The circular economy in Ecuador

The School of Environmental Engineering organized the talk "From linear to circular: strategic sectors in Ecuador and the world", which was developed by Daniela Córdoba, an expert in the field of circular economy who has worked with companies like Apple and the United Nations.  

More than 70 users entered the event, held on the Zoom platform, which was presented by Johanna Ochoa, Coordinator of the race, within the framework of the Knowledge and Culture Conference.

Then the speaker indicated that Ecuador is one of the pioneer countries that has ventured into circular economy strategies and has a bill on the matter.

"The circular economy is a productive and economic model that focuses on analyzing inputs and outputs of products and services, from raw materials to the last instances of the products we consume in order to reinsert the products or their components into the system and generate an industrial symbiosis ”, said the speaker.

Along the same lines, Córdoba stated that this circular model has a triple impact: environmental, economic and social; all this within the framework of a fair and more conscious trade, both from producers and consumers:

"More than 33 years ago the concept of sustainable development was established, the same one that is achieved when these three pillars converge."

On the other hand, he explained the linear model that still predominates in commercial activities:

“The linear economy focuses on the extraction of raw materials, then production, then consumption, and finally a generation of waste. What do we do with the products that we no longer use? We keep them or throw them away, precisely this talk aims to redesign these forms of consumption ”.

Regarding the strategic sectors that can be adapted to the circularity model, Dr. Córdova named construction, transport and mobility, agro-industries, manufacturing, telecommunications and electronics.

"These have been sectors defined by the European Union as the largest extractors of raw materials and those that could most easily adapt to this circular model," he said.

In conclusion, Córdoba stated that this more conscious form of production and consumption is a task to which both the State -with its public policies-, consumers and industries, are called in favor of a more sustainable collective consciousness.

UDA Correspondent