Interview by Monica Lafon to Adri&aacute;n Velasco
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What motivated the creation of the concept of the circular economy and what are its main pillars?
The concept of Circular Economy (CE) gains momentum when detecting the evident need to integrate environmental interests with economic ones, as well as influencing three major issues of the current economic system:
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Finite resources
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Waste and processes that generate environmental problems
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A huge waste of resources and added value
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</ol>
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What are the clearest examples in developed and developing countries where the circular economy works?
One of them is the "<a href="https://www.newplasticseconomy.org/">New Plastics Economy</a>" initiative that has motivated large generators of plastic waste to initiate a transformation in their products, processes and waste.
Another example is the&nbsp; "<a href="https://www.kraaijvanger.nl/en/projects/city-hall-venlo/">City Hall</a>" in Venlo, the Netherlands, a building with high Circular Economy standards, which goes beyond sustainability and operates under the principles of <a href="https://www.c2ccertified.org/">Cradle to Cradle</a> (C2C). These principles include three components in the design of any product or project based on the functioning of nature: everything is a resource for something else, renewable sources of energy are used, and diversity in designs for each specific context.
Finally and very interesting is the smartphone manufacturer "<a href="https://www.fairphone.com/en/">Fairphone</a>"&nbsp;that has managed to continue growing with a circular product in a highly competitive niche.
&nbsp;
How far away is Mexico to be able to implement this model?
An accelerated interest in the subject has begun to take place in all the actors of society, although in an incipient way. Yes, there are legislative initiatives around a general circular economy law with the possibility of being formalized in 2021. In the coming years we will see if it happens with the assertiveness and forcefulness that is required and that it is linked to a real implementation of the circular vision and not cosmetic approaches.
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What examples of circular economy have been made to meet the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda?
Although CE can have an indirect impact on almost all the SDGs, the one that gets the most impact is <a href="https://www.undp.org/content/undp/es/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-12-responsible-consumption-and-production.html">SDG 12:</a> guarantee responsible production and consumption methods.
From this perspective, and in addition to the previous examples, the large manufacturers of consumer products are redesigning their products using some CE principles.
Examples of reusable or recyclable packaging are very numerous. Products that are designed to be repairable and remanufactured occur in the capital goods and automotive industries.
Another interesting example is automobiles, architectural and electronic products that begin to be &ldquo;subserved&rdquo; instead of being sold, that is, the provision of the service is monetized rather than the sale.
&nbsp;
What are the biggest obstacles to implementing circular systems in Latin America?
A first obstacle is the lack of legislation that encourages and, failing that, penalizes actions that differ from the CE as well as how to promote innovation with a sustainable approach.
Another challenge is that the involvement is carried out at all levels of the academy to spread the circular vision and citizen participation from the perspective of responsible consumption.
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In your opinion, and in the current context due to the health and economic crisis we are suffering, do you think the adoption of circular systems will accelerate or, on the contrary, it will be more difficult to adopt this paradigm shift? 
The current circumstance clearly shows that the environment can seriously and profoundly affect economic activies.&nbsp;
I believe that this leads us to recognize the vulnerability of our models and the urgency to evolve them towards more harmonious systems with nature that are not based on the false idea of ​​an independence or subordination of ecosystems to these models.
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Profile of the interviewee
Adri&aacute;n Velasco is Founder of Futuro Circular, a consultancy specialized in Sustainable Innovation in Mexico. Industrial Designer with almost 20 years of experience in the manufacturing industry and his specialty is in Circular Economy, Sustainable Development and Business Management and Development, he has taught undergraduate classes in Sustainable Development and Sustainable Design at the University of the Environment. He is a representative of the &ldquo;Circular Economy Club&rdquo; and the &ldquo;Circular Economy Platform of the Americas&rdquo;. For more information:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.futurocircular.com/">https://www.futurocircular.com/</a>
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Monica Lafon is a freelance writer. She has a degree in Journalism and Political Science from Concordia University in Montreal and a Master's in Environmental Policy from Sciences Po Paris.
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Find out how your company can be part of responsible consumption in our blog: <a href="https://www.toroto.mx/en/blog/Inside-Toroto/how-to-take-your-company-cabron-neutral">How to take your company carbon-neutral</a>

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What motivated the creation of the concept of the circular economy and what are its main pillars?

How to implement the Circular Economy?

