Comprehensive Recycling Critical to Efficiency, Competitiveness

Q: What incentives do businesses have to participate in your recycling chain? 

A: Businesses join our recycling chain because it helps them strengthen their brand, meet ESG commitments, and improve how they manage waste on a daily basis.

Through EcoPunto, companies – usually large retailers, banks or consumer brands – gain a visible, community-facing recycling point that turns their branches into sustainability touchpoints. Customers and neighbors can drop off recyclables at EcoPuntos located in places like supermarkets or bank branches, which improves brand perception and provides concrete ESG and sustainability metrics. Each EcoPunto has an assigned recycler who collects and sells 100% of the materials, so companies also generate direct social impact and support grassroots waste pickers (base recyclers).

With EcoRetiro, the incentive is internal efficiency. We redesign companies’ internal waste systems, replacing individual bins with centralized recycling stations, and then collect recyclables on a fixed schedule. This makes offices cleaner and sorting more efficient, while giving companies traceable data on volumes and types of material recovered.

Both services work under annual contracts, and today we operate with more than 120 leading companies across 14 cities in Mexico and Paraguay, combining a clear service model with brand visibility, ESG reporting, and measurable environmental and social impact — that’s what keeps companies engaged in our recycling chain.

Q: Which companies and sectors are most interested in your solutions? 

A: We see the strongest interest from sectors where waste management, brand reputation, and ESG performance are all strategic issues. In Paraguay, our main clients come from the financial sector: we work with seven banks, finance companies, and cooperatives that use our EcoPunto and EcoRetiro services to engage clients and staff while generating measurable ESG results. The hotel industry is another key partner, including chains such as Sheraton and Holiday Inn, among others, totaling around ten hotels. 

In Mexico and Paraguay, we also work with retail and supermarkets – for example, our EcoPunto in Xalapa is located at a Chedraui store, where customers can return the packaging of products they buy, similar to systems in countries like Germany.

The logistics sector is another priority area. We collaborate with MSC, Woodward Logistics, and LCL Internacional, with MSC being our first corporate client in both Mexico and Paraguay and a key ally in scaling our model. In the chemical and agricultural industry, our clients include Bayer, ADM, and Syngenta, and in the automotive sector we work with brands such as Mercedes, Peugeot, Citroën, and BYD.

In construction and real estate, we support LEED-certified and sustainability-oriented buildings in Asunción by managing construction and operational waste to meet certification standards. Several of the leading LEED-certified buildings in Paraguay’s capital rely on us for proper material handling.

Overall, our solutions are most attractive to companies that want to combine environmental impact with social impact, especially by improving recycling performance while creating better income opportunities for grassroots recyclers and engaging their stakeholders around sustainability.

Q: What is your message to potential clients who might remain skeptical of embarking on recycling initiatives? 

A: Many companies still see recycling and ESG as a cost or as philanthropy. Our message is that doing nothing is becoming the riskiest option, and starting can be simple and practical. In several industries we’ve already seen companies lose contracts and reputation because they could not prove that their raw materials — like wood — came from responsible sources. Similar pressures are now arising around waste, plastics, and climate commitments.

Sustainability means being able to keep growing without depleting the resources and communities your business depends on. If regulations tighten or clients start choosing more responsible suppliers, those who ignored these issues will be the most exposed.

The key is to integrate sustainability into the business model step by step: identify your material issues, start with a few concrete actions such as improving internal waste systems or creating visible recycling points, measure results, and then scale what works. Those who move early gain an advantage and help set the standards that others will later have to follow.

Q: Your website cites 1,328 trees saved, 7 tons of CO₂ avoided, and 56 tons of oil saved. How are these figures calculated and verified?

A: We track all the materials we manage through EcoPunto and EcoRetiro by weighing them on calibrated scales at the time of collection and recording each load by material type and client. Based on this data, we know we are currently diverting almost 1000 tons of recyclable materials per year.

To convert these volumes into environmental benefits, we apply emission and resource-conservation factors from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other internationally recognized databases. These tools estimate the CO₂ emissions avoided and the equivalent savings in trees, petroleum and energy when each material is recycled instead of landfilled.

We aggregate these results across all operations, and the same methodology is shared with our corporate clients in their impact reports so the calculations can be reviewed, replicated or integrated into their own ESG reporting.

Q: What role do communication, education, or awareness strategies play in encouraging proper waste separation at the source?

A: Communication is what turns good intentions into correct behavior at the source. Many people already care about the environment and prefer brands that reduce their impact, but without clear guidance and visible infrastructure, that interest rarely translates into proper waste separation.

