Mexico's Metal Packaging Industry Advances Circularity

Mexico’s metal packaging industry is strengthening recovery and recycling systems as the 2026 General Circular Economy Law establishes new requirements for circular design, extended producer responsibility and waste valorization. The transition affects packaging manufacturers, food and beverage companies, recyclers and public authorities, while limited waste-treatment and recovery infrastructure remains a key challenge for Mexico’s circular economy.

Representatives of Mexico's metal packaging industry met to discuss strategies to promote the recovery and reintegration of these materials into the production chain, in line with the country's new national framework for the circular economy.

The discussions took place during the First Forum La Circularidad de los Envases Metálicos México (Circularity of Metallic Packaging Mexico), organized by the National Chamber of Metal Packaging Manufacturers (CANAFEM), where participants analyzed alternatives to transform the design, production and consumption of packaging. Topics included the circular economy in the food industry, circular practices in the beverage sector and the contributions of the metal packaging industry to the transition toward more circular production models.

As a result of the meeting, participants signed the Institutional Commitment to the Circular Economy, signed by Francisco Javier Pietrini Zapata, President, CANAFEM. Through the document, the chamber expressed its willingness to promote among its members and other participants in the value chain actions aimed at improving the efficient use of resources, preventing and reducing waste, valuing materials and reintegrating them into production cycles.

The commitment also establishes measures to promote circular economy principles across the metal packaging sector and encourage knowledge and compliance with applicable legislation. In addition, CANAFEM will seek to develop tools to facilitate circular management models, raise public awareness and strengthen collaboration among manufacturers, packagers, waste generators, recyclers and government authorities.

CANAFEM also proposed strengthening the recovery chain through collaboration among manufacturers, packagers and users, recycling companies, collection centers, recovery organizations and authorities at the federal, state and municipal levels. Academic institutions and civil society organizations are also expected to participate in these efforts.

Mexico's new General Circular Economy Law, published in January 2026, establishes a national framework to extend the useful life of products, minimize and recover value from waste, and promote the reintegration of materials into production cycles. For productive sectors, the legislation includes the adoption of circular design principles and extended producer responsibility schemes, as well as mechanisms to register circular management activities and report information to the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT).

Mexico Updates Its National Waste Management Baseline

During the forum, SEMARNAT presented the National Basic Diagnosis for Integrated Waste Management (DBGIR), developed by the Secretariat in coordination with the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC) as part of efforts to strengthen the planning, evaluation and consolidation of environmental public policy on waste management and the circular economy.

The document serves as a baseline for the design, implementation, updating and evaluation of public policy instruments, including the National Program for the Prevention and Integrated Management of Waste (PNPGIR), the National Program for the Prevention and Integrated Management of Special-Handling Waste (PNPGIRME), as well as related state and municipal programs.

The DBGIR 2026 updates information on municipal solid waste, special-handling waste and hazardous waste, while analyzing infrastructure, recycling, the circular economy, waste recovery and institutional capacities. It also addresses priority waste streams and challenges related to packaging, organic and plastic waste, industrial and agroindustrial activities, tourism areas, marine pollution and new technologies.

The document incorporates a forward-looking assessment of Mexico's structural waste management challenges, including urban growth, changes in production and consumption patterns, the energy transition, climate change mitigation, waste-to-energy opportunities, stronger institutional capacities and the development of infrastructure for material recovery and valorization.

It also recognizes the need to strengthen coordination among federal, state and municipal governments, the private sector, waste management operators, academia, social organizations and other participants in the waste value chain under principles of shared responsibility, transparency, prevention, valorization and sustainability.

Waste Recovery Gap Highlights Circularity Challenge

Mexico generates 139,902t of municipal solid waste per day, of which 40.15% consists of organic waste and 36.26% comprises materials that could potentially be recovered, according to the DBGIR 2026. However, only 5% of waste receives some type of treatment, while 72% does not undergo any valorization process. The diagnosis also points to limited recovery and separation infrastructure, with 39 sorting plants and 132 transfer stations nationwide.

This gap represents a challenge for materials that can be reintegrated into production chains, including metals, plastics, paper, cardboard and other packaging materials. The DBGIR identifies insufficient infrastructure, as well as the lack of standardized information, traceability and registration systems, as obstacles to improving waste recovery and valorization. Strengthening separation, collection and recycling systems is therefore key to increasing the availability of secondary materials and advancing circular production models.

Aluminum and ferrous metals are among the materials with recovery potential and are widely used in cans and other types of packaging. Data from INEGI show that the volume of recycled aluminum in Mexico increased from 79,300 metric t in 2008 to 116,800 metric t in 2011, while the recycling of ferrous metals rose from 263,600 to 387,000 metric t over the same period.

The relevance of these materials also lies in their ability to be reintegrated into new products without losing their properties. According to Mexico's Federal Consumer Protection Agency (Profeco), aluminum can be recycled indefinitely, and producing it from scrap requires 95% less energy than producing it from ore. Steel used in tinplate packaging can also be recycled repeatedly. Against this backdrop, the DBGIR 2026 identifies the reintegration of materials with economic or strategic value into production and commercial cycles, while reducing the use of virgin raw materials, as a key objective of waste management.