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Rampant material extraction is pushing the ecosystems of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) to their limits. Over 11% of global raw materials are extracted within the region, yet it represents only about 8% of the world's population.

[*The Circularity Gap Report* (CGR) Latin America and the Caribbean](https://www.circularity-gap.world/lac), a first of its kind, demonstrates how the region can leverage the circular economy to tackle systemic inefficiencies in satisfying societal needs, conserve its unique natural wealth, and improve its people’s well-being.

To devise pathways for a circular transition, the report analysed the sectors where circular interventions could yield the most positive impact—environmentally, economically, and socially. This entails shifting to a circular food system, building a circular built environment, advancing circular manufacturing, transforming the energy system, reducing waste generation, and improve waste cycling.

[Circle Economy](https://www.circle-economy.com/) is a global impact organisation with an international team of passionate experts based in Amsterdam. We empower industries, cities, and nations with practical and scalable solutions to put the circular economy into action. Our vision is an economic system that ensures the planet and all people can thrive. To avoid climate breakdown, our goal is to double global circularity by 2032. Through the Circularity Gap Reporting Initiative, our mission is to deliver Circularity Metrics that measure the state of the global and national economy and identify key levers to transition to circularity. 

Latin America Collection

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Policy case

Impact on increased knowledge and understanding as a result of the case study

Increase Awareness

Reduced green house gas emissions released into the biosphere

Reduce Emissions (SDG13)

Contributing to the improvement of biodiversity including species diversity, total number of protected species, and ecosystem health

Biodiversity

Engaging in discussions with government bodies and policymakers to push for regulations that support the circular economy

Advocacy for circular economy policy

Participating in government programmes that support and advance the circular economy

Government programmes

Roadmaps and strategies and targets

Cross-departmental collaboration and engagement

Advocate for circular change

Voluntary agreements around circular ambitions

Impacts

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A framework of policy instruments that enabled and encourage the transition to the circular economy

Policies

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A framework of policy instruments that enable and stimulate the transition to the circular economy

The principles of a circular economy concern designing out waste, regenerating ecosystems and keeping items in use. Decoupling the economy from material flows—improving the rate of resource productivity faster than the economic growth rate—is also a consistent guide. By evolving with the growing number of applications of circular economy principles, and consolidating these strategies across thematic areas, Circle Economy’s Key Elements Framework (KE) renders the elements of the circular economy salient and serves as a basis to derive contextual strategies and interventions. 


The Framework consists of:
- Core Elements: Activities directly handling product or material flows; and uniquely,
- Enabling Elements: those that remove obstacles for core actors.


Key elements of the circular economy

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Circle Economy's framework of strategies and activities that define the circular economy

  In the margins of the fifth UN Environment Assembly, the EU, teaming up with the United Nations Environment Programme and in coordination with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, this week launched the Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency (GACERE).
Part of the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan adopted by the European Commission in March 2020 as part of the European Green Deal.
The circular economy offers opportunities for spurring innovation and making the transition more equitable by creating green jobs and lowering environmental impacts.
Launching the Alliance, Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, said: “The transition to a resource-efficient, clean and circular economy is increasingly recognised as a must to address the ecological crises the world is confronted with.
“The circular economy offers opportunities for spurring innovation and making the transition more equitable by creating green jobs and lowering environmental impacts. With today’s launch of the Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency, the EU shows its commitment to work on those matters globally.”
Inger Andersen, Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme, said: “Circularity and sustainable consumption and production are essential to deliver on every multilateral agreement, from the Sustainable Development Goals, to the Paris Agreement to the post-2020 global biodiversity framework that we must agree on soon. They are essential to a sustainable recovery from the pandemic.”
Making peace with nature
Bringing together governments and relevant networks and organisations, GACERE aims to provide a global impetus for initiatives related to the circular economy transition, resource efficiency and sustainable consumption and production.
It will set out to build on efforts being deployed internationally and put the EU at the forefront of the green transition. Eleven countries (Canada, Chile, Colombia, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Rwanda and South Africa) and the EU have joined the Alliance to date.
The fifth UN Environment Assembly (UNEA5), taking place on 22 and 23 January, will set global priorities to address the multiple environmental crises of our time, including climate, biodiversity and pollution.
Participants will address the need for a green recovery in a post-pandemic world, and will look in particular at how sustainable development can tackle the unsustainable patterns that have driven environmental degradation and led to these crises.
The run-up to UNEA5 also saw the launch of a synthesis report, co-funded by the EU, “Making Peace with Nature”, which brings together findings of a number of global scientific assessments that look at the climate, biodiversity and pollution crises together.
According to the report, the world can transform its relationship with nature and tackle the climate, nature and pollution crises together to secure a sustainable future and prevent future pandemics.
The report also stresses that COVID-19 recovery plans are an unmissable opportunity to invest in nature and reach net zero emissions by 2030.
Participants of UNEA-5 will reconvene in February 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya, in particular to discuss the possible kick-start of negotiations of a global agreement to curb plastic pollution.  

