Mexico City, CONMÉXICO Launch Environmental Initiatives

Mexico City’s Congress and CONMÉXICO formalized a cooperation framework on environmental education, waste management and circular economy policy as the country rolls out its new General Law on the Circular Economy. The law mandates extended producer responsibility and Circular Management Plans for producers and importers, establishes a National Circular Economy System led by SEMARNAT, and introduces direct and indirect compliance pathways, increasing regulatory obligations for consumer goods, manufacturing, retail and import-dependent sectors. Federal projects like the Circular Economy Park in Puebla highlight Mexico’s push to embed circular strategy into industrial policy and investment planning.

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Mexico City’s Congress and the Mexican Council of the Consumer Products Industry (CONMÉXICO) signed a collaboration agreement to establish a joint framework for technical dialogue and cooperation on environmental education, integrated waste management and circular economy policies in the capital. The agreement, signed at the Mexico City Congress, sets out coordinated actions on training, advisory services and communication to strengthen environmental programs through collaboration between the public sector, consumer goods companies and civil society. The initiative seeks to align efforts around urban sustainability and shared institutional responsibility.

Jesús Sesma Suárez, president of the board of directors of Mexico City’s Congress, said the agreement reinforces the legislature’s commitment to institutional cooperation. “This agreement reaffirms the conviction of Congress to build institutional bridges and represents a decisive step in our vision of a more sustainable, competitive and environmentally responsible Mexico City,” he said. He added that collaboration with CONMÉXICO will facilitate technical information exchange and specialized analysis from the consumer goods industry to support environmental policymaking.

Under the agreement, CONMÉXICO will organize informational sessions within Congress and promote environmental best practices among its member companies. The council will also facilitate partnerships with public and private academic institutions to develop research, training and outreach projects related to circular economy initiatives.

María de la Luz Arvizu Sánchez, CONMÉXICO’s director of legal affairs, government affairs and sustainability, said the organization and its member companies will contribute research, technical studies and strategies to support environmental actions in the city. “CONMÉXICO, together with our associated companies committed to ethical and sustainable practices, will support research, technical studies and strategies that promote concrete actions for the benefit of Mexico City residents,” she said.

The agreement includes workshops, forums and technical analysis sessions on issues such as electronic waste, integrated waste management and communication strategies to encourage post-consumption material separation and reuse. These activities may expand based on priorities defined by both institutions.

Mexico Advances Circular Economy Legislation, Projects

The CONMÉXICO agreement comes as circular economy initiatives in Mexico gain momentum. In Dec. 2025, the Mexican congress approved a new General Law on the Circular Economy, which established a nationwide legal framework that obligates producers, importers and public authorities to integrate circularity principles across product design, production, consumption and waste management. The law was published in the Official Journal of the Federation (DOF) on Jan. 19, 2026 and entered into force the following day.

A central pillar of the legislation is the creation of a circular management system linked to extended producer responsibility (EPR). Once the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) publishes a general implementation agreement for a specific product category or sector, all covered producers and importers must develop a Circular Management Plan and register it on a national digital platform within established deadlines. 

Each Circular Management Plan must be supported by a life-cycle assessment by product category or, where technically or economically unfeasible, by a simplified life-cycle study authorized under EPR agreements. Plans must also describe applicable direct or indirect circularity mechanisms, compliance targets, and any coordination agreements with authorities or third parties. Authorities may approve, condition, modify, or deny registration based on compliance with the law and related environmental regulations.

The law formally establishes both direct and indirect compliance pathways. Direct compliance applies when producers implement circularity mechanisms themselves, while indirect compliance allows the use of third parties through sustainable value-chain agreements or environmental compensation mechanisms. Sectoral coordinating entities may act on behalf of producers, although they share legal responsibility for compliance and reporting obligations.

To oversee implementation, the law creates the National Circular Economy System, chaired by SEMARNAT and comprising the ministries of Economy (SE), Finance (SHCP), Energy (SENER), Infrastructure, Communications and Transport (SICT), and Education, as well as environmental authorities from each state. The system will operate through an intergovernmental coordination structure supported by a technical secretariat within the federal administration.

As federal authorities strengthen the regulatory infrastructure needed to transition to a circular economy, they are also advancing concrete projects that integrate circular economy principles. On March 3, the federal government formally designated 40.428ha in San José Chiapa, Puebla, for the installation of the nation’s first Circular Economy Park. The park — officially labelled a Pole of Circular Economy Development for Well-Being (PODECOBI) — will advance several circular economy practices, including recycling tires for road construction, recovering textile fibers from used clothing, transforming plastics into fuels or new materials and processing construction debris into cement inputs. 

According to Pedro Prata of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the adoption of circular regulations, strategies and practices will strengthen the long-term resilience of the Mexican economy. “Our current linear model is creating multiple risks for businesses,” he said. “Environmental challenges such as climate change are already disrupting value chains and exposing companies to commodity price volatility. By applying circular economy principles, companies can become more resilient and benefit from keeping products and materials in use.”

Prata added that these benefits stem from the model’s ability to prevent waste throughout the value chain. “It is a model that prevents waste from the design stage, reduces costs, and creates new revenue streams,” he said, noting that it also helps lower overall waste management costs for cities and communities.