It was only July 2015 when a team of experts from the Department of Sustainable Development of the Organization of Americas States (OAS), finished collecting the information for designing sound strategies for these two Panamanian SMEs before they applied to the certification of the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. Both companies celebrated the arrival of their 2016 Bronze Certifications for their PET packages. Both companies have developed implementation strategies to identify improvement opportunities for reutilization of their products, to further engage with their supply chain partners in order to fully characterize the materials in the caps and label.

Other domestic efforts aiming at fostering the development of sustainable manufacturing, is the “Sello Panama Verde” (Green Panama Label) initiative launched in late 2014 by the Union of Industrialists of Panama (SIP), the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MICI) and the Ministry of Environment in collaboration with the OAS. The distinction will be awarded to those companies that are continuously implementing best practices for improving waste and water management and implementing social responsibility programs. “The development and marketing of environmentally friendly products is the key to change consumption patterns towards sustainable production” (SIP). Moreover, “Sello Panamá Verde” is an opportunity for Panama’s industrial sector to compete in a globalized market, which requires products with a high added value, high quality standards, and whose production processes generate a positive impact on the environment and society.

The Closed-Loop Cycle Production in the Americas (CLCPA) initiative introduced the Cradle to Cradle® (C2C) concept in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2014 by means of three programmatic components: awareness raising, analysis and advice for drafting policies, and promoting application of this innovative philosophy. The concept of the Circular Economy, based on the principles of C2C, provides an alternative to the current linear economic model of “take-make-waste,” by disassociating growth from the use of natural resources and ecosystems. This philosophy is consistent with the tenets of sustainable development and provides added value to inter-governmental negotiation processes for the Post-2015 Development Agenda, in the framework of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development and the United Nations.

Productos Lux S.A. commercially known as Proluxsa, is a medium size food and beverage company founded in 1964 with 218 employees dedicated to the manufacturing of natural distilled vinegar, wine vinegars, seasoning sauces and other condiments.

Aguas Cristalinas S.A. has been operating since 1986. With 146 employees, this too medium sized company purifies, packages and delivers bottled water to their clients.