Colombia promotes Environmentally-Friendly Production Processes with support from the OAS
Today, governments around the world seek to
promote their companies and productivity while responding to the
challenges related to energy and climate change. To address this
challenge, the OAS-SEDI Department of Sustainable Development joined
forces with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism (MinCIT) of
Colombia, the National Cleaner Production Centre (CNPML) and the
University of San Buenaventura in conducting two training workshops
“Closed Looped Cycle Production and Circular Economy: an Innovative
Vision of Productivity,” held on July 29 in Medellin and on
August 1 in Bogota.
Nearly 370 entrepreneurs, government officials
and students participated in the workshops, where experts from the
OAS-SEDI and the CNPL of Colombia presented the benefits of
implementing cleaner and more sustainable production processes. The
workshops focused on introducing the methodologies and processes
that make up the Closed Looped Cycle Production (CLCP) concept.
CLCP is a new sustainable and eco-friendly production paradigm, which
involves developing industrial or manufacturing processes in which
materials become valuable nutrients at the end of their useful life
instead of being discarded. The OAS has promoted this methodology
since 2011 as part of the "Closed
Looped Cycle Production in the Americas (CLCPA)" program, which
is currently in its second phase, and also as part of the activities
of the
Energy
and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA).
Colombia is one of the four countries
participating in the OAS-CLCPA with the project "Productive
Development, towards a Sustainable Circular Economy in Colombia".
The country has focused its efforts on facilitating the transition
to a sustainable, competitive and circular economy, with a particular
focus on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
During the event, the Representative of the
Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism of Colombia,
Edith Urrego,
highlighted the critical role of the OAS project for business
development as "in addition to academia and the public sector, the
project can be brought to businesspeople."
Precisely, the project is being taken to
Colombian SMEs through an open
call for proposals in place until
September 15, 2014, in which the OAS, the Colombian government, and
CNPML Colombia are inviting companies to participate in a "Pilot
CLCP Program". The pilot provides training and technical support to
entrepreneurs in order to identify the potential for the company to
close the production cycle of one of its products and will provide
advice on the elaboration of proposals to request funds available in
the country or internationally.
"With this open call, we expect to receive
proposals and provide support to entrepreneurs who are committed to
minimizing the potential impact of their company’s manufacturing
process and its products on the environment," said Cletus I.
Springer, Director of the Department of Sustainable Development at
the OAS-SEDI. Springer added that this activity, which will apply
closed looped cycle production methods in MSMEs, culminates efforts
in Colombia related to raising awareness, conducting analysis, and
providing policy advice for the promotion of a circular economy.
» Back to newsletter