We’re celebrating 15 years of CEMPRE and attended “Circular Economy Pulse”

In 2025, CEMPRE celebrated its 15th anniversary of working towards a more robust, inclusive, and collaborative circular economy in Colombia. As active members in this ecosystem, we were invited to two specially important spaces. We not only celebrated CEMPRE’s history, but remembered the reason why we have worked together in this mission: we believe that interconnectedness encourages change.

Sustainability coffee break to connect and talk

The first space we shared was the Sustainability Coffee Break, a space meant for CEMPRE members. It was a conversational format where we shared our thoughts with representatives from CEPTAl and Brazil around Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). One of the most important messages came from Brazil: “EPR is not only about the producer, but a shared responsibility amongst governments, companies, consumers, and recyclers”.

In Colombia this point of view is already in the law, but not always in practice. Sometimes the weight falls only on those who place products into the market, when the reality is that a circular economy requires co-responsibility. We also talked about the generational challenges when it comes to consumers, the active role of waste pickers, and the challenges of making this transition economically viable.

This space ended with a very symbolic gift: a painting given to each member organization that reflected what each company means within CEMPRE. Ours was called “Interconnectivity”, a name that we believe represents us deeply, since that’s what we are: bridges. We are those who produce and recycle, amongst those who separate and transform, legislation, practices, solutions, and people.

A cocktail hour to celebrate and launch a new vision of the country

At night, the event opened to the public with a cocktail hour that brought representatives from other organizations, collectives, agencies, NGOs and companies committed to sustainability. That’s where “Colombia’s Circular Economy Pulse” a publication headed by CEMPRE and developed for over a year with the support from CEPAL.

This document is created with a clear motivation: of course there are regional reports on Latin America and the circular economy, there is still no information on what is going on in Colombia and that’s what this report seeks to explore. This report is a country-specific diagnostic that allows readers to make decisions based on national evidence. During the presentation there were some key information shared, advances regarding recycling, separation and labor, as well as the most relevant challenges the country faces.

The event ended with some closing remarks from Laura Reyes, CEMPRE’s executive director, and CEPAL representatives. They highlighted the role that CEMPRE plays as manager of the circular ecosystem and their decided commitment to generate knowledge and action from the collective.

Interconnectedness: a word and a principle

What this celebration left us with was a reinvigorated knowledge that the circular economy does not move forward just with individual’s actions, but a joint effort that builds on each other. The word interconnectedness, which is the title of the painting we proudly hang today, encapsulates who we are and where we’re headed.

On this anniversary we celebrate CEMPRE and celebrate being a part of a network that builds from collaboration.