a more integrated existence, and in the long term, subsistence. And on the other hand, achieving high levels of comprehensive productivity – not only economic and financial – that can allow citizens with their families to end insecurities that are preventing them from living in a balanced way. This is essential to end a widespread social unrest that prevents the normal functioning of society and the economy. ”

For this, it is necessary that the circular economy is inserted into productivity and reaches all the productive sectors, with joint work between all the actors but also with a strong focus on sustainability. In this regard, the Ambassador Stella Zervoudaki, Chief of the European Union in Chile Delegation, stated that solidarity, cohesion and convergence are essential to address the current health challenge, but also the subsequent challenges. “The other thing that this pandemic has shown us is the importance of sustainable coexistence between humans and nature. We cannot continue producing in the same way that we have, and it is very important that we achieve a balance if we want development for the next generations”.

In this context, Paolo Pallotti, country manager of Enel Chile, agreed that we are experiencing a deep and unprecedented crisis, but that at the same time it can offer us an opportunity, “because this is the time to act, to make decisions to ensure the future. And the energy sector is at the center of the economy and has a very important role; today a profound transformation of this sector is possible, and in Chile there is this opportunity”.

In this sense, he recalled that from 2022 Enel will not have coal-fired units producing energy in Chile, and also with the commitment to “develop new renewable capacities. We have a goal; we are working on the development of new projects to add 2,000 MW of capacity until 2022. That is a year where the exit of coal solutions and the entry of new renewable capacities will be coordinated. And this is going to have an impact on all productive activities”.

Europe’s sustainable strategy for recovery

The coronavirus crisis has hit hard our economies and societies globally, a crisis which no one has been immune, to the point that we are already beginning to speak of a pre and post pandemic world, said Daniel Calleja, General  Director of Environment of the European Commission. And although the work is, today, focused on facing the urgency of the health challenge, he added, “we have to rethink how we are going to develop our lives, our economies and our societies after the crisis. We have to work on recovery now. ”

And in that context, he recalled the words of the UN Secretary- General, Antonio Guterres, inviting “to build back better”. “And for this,” Calleja said, “we have to put sustainability at the center of our agenda. An economic, environmental, social and inclusive sustainability. And Europe puts on the table the European Green Deal, which aims to transform our society in the next 10 years, our energy, our transport, our food systems, and a linear economy that is already expired by a circular economy and to work so that the main points of the agenda are based on sustainable development. What is not sustainable is not viable; no company can be competitive today if it does not have a sustainable business model”.

Why should this Green Deal be at the center of recovery? First of all, he said, because after the health crisis we will continue to have climate and biodiversity crises, which will continue to threaten the poorest and weakest people and states. And second, because in a recession, getting out of it requires stimulating growth and employment, without moving backwards on environmental challenges.

“Green investment and circular economy are the best way to create growth and employment, and to recover our economies, because the only sustainable model is the one that is capable of decoupling economic growth from emissions and excess consumption of resources. More than half of the world’s GDP depends on nature and the services it provides, investing in nature is investing in our future”, he said.

To achieve this, Europe will work on four lines of action. First, a climate strategy – to become in 2050, the first climate neutral region by 2050.

Second, the circular economy through a new action plan in order to be more efficient in the use of resources. Added to this is a strategy for 2030 for the conservation of biodiversity, and finally the “farm to fork” strategy to promote a sustainable agri-food sector.

Regarding the circular economy action plan, Daniel Calleja explained that he seeks to go far beyond the mere management and recycling of waste. “We have a vision in Europe: that every product that is put on the market is circular. If we are able to do it, we will achieve more innovation, more growth, more employment and more competitiveness. For this, it is necessary to work throughout the life cycle of the products, focusing on their design, promoting circular economy production processes, promoting sustainable consumption and ensuring that the resources used remain in the economy as long as possible. That the waste of one company is the raw material of another, the industrial symbiosis”, he explained.

