CHILE GIVES GREEN LIGHT TO REGULATORY PROCESS THAT WILL MAKE LABELING OF CONTAINERS AND PACKAGING MANDATORY

Chile’s Ministry of the Environment has launched the ‘Elijo Reciclar’ (I Choose to Recycle) seal, aimed at mass consumer products that are manufactured with at least 80% reusable material. The articles will provide information on which are the most recyclable alternatives in the country.

The development of an eco-label has been one of the actions included in the “Roadmap for a Circular Chile by 2040”; Chile’s master plan to achieve circularity, developed by the Ministry of Environment, together with key actors in the field.

One of the first steps taken by the government has been the development of a Clean Production Agreement, which as a pilot, was an excellent learning experience that already has more than 2,000 products using the I Choose to Recycle Seal, certified under this voluntary scheme.

“Within the framework of our Corporate Sustainability Policy, where environmental care is a fundamental axis, we adhere to the eco-labeling APL, to advance towards greater recyclability of packaging for the products of our exclusive brands. Today we already have 18 certified products and by the end of this year we have the goal of reaching 150, with the objective of reaching 500 by 2024,” says Marcela Salas, SMU’s Sustainability Manager.

One year after the implementation of the ‘I Choose to Recycle’ eco-label, there has been a good reception from the public. According to the study commissioned by SOFOFA, there is a favorable impact on the consumer’s decision to purchase products bearing the seal.

“Before this eco-labeling, containers were not even labeled, so they could not be identified. In addition, there are many self-declarations that are not necessarily real; on the other hand, now, with this regulation, it is certified that the recyclability is real, which provides better indications so that people can take co-responsibility for the management and disposal of these containers”, explains Carola Moya, director of the Sustainable Consumption Association of Chile.

Richard Von Appen, president of SOFOFA, adds that “we have worked collaboratively with civil society, the public sector and companies, creating and piloting the Elijo Reciclar ecolabel, a tool to facilitate post-consumer recycling, which helps consumers to identify at a glance which packaging is recyclable”.