Working Group Launched During COP+ Journey Circular Economy Seminar

Success Stories Were Also Presented During the Event

Launched as a tribute to the Círio de Nazaré, the largest religious festival in the Amazon, the new jersey of Tuna Luso Brasileira, a Pará-based soccer club, stands out not only for its beauty. The commemorative jersey is self-sustainable, made from PET bottles, with each piece produced removing five plastic bottles from the environment. The work was carried out by a company located in Bragança, in northeastern Pará, and was one of the examples of circular economy in the state’s industry presented at the seminar “Circular Economy and Industry: Building a Sustainable Future,” held on Thursday, the 18th, at FIEPA in Belém.

“Our company today is responsible for removing approximately 320,000 PET bottles from nature each year. We wanted to take the first step and show the world the responsibility every industry has to help improve the environment. We are doing our part, and I believe others can and should do theirs, realizing that it is possible to transform waste into a true work of art,” said Sinaldo Luis, CEO of Fila Golkiper.

Promoted by the Federation of Industries of the State of Pará (FIEPA) with the COP+ Journey seal, in partnership with the Instituto Rever, the event brought together experts, authorities, entrepreneurs, and civil society to discuss strategies for applying the circular economy in the Amazon. In addition to showcasing circular initiatives from large and small regional companies, the program included thematic panels on the panorama of waste in Pará, pathways for industry to close the loop, regeneration, and creating a new future for the Amazon based on circularity.

During the occasion, representatives of the productive sector, government, and civil society organizations signed a declaration to establish a Multisector Preparatory Working Group for Pará’s Circular Economy Agenda. In addition to building an agenda that will consolidate Pará as a national reference in circular economy practices, the group will map existing circular initiatives and practices in the region, promote training and engagement of strategic sectors, and guide proposals for innovation, public policies, and financing mechanisms aligned with FIEPA’s Circular Economy Program.

The Federation also signed a memorandum of understanding with Ingram Micro Brazil, a global technology distributor, with the goal of developing initiatives for the responsible and sustainable management of electronic equipment waste within the FIEPA System. Alex Carvalho, president of FIEPA and of the COP+ Journey, highlighted the importance of unity between industry, society, and public authorities to turn ideas into concrete actions. “It’s time for action. This institution understands that circular economy is essential—it is necessary to transform waste into good business,” he emphasized.

Circular economy is one of the key pillars of the COP+ Journey, and the seminar is the result of work by the movement’s Circular Economy Committee. Among the legacies left by the Journey is the creation of FIEPA’s Circular Economy Program, which will be permanent. “With this capacity for dialogue and progress, I have no doubt that tomorrow’s Pará, tomorrow’s Amazon, will be better than what we live today. And that depends on us and on what we are doing now,” stated Alex Carvalho.

Rodolpho Zahluth Bastos, Deputy Secretary of the Pará State Department of Environment, emphasized that the integrated work aims to build a state policy for circular economy. “We will work to define our focus—whether it will be on recycling, reverse logistics, whether it will be sector-based or aimed at major generators. This is the debate we still need to have to outline the best framework. We already have a draft designed for this, and it is important to find the best composition for this arrangement,” he explained.

Ricardo Pazzianotto, Executive Director of the Instituto Rever, highlighted the importance of integrated debate on circular economy. “Solutions cannot compete with each other; they must be complementary. We need to rethink production, not to produce more, but to reuse and generate less pollution. We should also consider job creation, not only within the production chain but also in the new recycling chain.”

Beatriz Luz, president of the Brazilian Institute of Circular Economy (IBEC), recalled Brazil’s history in sustainable development discussions, which began at Rio 92, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. She pointed out how COP30 in Belém can now become a milestone by consolidating circular economy as a development model. “We established the concept of sustainable development. So why not establish circular economy as well—a concept that brings quality of life, new skills, and new values? Circular economy must be inherent in business and competitiveness discussions; it should be central to debates on climate, job creation, and training. Our work here is to foster alliances, build bridges, and integrate sectors,” she stressed.