Chile: Winners of the Circular Awards 2023 look to circular innovation to tackle the country's sustainability challenges
Chile: Winners of the Circular Awards 2023 look to circular innovation to tackle the country's sustainability challenges
The award, organized by Fundación Desafío Circular and presented by Enel Chile, recognizes social organizations, SMEs and large companies that are implementing circular economy strategies with a direct impact on five key categories for promoting sustainable development: Energy, Water, Valorization, Emissions and Social. In this first edition, more than 170 initiatives applied, of which 18 were awarded in a ceremony held on August 9.
The Circular Awards 2023 were a resounding success, attracting more than 170 circular economy projects in categories such as Energy, Water, Valorization, Emissions and Social. A jury of 25 experts in the circular economy and sustainable development selected the 18 winners. The awards ceremony, which took place on August 9, was led by the Desafío Circular Foundation and Enel Chile, the main sponsor of the awards.
Humberto Salinas, president of the Foundation, emphasized the goal of recognizing and rewarding leading entities in Chile that promote the circular economy and sustainable development. On the other hand, Montserrat Palomar, sustainability manager of Enel Chile, praised perseverance in the search for sustainability solutions and stressed the importance of the question "what else can we do in the face of current challenges?".
The winners in the five categories were Calagro, Ecological, Empresas Iansa, Enerlink, Fundación Chile, Fundación Nonos, Fundación Tedoy, Imeko SPA, Kyklos, Mochacó, Movener and Walmart S.A. In addition, a special award for high impact circular action was given to CIC, Matter of Trust, Owo, Rembre, T-Phite and Unibag.
In the water challenge, Ecological stood out for its project "My water home", which reuses gray water thanks to modular water treatment systems that are easy to install in homes. In the emissions challenge, Movener developed the Movener e-power kit to convert combustion-engine cars and trucks into hybrids, helping to move us closer to decarbonization. Enerlink took the prize in the energy challenge with its software that facilitates energy management and the adoption of electromobility in cities. Fundación Tedoy Chile won in the social challenge category with its "distributed collaborative consumption" network, which promotes a conscious economy, mobilizing the reuse of unused products and promoting multiple communities through social networks throughout the country. In the valorization challenge, Mochacó was awarded for creating circular fashion, clothing and footwear from textiles recovered from industrial processes, while Fundación Nonos won for its contribution to the valorization of textile waste, empowering people in vulnerable situations and generating a positive economic impact.
These projects were lauded for their innovation and for demonstrating that a circular approach to the use of material resources, water and energy can make a significant contribution to reducing emissions, water consumption and waste, to materials recovery, and to positive economic and social impacts.
As a complement to the initiative, Fundación Desafío Circular announced the future launch of a national map of companies and organizations that contribute to the circular economy in every area of the country. It will be a guide that seeks to inform and accelerate alliances and collaborations around this new economy that invites society to actively participate in the good use of resources and the regeneration of natural ecosystems.
More details about the winners and their projects are available in Spanish at: https://www.paiscircular.cl/economia-circular/ganadores-de-circular-awards-2023-un-ejemplo-de-innovacion-sustentable-para-enfrentar-los-desafios-del-pais/