GO4SDGs is happy to announce the launching of the first ever Circularity Gap Report Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Circularity Gap Report LAC was commissioned by GO4SDGs, IDB, IDB Invest, ECLAC, UNIDO, and the Circular Economy Coalition for LAC and authored by Circle Economy Foundation.
The report, which is the first of its kind for the LAC region, takes a consumption-based perspective and uses demand-based indicators to analyze how materials flow through the regional economy. It provides a snapshot of how circular practices are implemented in the LAC region and highlights actionable strategies for key economic sectors such as agrifood, manufacturing, and waste management.
The report also identifies the challenges faced by the region in implementing circular economy principles, including a lack of attractive career pathways and financial incentives for young professionals entering vocational professions, as well as a lack of digital knowledge and tools among informal workers.
Despite the challenges, the report also highlights the significant opportunities for the LAC region to improve circularity and the benefits that this could bring. For example, it estimates that shifting to a circular economy could slash material use and carbon footprint by 30%, creating over 8.8 million new formal jobs.
The report also emphasizes that the transition to a circular economy must be just and inclusive, ensuring that everyone benefits.
The report's findings and recommendations are relevant to governments, businesses, educational institutions, and international donors alike. By working together, the LAC region can transition to a more circular economy, which will create jobs, reduce pollution, and conserve natural resources.
Some key findings of the report include:
- Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) export more than double the amount of materials they import—40% of what is extracted annually. The rapid rise in global material demand has become a major driver of environmental degradation and social inequalities in the region.
- LAC supplies over 11% of global raw materials despite representing only 8.3% of the world's population.
- Shockingly, the circularity rate is just 1%, signifying minimal recycling and reusing efforts in LAC countries.
According to the report here are some specific actions that governments, businesses, and other stakeholders can take to promote circularity in the LAC region:
- Governments can develop and implement policies and programs that support circularity. This could include things like providing financial incentives to businesses that adopt circular practices, investing in infrastructure for recycling and reuse, and developing educational programs to raise awareness of circularity.
- Businesses can adopt circular practices in their own operations and supply chains. This could include things like designing products for durability and recyclability, using recycled materials in production, and offering repair and reuse services.
- Educational institutions can incorporate informal circular knowledge and skills into their curricula. This could help to ensure that students have the skills and knowledge they need to work in the circular economy.
- International donors can support capacity-building initiatives that help informal workers adopt circular practices. This could include things like providing training on circular economy practices and helping informal workers to access the resources they need to adopt these practices.
By taking these steps, the LAC region can transition to a more circular economy, which will benefit everyone.
?Read the full report here:
English: https://www.circularity-gap.world/lac
Español: https://www.circularity-gap.world/lac/es