2025: the year we transformed the history of the Circular Economy

Dear Circular Movement community,

As we look back at 2025 in the rearview mirror, we do not see just another year on the calendar. We see a milestone. This was, officially, the Year of the Circular Economy, and I am proud to say that, together, the Circular Movement did not merely take part in this agenda: we were protagonists of it.

It was a year of taking plans off paper and turning them into solid structures. We witnessed, in Brazil, the historic approval of the National Circular Economy Plan (Planec) and the regulation of the Recycling Incentive Law (LIR), two decisive advances for the coming years, in which we are actively working to translate technical guidelines into real opportunities. Within the scope of the LIR, we are proud that our projects were among the first to be approved.

This structural change also reached the public sector through SEMIL Circular in São Paulo, where we trained SEMIL civil servants and embedded circularity as an institutional value, and it echoed globally at São Paulo Climate Week, the Summit Agenda SP + Verde, and COP30, in Belém.

But public policy only makes sense when it resonates with the market and society. And 2025 was the year of tangible innovation.

We raised the bar of the circularity agenda in Latin America with the launch of the Circular Certification and saw the industry respond with innovations such as the O1NE packaging, reinforcing that design for circularity is essential to accelerate the transition. Congratulations, Dow and Valgroup!

We went to the Amazon and saw firsthand how the municipality of Benevides - PA is transforming the city’s reality with its social engagement project for reverse logistics, and together with Sebrae, we brought circularity to entrepreneurs in several states.

Above all, it was a year of people. Of connection. Of doing things together. 

Whether mobilizing schools and collecting 87 tons of electronic waste with Magalu, also in partnership with ABREE and Centro Paula Souza, taking over the city during Virada Sustentável, or creating innovation hubs at the Summit Agenda SP + Verde, we showed that the circular economy is made by people and for people. We took this Brazilian expertise to the world at the World Circular Economy Forum WCEF 2025 with Invest SP, and we are already building bridges to the future with the announcement of the Japan Immersion 2026 (limited spots. Have you secured yours yet?)

As we celebrate the 5th anniversary of the Circular Movement, I close this year with a deep sense of gratitude. Each of these milestones was only possible because we had visionary partners by our side, and especially Dow, our pioneering partner. 2025 was the year the circular economy took center stage. 2026 will be the year to scale, accelerate, and consolidate. The Circular Movement emerges from this cycle stronger, more mature, and more prepared than ever.

Thank you to all partners and Leaders of Circularity, ambassadors, and the outstanding MC team who are part of building this legacy with us. May a new cycle of regeneration and prosperity begin.

Warm regards,

Vinicius Saraceni
General Director of the Circular Movement

*This text was automatically translated with the help of artificial intelligence and reviewed. Still, there may be slight differences compared to the original version in Portuguese.