Today, in the margins of the fifth UN Environment Assembly, the EU, teaming up with the United Nations Environment Programme and in coordination with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, launched the Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency (GACERE). The Alliance is one of the deliverables of the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan adopted by the European Commission in March 2020 as part of the European Green Deal. Launching the Alliance, Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, said: 
The transition to a resource-efficient, clean and circular economy is increasingly recognised as a must to address the ecological crises the world is confronted with. The circular economy offers opportunities for spurring innovation and making the transition more equitable by creating green jobs and lowering environmental impacts. With today’s launch of the Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency, the EU shows its commitment to work on those matters globally.
 Inger Andersen, Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme, said: 
Circularity and sustainable consumption and production are essential to deliver on every multilateral agreement, from the Sustainable Development Goals, to the Paris Agreement to the post-2020 global biodiversity framework that we must agree on soon. They are essential to a sustainable recovery from the pandemic.
 LI Yong, Director General of UNIDO, said: 
We will have a promising solution in our hands to safeguard and protect the natural wealth of our planet from climate, biodiversity, ocean and land degradation catastrophes and address the ambition of developing countries for inclusive and sustainable industrialization, if we choose a path to a circular economy and make this transition just. This will also enable economic prosperity, business opportunities, innovations, and green jobs.
 Bringing together governments and relevant networks and organisations, GACERE aims to provide a global impetus for initiatives related to the circular economy transition, resource efficiency and sustainable consumption and production. It will build on efforts being deployed internationally and put the EU at the forefront of the green transition. Eleven countries (Canada, Chile, Colombia, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Rwanda and South Africa) and the EU have joined the Alliance to date. The fifth UN Environment Assembly (UNEA5), taking place on 22 and 23 January, will set global priorities to address the multiple environmental crises of our time, including climate, biodiversity and pollution. Participants will address the need for a green recovery in a post-pandemic world, and will look in particular at how sustainable development can tackle the unsustainable patterns that have driven environmental degradation and led to these crises. The run-up to UNEA5 also saw the launch of a synthesis report, co-funded by the EU, “Making Peace with Nature”, which brings together findings of a number of global scientific assessments that look at the climate, biodiversity and pollution crises together. According to the report, the world can transform its relationship with nature and tackle the climate, nature and pollution crises together to secure a sustainable future and prevent future pandemics. The report also stresses that COVID-19 recovery plans are an unmissable opportunity to invest in nature and reach net zero emissions by 2030. Participants of UNEA-5 will reconvene in February 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya, in particular to discuss the possible kick-start of negotiations of a global agreement to curb plastic pollution. Background  UNEA is the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment. The Environment Assembly meets biennially to set priorities for global environmental policies and develop international environmental law. Through its resolutions and calls to action, the Assembly provides leadership and acts as a catalyst on intergovernmental action on the environment. More information  The EU and international environmental policy webpage GACERE webpage UNEA-5 webpage

