According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation expert, Latin America is advancing in adopting a Circular Economy, with Mexico at the forefront of several key initiatives.

By JOSÉ ÁNGEL DE LA PAZ | EGADE BUSINESS SCHOOL

The growing importance of the Circular Economy in Latin America and Mexico underscores its progress in key sectors and its impact on the struggle against climate change and biodiversity loss.

Jocelyn Blériot, executive director of Policies and Institutions at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, shared this information during his conference “The Road Ahead on Circularity,” which was delivered on October 21 at EGADE Business School in Monterrey.

The expert stressed that the Circular Economy responds to environmental concerns and represents an efficient approach to resource use and the evolution of consumer behavior.

"If we place things in the market that don’t fit anywhere, they shouldn’t have been put there in the first place,", Blériot emphasized, highlighting the importance of an intelligent design and biomimetics as the key principles for advancing in circularity.  

Regarding Latin America and Mexico, Blériot praised the progress made in the region, mentioning in particular the Circular Economy Coalition for Latin America and the Caribbean, of which Mexico is an active member.

He also mentioned the Plastics Pact Mexico (PPMX), an initiative convened by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and managed by Andrea Cantú Garza, an EGADE Business School alumna. It seeks to address the lifecycle of plastics in a circular manner.  

Blériot also explained that if circularity strategies are implemented in key sectors such as cement, plastics, steel, aluminum, and foods, global CO₂ emissions could be reduced by 9.3 billion tons by 2050. This impact would be equivalent to all the emissions generated by transportation worldwide.

The conference ended with a dialogue between Blériot and Boyd Cohen, Sustainability professor at EGADE Business School, in which they discussed circular economy models, emphasizing the importance of saving materials and incentives for their adoption.

Before the conference, EGADE Business School hosted a private meeting between Blériot and key players from Tecnológico de Monterrey, the French Consulate in Monterrey, and the Nuevo León State Government to consolidate the region’s circular economy initiatives.

Participants included Paola Visconti, director of Sustainable Development and Connection at Tecnológico de Monterrey; Javier Pérez Sagaón, undersecretary for Climate Change and Waste in the Nuevo León State Government; and Ludovic Doyennette, expert in climate change, circular economy, and sustainable cities at Expertise France.

THE EXPERT

Blériot is the executive director of Policies and Institutions at the  Ellen MacArthur Foundation, where he has played a key role since it was founded in 2010.

As a Circular Economy specialist, Blériot collaborates closely with international organizations such as the European Union and the United Nations, contributing to developing policies for a more sustainable economy.

He has also participated in strategic initiatives at the World Economic Forum, focusing on the transition towards circular economy models that address global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss.