Copyright (c) 2026 Documentos de Trabajo ECACEN
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The Plastic Crisis and the Transition to a Circular Economy:Foundations for an SME Model
The global plastic crisis reflects a structural imbalance between production-consumption dynamics and environmental governance. Despite public policy efforts in emerging economies like Colombia, a significant gap persists between regulatory objectives and the operational capacity of recycling actors. This study adopts a systemic perspective to analyze the strategic role of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in bridging post-consumption recovery with productive transformation. Using a PRISMA-guided systematic literature review integrated with Latin American regulatory frameworks, the research establishes the conceptual foundations for a robust circular economy model.
Findings demonstrate that circularity has evolved toward a multiscalar, regenerative perspective; however, its implementation in Latin America is hindered by fragmented infrastructure and a lack of robust metrics. The study concludes that transitioning to circularity requires integrating process engineering, governance mechanisms, and enterprise strengthening. Ultimately, recycling SMEs must be redefined not merely as waste managers, but as pivotal territorial actors capable of generating synchronized economic value and long-term environmental sustainability.
