The Eurochile Business Foundation will carry out the project “Ecodesign and Circular Economy for SMEs in the Los Lagos Region”, which aims to contribute to sustainability and reduce environmental impact through the implementation of the Circular Economy.
This project, co-financed by the Regional Productive Development Committee of Los Lagos through the financing line of Corfo Viraliza Formación para el emprendimiento y la innovación, will last 10 months and will be developed specifically in the aforementioned region.
PROGRAM DETAILS
The main objective of this initiative is to promote the culture of sustainable innovation in the entrepreneurial ecosystem of the tenth region. This will be achieved through the execution of a training program in ecodesign with a focus on circular economy that includes 10 modules in face-to-face format and where one national expert and two European experts will participate remotely.
SMEs in the region will be identified and prioritized with the aim of adopting specific strategies to improve production processes and the design of products, services or processes of their companies, in order to obtain better value offers and reduce environmental impact.
The training program will be carried out in person in the communes of Puerto Varas and Osorno, with the aim of guaranteeing the participation of beneficiaries from at least two provinces in the region.
The participants of the program will be companies and/or enterprises, with a special focus on those that have some link with business associations and that operate in sectors of regional interest, such as Aquaculture, Forestry, Agriculture, Construction, Maritime Shipping Industry and Tourism. The goal is to bring together at least 30 companies and/or ventures in the area.
Gabriel Pérez, regional director of Corfo Los Lagos and Executive Director of the Regional Productive Development Committee He explained that “in the region we have an emblematic project around the Circular Economy, seeking to be the pioneering region in the prevention and management of non-hazardous solid waste in the main productive sectors by 2025”.
He added that, “through this type of meeting we want to raise awareness in companies about the importance of industrial solid waste management and the relevance of moving from the current linear economy model to a circular model, as an opportunity to give new life or optimize the use or disposal of waste within the framework of the 9Rs of this circular model (reject-rethink-reduce-reuse-repair-recondition-remanufacture-reconvert-recycle-recover)”.
Pérez also explained that, “this is in line with what was announced by the regional governor regarding the construction of the first circular economy technology center in the Los Lagos region, we seek to reduce garbage and pollution, keep products and materials in use and the regeneration of natural systems, for this, to reflect on how we contribute, Contributing to the regeneration of ecosystems that are already tremendously degraded is a key opportunity for us.”
In this sense, José Aravena, executive director of the Eurochile Business Foundation, highlights that, “At Eurochile we focus on promoting innovation and sustainable development in SMEs. In collaboration with the programs offered by Corfo, this joint initiative will help various companies change their current approach and take their company to the next level, thus promoting more sustainable economic growth.”
“We know that, by integrating circular economy principles into your production processes, you will not only be contributing to the care of the environment, but you will also improve the efficiency of your operations, reduce costs and increase the competitiveness of your company in today’s market,” he added.
The Training Program to be implemented by Eurochile is an initiative that seeks to strengthen the environment and/or culture of entrepreneurship and innovation, in order to make the ecosystem propitious, and thus contribute to improving the conditions in which entrepreneurial activity is developed.
