Ecuadorean companies will measure their carbon footprint to be more competitive abroad

As a result of the signature of a new inter-institutional technical cooperation agreement between the Instituto de Promoción de Exportaciones e Inversiones (PRO ECUADOR) (Institute for the promotion of exports and investments) and the Corporación de Promoción de Exportaciones e Inversiones (CORPEI) (Corporation for the promotion of exports and investments) with financing from CAF, Development Bank of Latin America, a new call will open for companies from the flower, plastic, wood, and seed sectors, to measure the carbon footprint of their production processes, aiming to make this practice a differentiating factor that strengthens their presence in international markets, as these have started to implement initiatives to rate their suppliers according to their contaminating load in the production and transportation processes, as well as in the product's disposal. 

The project "Medición de Huella de Carbono de Productos de Exportación de Ecuador" (Measurement of the carbon footprint of export products from Ecuador) has been implemented since 2012 and currently, it includes 27 companies in the vegetable oil, shrimp, banana, cacao, tuna, and chocolate sectors, which already have indicators. The main objective is to promote the trade of goods and services that are environmentally responsible through the execution of different activities, processes, and joint strategies to benefit the export sector. Given the importance of the potential trade agreement between Ecuador and the European Union, the project constitutes an opportunity, as European consumers are especially sensitive to the impact that the products they consume have on the environment. 

This initiative is aligned with one of the pillars of CAF's mission, which is sustainable development, and promotes a green economy, low in carbon and resilient to climate change. 

The memory of the first phase of this project can be consulted here.