Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Change promoted workshop on “Agenda for the Circular Economy of the Autonomous Region of the Azores”

April 19, 2023

The Regional Secretary for the Environment and Climate Change, Alonso Miguel, chaired on Monday the closing of the workshop on the “Agenda for the Circular Economy of the Autonomous Region of the Azores” at the Maritime School in the city of Horta.

Alonso Miguel stated that “the planet is facing an emergency scenario and humanity is facing enormous challenges, such as climate change, environmental pollution and the destruction of ecosystems,” which is why “a paradigm shift is urgently needed, where we can reassess our consumption patterns and ensure a rapid transition to a circular economy model.”

“The traditional economic development model, based on a linear logic of operation, results in an inefficient and intensive use of resources, characterised by a use and discard dynamics,” said the government official. It results, among other impacts, “in a progressive depletion of natural resources, the loss of biodiversity and the increase of pollution and contamination of the environment, calling into question the sustainability of our planet, at a time when it is estimated that the world's population is consuming, per year, almost double the resources that the planet can generate,” he continued.

According to the Regional Secretary, “the Agenda involves the development of a regional diagnosis, with a view to analysing material and energy flows in the Autonomous Region of the Azores, measuring the regional economic metabolism and creating an objective basic framework that will evaluate the potential and constraints for the development of a circular economy model in the Region.”

“The Agenda for the Circular Economy of the Autonomous Region of the Azores will contribute to giving the Region and its economic agents an informed perspective, with a technical and scientific basis, so that they can quickly adapt to this new reality marked by an absolute necessity of transition to a circular economy, as well as move towards a modern, efficient and competitive economy, following and responding to the European design,” he added.

The government official also clarified that “what we seek to establish with the development of the Circular Economy Agenda is a benchmark so that institutions and companies can develop their activities and businesses according to the circular economy principles, ensuring smart production and use, the extension of the life cycle of products and materials, and the effective use of materials.”

He also highlighted that the Regional Circular Economy Roadmap, under which the Agenda for the Circular Economy of the Autonomous Region of the Azores is being developed, aims to adapt the new Circular Economy Action Plan to the Region, one of the main pillars of the European Ecological Pact.

“Besides the Agenda, the Roadmap also includes, among other measures, the creation of the Digital Platform for Circularity in the Azores, «9 circular islands», the preparation of the Study for the creation of competitiveness clusters for the Circular Economy, and also the Guide of Good Practices for the Organisation of Circular Events, which also integrated into the “+Circular Events” Campaign, held at the end of last year,” added Alonso Miguel.

According to the Regional Secretary for the Environment, this is a goal that represents an enormous challenge, "particularly complex, in the reality of an archipelago that is also an outermost reality" such as the Azores. It "entails a joint effort and commitment of all, namely the Regional Government, local authorities and waste management operators as well as of all entities with competence in this matter, involving the population in the adoption of good environmental practices and the promotion and environmental awareness, as far as waste management is concerned."

Alonso Miguel acknowledged that "the success of the creation of this Agenda will depend, to a large extent, on the involvement and contribution of the Azorean society in its construction." In this context, he stated that it is "very satisfactory and encouraging to note the high level of participation in this event, with a hundred participants registered, which demonstrates that Azorean society is increasingly aware and informed about the importance of environmental sustainability and the protection of our natural heritage.