Annex
Methodology for the Chatham House survey ‘Building Transformative Alliances for an Inclusive Global Circular Economy’
Below is a description of the methodology used for the Chatham House survey, which was conducted in December 2019 following a research workshop on ‘Just Circular Economy Transitions in Latin America’, which took place in Montevideo, Uruguay. The purpose of the Chatham House survey was to gain an insight into how the circular economy is understood in LAC countries, among leading stakeholders from governments, international organizations and the business community. The information collected was used to inform research on promoting an inclusive and sustainable circular economy agenda in the region.
Respondents were asked a number of open-ended questions based around certain themes:
Sectors
- Which sectors are likely to benefit most from the transition to the circular economy in LAC and why?
- Which sectors are likely to face the largest challenges in the transition to LAC and why?
Policies
- What are the most important policies that can be introduced at the national level to advance the circular economy in LAC?
- What type of policies are needed to ensure the circular economy transition is inclusive?
- What are the main challenges related to the implementation of these policies?
Transition and innovation
- What type of changes need to be made at international level to promote an inclusive circular economy transition (related to policy, trade, finance etc)?
- What type of changes need to be made at regional level to promote an inclusive circular economy transition (related to policy, trade, finance etc?)
- What key technological innovations can drive the circular economy transition in LAC?
Finance
- Which are the most important sources of circular economy finance in LAC?
- Which types of circular economy projects or businesses attract little or no funding? Why?
- What should be priority areas for circular economy financing?
- What are the main barriers to scaling up circular economy finance?
General
- How can European–LAC trade relations support the circular economy transition?
- Do you see any trade-offs between the circular economy and other social, environmental or economic issues?
- Do you have any additional thoughts or recommendations?
Survey response
Twenty-eight respondents from 11 countries responded to the survey:
|
LAC countries |
Rest of the world |
|---|---|
|
Argentina |
Aruba |
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Brazil |
US |
|
Chile |
|
|
Colombia |
|
|
Ecuador |
|
|
Mexico |
|
|
Peru |
|
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Uruguay |
|
|
Venezuela |
Due to the small sample size, the results of the survey should not be seen as indicative of broader perceptions across LAC, given a lack of participants from countries such as Costa Rica and Bolivia. Although the aim of the sample was not to be representative, it was designed to generate a diverse range of qualitative responses, allowing for a greater understanding of the opportunities, challenges and trade-offs involved in a transition to the circular economy in LAC.