For this, sectors with a key potential in this area have already been identified, where innovative technologies and business models can be promoted and green jobs can be created. Among them are batteries; the automotive sector, which is a great generator of jobs; electronics, where you can work on design and material recovery; the textile sector, which only recycles 1% of products and produces more emissions than sea and air transport combined; plastics, where Europe has led in the restriction of single-use plastic; the packaging sector, and the food and construction sectors, which have great opportunities for SMEs.

In these areas, said Daniel Calleja, “we are very impressed with the work of Chile. There, once again, Eurochile immediately saw the opportunities of the circular economy. I have a wonderful memory of the first European circular economy mission where the first country in the world was Chile and it was an overwhelming success. We know that Chile is following a similar path with the roadmap for the circular economy for the next 20 years. And here is a very important element: we have to work this transition together. This will require adaptation, which will involve education, training and work. And recovery has to be global; it requires a response from everyone. We would like to articulate these global efforts, because solidarity and multilateralism are crucial, that is the path and the agenda that we want to share”.

The role of the energy sector in the circular economy

The circular economy is not recycling or managing waste, it involves completely redesigning the business model, said Luca Meini, Manager of Circular Economy at the Enel holding, and this implies doing it from the design, material selection and engineering phase. “That is the most important thing, then comes the part on how we are going to maximize its use and at the end there is the reuse and recycling part, which must already be foreseen in the design. This is essential”. And in this sense, he argues, the circular economy has innovation as its central element, which is what feeds competitiveness.

Added to this is the role of institutions, where the European Union has had a very strong role, but this is also happening in many other countries -such as Chile- both at governments and at local levels in cities. And in this, Meini said, the vision of facing environmental challenges in an integrated way has been fundamental.

And in this, he added, the circular economy has also shown an interesting aspect in the decrease of centralised production to generate much more local work throughout the value chain, through maintenance and repair services. “COVID-19 is pushing even more in this direction, because it has shown more clearly the importance of resilience,” he added.

Enel, he said, has been working hard in circular economy for five years, among other aspects due to decreased risk, reuse of materials and a focus on innovation. “The circular economy approach pushes us to work even more on innovation, not only in technology but in everything we do. To this is added that the environmental benefits are very clear, as well as the positive social impact”, he stated.

The company’s objective, Meini added, is to have low levels of emissions by 2030 and to be fully decarbonised by 2050, and to this end they have developed a circular economy strategy throughout their entire value chain, including their suppliers.

“We are redesigning our main value chains, batteries, photovoltaic, wind, smart meters, which are the technologies that will have a very strong development in the coming years and we believe that it can be a very strong engine in the transition to economy circular. Through Enel X we are redesigning products and services for our clients, and we are very focused on the cities of tomorrow, where we also see very strong potential in the circular economy. And we are also working hard on creating knowledge, we publish our know-how and what we have learned together with other companies, because the issue of circular economy is still quite new and it is important to create awareness and discussion on this matter” , he claimed.

In this advance, said Luca Meini, the legislation will have great relevance in this matter, “because the circular economy is going to change the entire economic model, and also the legislative and regulatory aspects are going to be fundamental. There are several other aspects as well, such as innovation, metrics and culture that will be essential for everyone to understand this transition. ”

Advantages for SMEs in the circular economy

What role will SMEs have in this transition? According to Calleja, we are not only talking about large companies or the areas with the highest technology, but circularity will benefit all companies. “SMEs are going to be more efficient and more profitable; if they recycle more, if they reuse more, if they design their products better, they are going to reduce their energy and process expenses, and they are going to have a greater number of clients because there is an increasing interest in the so-called green products and services”, he said.

In addition, he said, they will benefit from innovation and the creation of a virtuous cycle with an important social dimension that implies new jobs, techniques and training. For that, Europe is generating a series of programmes to facilitate investment and financing of innovative projects in SMEs. “Now, with COVID-19, we want to put digitalisation and the circular economy as the two main axes of the European strategy. All the SMEs that present projects in these areas are going to have financing”, said Calleja.

