Chile’s Aysén region has reached a new landmark in its approach toward creating a circular economy by shipping the first batch of compacted expanded polystyrene (EPS) made with aquaculture industry waste to European markets.
The operation was carried out by local firm Ceresal, which was established in Aysén to provide services to the aquaculture industry in receiving and managing inorganic industrial solid waste. The shipment included 30 metric tons of compacted EPS, which is typically used as a packaging material, destined for Spain and Belgium.
“This first action represented a very important milestone for us because it demonstrates that it is possible to innovate and reach international markets from the Aysén region,” Ceresal Commercial Manager Pilar Rodríguez said. “This process required perseverance, collaboration, and a lot of work, and it reinforces our conviction that new opportunities in the circular economy can be developed from an extreme region.”
One of Ceresal’s main challenges in carrying out the shipment was acquiring pallets that satisfy the specifications required for export, as these pallets are not available in Aysén. Chile’s largest salmon-farming firm, AquaChile, helped solve this issue with the transport of more than 40 pallets from Chonchi from the neighboring Los Lagos region.
“This export demonstrated that in Aysén, there are capacities, innovation, and entrepreneurship capable of transforming environmental challenges into development opportunities,” AquaChile Public Affairs Leader Ximena Solís said in a release. “It was very rewarding for AquaChile to contribute to a process that was born in the region and managed to reach international markets. This type of collaboration allows us to strengthen local suppliers, promote the circular economy, and generate value for the territory.”
AquaChile added that the operation opens a pathway for waste recovered in the region to continue to be incorporated into valuable exports.
The shipment comes soon after AquaChile showcased its work with sustainable manufacturing firm Aysén Recircular, which has created a business model in transforming EPS recovered from Chile’s salmon-farming firms into structural insulated panels (SIPs) used to build houses.
EPS – widely used in floats and buoys – is considered one of the most complex materials to properly recycle once its useful life has run its course. In the case of Aysén Recircular, the company receives buoys and industrial floats from salmon-farming centers at its plant in Aysén. The discarded gear is opened up to extract the EPS, which is then converted into blocks that are used for the interior of the prefabricated panels.