   Additional tools   In the March 2020 Circular Economy Action Plan, the Commission proposed a global alliance to identify knowledge and governance gaps in advancing a global circular economy and take forward partnership initiatives, including major economies. Bringing together governments and relevant networks and organisations, the Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency (GACERE) aims to provide a global impetus for initiatives related to the circular economy transition, resource efficiency and sustainable consumption and production, building on efforts being deployed internationally. GACERE members will do so by working together and advocating at the political level and in multilateral fora, in particular at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) and in G7/G20. Membership GACERE has been initiated by the European Commission, on behalf of the EU, and by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in coordination with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). The following are currently members:  Countries and the European Union    Canada    Chile   Colombia   European Union    Japan    Kenya    Morocco    New Zealand    Nigeria    Norway    Peru    Rwanda    South Africa    International organisations    United Nations Environment Programme    United Nations Industrial Development Organization    Strategic partners    Ellen MacArthur Foundation    Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy    World Circular Economy Forum    Launch event GACERE was launched on Monday 22 February 2021 in the margins of the first segment of the fifth meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA 5). Find out more on our event webpage. A report on the launch event is available here The video of the event can be accessed here and the press release here. Recorded video-messages by Commissioner Sinkevičius, the Norwegian Environment and Climate Change Minister Rotevatn and the Nigerian Federal Environment Minister Abubakar are also available. Other Events  The launch of the Circular Economy Coalition for Latin America and the Caribbean, a regional endeavour similar to GACERE, took place on 1 February 2021. More information is available here. A session ‘Towards a Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency’ was organised on 3 November 2020 as part of the Circular Economy Stakeholder Conference 2020. A panel comprising representatives of Canada, Colombia, Singapore, South Africa and the European Commission discussed how to support the circular economy transition globally and the possible role of GACERE to this end. A summary report of the session is available here.  Relevant Documents   

The United Nations (UN) places great hope in the new Global Alliance for Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency (GACERE). The alliance, which brings together governments and international organisations, was initiated by the European Commission and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in coordination with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO).
The objective of GACERE is to encourage initiatives related to the transition to the circular economy, resource efficiency, sustainable consumption and production patterns and inclusive and sustainable industrialisation. “The transition to a circular, clean and resource-efficient economy is increasingly recognised as a necessity to address the ecological crises facing the world. The circular economy offers opportunities to stimulate innovation and make the transition fairer by creating green jobs and reducing environmental impacts,” explains Virginijus Sinkevičius, the European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries.
The participation of African countries
Several African countries, ahead of the climate and environmental issues, have already integrated the GACERE. This is the case of Rwanda and Kenya. The continent’s heavyweights such as South Africa and Nigeria will also work with the new alliance. GACERE will accompany these member countries towards the gradual adoption of a circular economy in several sectors in Africa.
Beyond sustainable waste management, the circular economy also integrates electricity, agriculture, urban infrastructure, as well as transport, plastics, manufacturing and textile industries, etc. According to Requier Wait, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Pretoria, the circular economy must be at the heart of Africa’s development process. Given the continent’s rapid population growth and urbanisation, he says, planners need to design systems that enable cities to become resilient and resource efficient.
 “Circular systems can help reduce the growing volumes of waste in cities and improve waste management, with positive effects on the environment, health and the urban economy. In particular, the establishment of economic activities for resource recovery, reuse and recycling could help create jobs for growing urban populations,” says Requier Wait.
Initiatives in favour of the circular economy
In North Africa, where water stress is persistent, the reuse of treated wastewater has become an alternative, especially for the development of irrigated agriculture, which is essential in countries such as Egypt and Morocco. In the country of the pharaohs, the new wastewater treatment plants that are being built are no longer solely for sanitation purposes. The construction of these installations is now part of a fairly rigorous strategy of water resource preservation.
In addition to government action in favour of the circular economy, financial institutions such as the African Development Bank (AfDB) are providing funding and multiplying initiatives in favour of sustainability. The pan-African financial institution based in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), for example, has launched the Africa Circular Economy Facility (ACEF). This is a €4 million multi-donor trust fund to support the adoption of circular practices in AfDB regional member countries. The new Global Alliance for Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency is expected to encourage the establishment of similar mechanisms.
Jean Marie Takouleu


Europe

Peru

Norway

South Africa

Canada

Chile

Kenya

Nigeria

Rwanda

Japan

Colombia

New Zealand

The European Union is a unique economic and political union between 27 EU countries that together cover much of the continent.

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European Union 

Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency (GACERE)

<p>Bringing together governments and relevant networks and organisations, the Global Alliance on Circular Economy and Resource Efficiency (GACERE) aims to provide a global impetus for initiatives related to the circular economy transition, resource efficiency, and sustainable consumption and production. Eleven countries (Canada, Chile, Colombia, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Peru, Rwanda, and South Africa) and the EU have joined the Alliance to date. Participants will address the need for a green recovery in a post-pandemic world and will look in particular at how sustainable development can tackle the unsustainable patterns that have driven environmental degradation and led to these crises.</p>