When we install an EcoPunto or redesign internal waste systems, we always combine the physical solution with education: simple signage on containers, short training sessions for staff, and ongoing reminders through internal channels and social media. Once people understand what to separate and why it matters, participation and sorting quality improve quickly.

Our communication efforts reach tens of thousands of people through our own social media and, more importantly, through our partners’ channels. This creates a virtuous circle: companies strengthen their brand and ESG narrative, while employees, customers, and neighbors adopt more sustainable habits and keep materials cleaner for recycling.

Q: What role do local or federal authorities play in supporting recycling initiatives, and what regulatory changes would accelerate your impact?

A: Public authorities are crucial because they set the rules of the game. When governments approve and enforce clear legislation, they create the conditions for recycling companies and informal recyclers to operate at scale. We have seen this in countries like Colombia, Chile, and Brazil, where extended producer responsibility (EPR) laws require companies to take responsibility for the entire life cycle of their products, including post-consumer waste. These frameworks generate stable demand and funding for collection, sorting, and recycling services.

In Mexico, national EPR and circular economy frameworks are being discussed, but are not yet fully implemented. Once they are in place — and properly enforced — large waste generators will be required to separate and recycle their materials, which would significantly strengthen and scale initiatives like ours.

The regulatory changes that would accelerate our impact are: clear EPR obligations with measurable targets, mandatory source separation for big waste generators and municipalities, and the formal inclusion of base recyclers in collection systems so they are not displaced. In addition, public procurement that rewards recycled content and circular services would send a strong market signal. When these elements come together, recycling moves from being a voluntary effort to a core business and compliance priority, and solutions like EcoPunto and EcoRetiro can grow much faster.

Q: How does your model promote inclusion and fair working conditions for grassroots recyclers and collection partners?

A: Inclusion is built into our model from the moment a recycler joins. Many grassroots recyclers work informally and are often perceived negatively, because people are not sure whether someone collecting materials on the street is recycling or doing something else. We provide uniforms, gloves, shirts, and boots so they are clearly identified as recyclers, which immediately improves how citizens see them. We also offer training that builds their skills and self-esteem. They begin to see themselves not as “the lowest rung” in society, but as recognized workers providing an essential environmental service – and they feel that when people thank them for their work.

Economically, their situation also improves. Instead of rummaging through bags in the streets, they can collect from fixed locations where recyclable materials are concentrated. Everything they collect belongs entirely to them, as we do not act as intermediaries or take any commission; our income comes from the service we provide to companies. This gives recyclers greater dignity, stability, and financial independence.

Over time, this creates real community between recyclers and our corporate partners. For example, we let companies know when a recycler has a birthday, and some celebrate with cakes or small gifts. We also support recyclers during emergencies when unexpected crises arise. In this way, the model strengthens both working conditions and social recognition for grassroots recyclers and collection partners.

Q: Looking ahead five years, what would success look like for Soluciones Ecológicas México in terms of market presence and environmental outcomes?

A: In five years, success for Soluciones Ecológicas México would mean being a recognized ally for inclusive recycling in the country’s main cities, with long-term partnerships with leading companies and a strong mix of EcoPunto sites and EcoRetiro services in offices, retail and industry. Our target is to reach around 100 EcoPunto containers across Mexico, supported by a solid local team.

At that scale, we expect to be diverting several thousand tons of recyclables from landfills each year, avoiding significant CO₂ emissions and generating stable income for dozens of grassroots recyclers. Physically we will remain focused on Mexico and Paraguay, while our Soluciones Ecológicas app continues to grow as a digital bridge that connects people and companies with recycling solutions.

Q: How is Mexico’s recycling industry expected to evolve over the next decade, particularly with growing regulation and corporate ESG commitments?

A: Over the next decade, Mexico’s recycling industry will be shaped by two forces: stronger regulation and growing corporate ESG commitments. Several states and federal authorities are discussing circular economy and EPR-style frameworks, and once clearer rules and targets are in place, large waste generators will have to separate and recycle much more of their materials.

On the corporate side, many companies are already moving ahead of regulation. Industrial hubs such as Queretaro, as well as sectors like beverages and consumer goods, are investing in collection and recycling infrastructure. Mexico is home to one of the world’s largest PET recyclers, PetStar; the next step is to expand similar efforts to other materials and regions so services are not concentrated in just a few corridors.

If public and private actors align, we’ll see more source separation, better logistics for recyclables, and stronger inclusion of grassroots recyclers. This transition is especially important for a country that depends heavily on tourism: protecting rivers, beaches and oceans is not only an environmental goal, but an economic one.