What is sought, he added, is that companies – regardless of their size – can all contribute. “I think that the big winners of the circular economy can be medium and small companies, because they are the most flexible, because they have innovative opportunities, because they can develop new ideas”, Calleja said. For this there will be support from the European Union, he added, “also working with our foreign correspondents, and in Chile specifically with Eurochile, which facilitates the collaboration between European and Chilean companies.”

In this regard, Luca Meini added that Enel also has a series of initiatives to support SMEs, and among them the circular program “has in itself a support because it will train suppliers in measuring what they do. In the tenders, a higher value will be recognized to the circular suppliers, and there is the issue of co-design and collaboration with them to work together on the products”.

To this are added specific training and support initiatives for the most virtuous collaborators. “We are very focused on this issue, and the response from suppliers is quite good because today the awareness that this is the direction to go is clearer, and doing so with Enel is an opportunity for suppliers because the group has been one of the first to move towards these new business models”

After three meetings and a little over a month in operation, the Strategic Committee of 32 companies, ministries, experts and academia -among others- that is supporting the creation of a Roadmap for the circular economy in Chile is beginning to generate more concrete the first lines of work, after a first diagnostic report prepared by Eurochile, who leads this work with the Ministry of the Environment.

Linnet Solway, director of Eurochile’s Technology Transfer and Circular Economy Area, explains that although this report shows that in Chile there are several initiatives and projects on going for the implementation of a circular economy, they are still being developed in isolation.

For this reason, she adds, “it is necessary to create a circular economy ecosystem that brings together all the actors in the transformation and promotes collaboration. In addition, a vision and a strategy are needed to give a clear direction for the adoption of a circular economy in the country. And that is what the Roadmap seeks to generate. ”

This becomes more important today, says Linnet Solway, because although the need to move towards more sustainable production and consumption models was identified before the pandemic, “today with the economic and social crisis the need to do so is further ensured by ensuring a transition for everyone and with everyone”.

The study shows a series of gaps to overcome for its implementation. Which do you think appear most relevant, and which should be prioritized?

One of the priority gaps is to redesign the waste management system, since today due to its structure, above all costs, it does not allow priority strategies in a circular economy, such as repair and recycling, to be competitive. Education is also a key aspect, so that the circular economy is understood as a model that goes far beyond recycling and that includes the adoption of new technologies, rethinking designs and processes and implementing new business models. Another important gap is collaboration, especially between companies, to address sectoral or pre-competitive challenges, and to establish industrial symbiosis and make more efficient use of resources. Another aspect that must be addressed is the need to take into account the territorial realities in the country for the implementation of appropriate strategies to local conditions.

How are you going to work this initial diagnosis in the Strategic Committee, what are the first issues that are emerging in the discussion?

An overview of the diagnosis was presented at a meeting with the Strategic Committee and the document was sent to them for review and comment. In general, the need to deepen certain aspects was highlighted, such as working metrics to measure circularity in the industry; incorporate supply and demand gaps for circular products, and also incentives; the obligation to use recycled raw material; focus on the population not only as a consumer, but also as a focus of education; and include a human vision oriented to ethical behavior as a society.

What are the regulatory changes that should be given priority to help boost the circular economy?

The current waste management system needs to be reformed, and the lack of regulations to organize efforts aimed at the circular economy from all sectors has also been highlighted.

How will this work be carried out, and what basic aspects will this roadmap contain, in the sense of directing the adoption of the circular economy in the companies – small, medium and large – of the country?

The work will be carried out very closely with the Ministry of the Environment and other institutions such as the Sustainability and Climate Change Agency and Corfo. Furthermore, it will involve key actors from the public and private sectors: various ministries, municipalities, union and industrial associations, NGOs and organizations representing civil society. We will accompany, guide and coordinate the development of a co-creation of the roadmap, through different activities, meetings and workshops, with the aim that the end of the consultancy is in the beginning of the work for the transition to the circular economy, and that each actor takes the roadmap as a starting point and begins to implement the proposed strategies. That is why the participation of the business sector is so important; they need to empower the roadmap to give it the continuity it requires.

What can Eurochile contribute to the discussion that will be generated in these workshops, and what can you learn from this process?