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&iquest;C&oacute;mo implementar la Econom&iacute;a Circular?&nbsp;
Por: Entrevista a Adrian Velasco por Monica Lafon
&nbsp;
&iquest;Qu&eacute; motiv&oacute; la creaci&oacute;n del concepto de la econom&iacute;a circular y cu&aacute;les son sus principales pilares?
El concepto de Econom&iacute;a Circular (EC) cobra impulso al detectar la evidente necesidad de integrar los intereses medioambientales con los econ&oacute;micos, as&iacute; como incidir en tres grandes temas del sistema econ&oacute;mico actual:&nbsp;
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<li style="font-weight: 400;">
Recursos finitos
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<li style="font-weight: 400;">
Residuos y procesos que generan problemas ambientales&nbsp;
</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;">
Un enorme desperdicio de recursos y valor agregado
</li>
</ol>
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&iquest;Cu&aacute;les son los ejemplos m&aacute;s claros en pa&iacute;ses desarrollados y en v&iacute;as de desarrollo donde la econom&iacute;a circular funciona?
Uno de ellos es la iniciativa "<a href="https://www.newplasticseconomy.org/">New Plastics Economy</a>" que ha motivado a los grandes generadores de residuos pl&aacute;sticos a iniciar una transformaci&oacute;n en sus productos, procesos y residuos.&nbsp;
Otro ejemplo es el "<a href="https://www.kraaijvanger.nl/en/projects/city-hall-venlo/">City Hall</a>" en Venlo, Pa&iacute;ses Bajos, un edificio con altos est&aacute;ndares de Econom&iacute;a Circular, que va m&aacute;s all&aacute; de la sustentabilidad y que funciona bajo los principios de <a href="https://www.c2ccertified.org/">Cradle to Cradle</a> (C2C). Estos principios incluyen tres componentes en el dise&ntilde;o de cualquier producto o proyecto basado en el funcionamiento de la naturaleza: todo es un recurso para algo m&aacute;s, se utilizan fuentes renovables de energ&iacute;a, y la diversidad en los dise&ntilde;os para cada contexto espec&iacute;fico.&nbsp;
Por &uacute;ltimo y muy interesantes es el fabricante de tel&eacute;fonos inteligentes "<a href="https://www.fairphone.com/en/">Fairphone</a>" que ha logrado continuar creciendo con un producto circular en un nicho altamente competitivo.&nbsp;
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&iquest;Qu&eacute; tan lejos se encuentra M&eacute;xico de poder llegar a implementar este modelo?
Ha comenzado a suceder un acelerado inter&eacute;s en el tema en todos los actores de la sociedad, aunque de manera incipiente. S&iacute; hay iniciativas de legislaciones en torno a una ley general de econom&iacute;a circular con posibilidades de formalizarse en el 2021. En los pr&oacute;ximos a&ntilde;os veremos si sucede con la asertividad y contundencia que se requiere y que est&eacute; ligada a una implementaci&oacute;n real de la visi&oacute;n circular y no acercamientos cosm&eacute;ticos.
&nbsp;
&iquest;Qu&eacute; ejemplos de econom&iacute;a circular se han realizado para cumplir con los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible de la Agenda 2030?
Si bien la EC puede incidir en casi todos los ODS de manera indirecta, el que obtiene mayores incidencias es el <a href="https://www.undp.org/content/undp/es/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-12-responsible-consumption-and-production.html">ODS 12</a>: garantizar modalidades de producci&oacute;n y consumo responsable.&nbsp;
Desde &eacute;sta perspectiva, y adem&aacute;s de los ejemplos previos, los grandes fabricantes de productos de consumo masivo est&aacute;n redise&ntilde;ando sus productos usando algunos principios de EC.&nbsp;
Ejemplos de envases reutilizables o reciclables son muy numerosos. Productos que se dise&ntilde;an para poderse reparar y re-manufacturar suceden en la industria de bienes de capital y automotriz.&nbsp;
Otro ejemplo interesante son autom&oacute;viles, productos arquitect&oacute;nicos y electr&oacute;nicos que comienzan a &ldquo;servilizarse&rdquo; en lugar de venderse, es decir, se monetiza la prestaci&oacute;n del servicio mas que la venta.
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&iquest;Cu&aacute;les son los obst&aacute;culos m&aacute;s grandes para implementar sistemas circulares en Am&eacute;rica Latina?
Un primer obst&aacute;culo es la falta de legislaci&oacute;n que incentive y, en su defecto, penalice acciones que difieran de la EC as&iacute; c&oacute;mo impulsar innovaci&oacute;n con enfoque sustentable.&nbsp;
Otro reto es que se lleve a cabo el involucramiento en todos los niveles de la academia para divulgar la visi&oacute;n circular y una participaci&oacute;n ciudadana desde la perspectiva de consumo responsable.&nbsp;
 En tu opini&oacute;n, y en el contexto actual por la crisis sanitaria y econ&oacute;mica que sufrimos &iquest;crees que se acelere la adopci&oacute;n de sistemas circulares o por lo contrario, sea m&aacute;s dif&iacute;cil adoptar este cambio de paradigma?
La circunstancia actual evidencia contundentemente que el medio ambiente puede afectar grave y profundamente las actividades econ&oacute;micas.&nbsp;
Creo que esto nos lleva a reconocer la vulnerabilidad de nuestros modelos y la urgencia de evolucionarlos hacia esquemas m&aacute;s arm&oacute;nicos con la naturaleza que no est&eacute;n basados en la falsa idea de una independencia o subordinaci&oacute;n de los ecosistemas a dichos modelos.&nbsp;
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Perfil del entrevistado
Adri&aacute;n Velasco es Fundador de Futuro Circular, consultor&iacute;a especializada en Innovaci&oacute;n Sustentable en M&eacute;xico. Dise&ntilde;ador Industrial con casi 20 a&ntilde;os de experiencia en la industria manufacturera y su especialidad es en Econom&iacute;a Circular, Desarrollo Sustentable y Direcci&oacute;n y Desarrollo de Negocios, ha impartido clases a nivel licenciatura en Desarrollo Sustentable y Dise&ntilde;o Sustentable en la Universidad de Medio Ambiente. Es representante del &ldquo;Circular Economy Club&rdquo; y la &ldquo;Plataforma de econom&iacute;a circular de las Am&eacute;ricas&rdquo;. Para mayor informaci&oacute;n: <a href="https://www.futurocircular.com/">https://www.futurocircular.com/</a>
&nbsp;
Monica Lafon es una escritora independiente. Es licenciada en Periodismo y Ciencias Pol&iacute;ticas de la Universidad de Concordia en Montreal y obtuvo un M&aacute;ster en Pol&iacute;tica Medioambiental en Sciences Po Paris.
C&oacute;noce c&oacute;mo tu empresa puede ser parte de un consumo responsable en nuestro blog: <a href="https://www.toroto.mx/en/blog/Inside-Toroto/how-to-take-your-company-cabron-neutral">C&oacute;mo llevar a tu empresa a ser carbono-neutral</a>

¿Qué motivó la creación del concepto de la economía circular y cuáles son sus principales pilares?

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