Eurochile can contribute with its extensive experience in public-private relations and generation of networks, since those are of the important gaps highlighted many times when talking about circular economy: the lack of collaboration and networking. Furthermore, due to its link and networks with Europe, the foundation can contribute knowledge, experiences, and success stories. Part of the foundation’s mission and vision is to contribute to the sustainable productive development of Chile. We see that the roadmap is a tremendous opportunity to enhance that change. It is framed in a very specific context today, with a Chile that is going through several crises, one social and one sanitary and human, that are making visible the flaws in our system. Today’s Roadmap for the Circular Economy is not the same as the one drawn up a year ago, it has the potential and the capacity to be part of the response to the crises we are experiencing. We want to use the instances of this project to help stakeholders to project themselves to a Chile of the future and visualize the necessary tools to respond to crises and generate social, environmental and economic capital for everyone, with everyone.

The creation of the roadmap will help formalize the ecosystem of the circular economy, something that Eurochile has been working on for a long time. What progress have you made in this regard, in Chile and in the region?

Since the circular economy company mission in 2016 organized by Eurochile and the European Commission’s Directorate General for the Environment, a network of companies interested in circular economy concepts has started to be generated. In 2018 and 2019, with the circular economy PDT executed by Eurochile, the first Circular Economy project financed by Corfo, skills and knowledge related to circular economy were installed in several Chilean SMEs. Continuing this work, the circular economy working group was formed, mostly with SMEs committed to adopting circular economy models. At the institutional level, different initiatives were also generated and supported to link Chilean and European institutions. In addition, through the various activities that Eurochile has carried out in the country and abroad, the circular model has continued to be disseminated to invite more and more companies and institutions to join this transition and build a CE ecosystem.

Will the circular economy be integrated into all Eurochile projects and work areas in the future?

Yes of course. We seek that the CE is a transversal line of action that is integrated in all the projects that are generated and executed, and in the internal and external activities of the foundation. We have to see the circular economy not as one more aspect in projects, but rather as one of the pillars on which we develop the project, along with issues of partnership and cooperation with Europe. This is how we are working today both in our ongoing projects and in the projects that we have in our portfolio.

How important is the transfer of technology with Europe that you can facilitate? Is this cooperation going to intensify?

Without a doubt, many of the low-carbon technologies that exist today have been developed in Europe, who are clearly at the forefront in this area. Therefore, for Chilean and regional companies that want to move towards the circular economy and decarbonization, there is an opportunity to transfer technology and knowledge from Europe to Latin America. The European Commission is promoting and financing several projects to promote this transfer. Corfo also has several instruments – technology centers, eureka, scholarships for internships – that promote the transfer of knowledge, especially from Europe to Chile.

At Eurochile it has always been pointed out that in this transformation the company plays a key role that this has to be a business transformation. How can this change be accelerated in companies?

The business sector is a dynamic, fast-moving sector with a high capacity for transformation and innovation, and therefore the company undoubtedly plays a fundamental role in the transition to a circular economy. To accelerate this change, the government must play an important role, through the development of rules and regulations that promote the installation of good practices and sustainable models within companies. Through incentives and taxes, the state can guide decision-making within the company. In addition, it needs to provide clarity regarding what is coming so that companies dare to invest in technology, training, R&D and innovation. Once the regulatory framework gives a clear direction to the business sector, the most likely is a fast and radical change in the production system. There are already large and small companies pioneering the implementation of the circular economy, and these are going to put pressure on the system once the rules of the game are clear to everyone.

Beyond the roadmap, what are the main activities Eurochile will have this year in the area of ​​Circular Economy?

In addition to the Circular Economy Roadmap, we are working with the circular economy working group, which we want to strengthen and grow this year. We are also working on initiatives to develop a network of stakeholders in the circular economy, at naional level and also -eventually- at the Latin American level, to create an ecosystem of actors for a circular economy. And this year, if the world situation allows it, we will also organize a circular economy encounter where we will have conferences, workshops and business rounds to continue promoting the transition to a circular economy and encourage the development of networks and collaborations between the actors in this transition.