CGF Hosts Latin America Board Meeting in Colombia

The Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) recently welcomed the return of its Latin America (LatAm) Board Meeting. The LatAm Board took place in-person on 22nd April 2022, at the Hotel JW Marriot in Bogota, Colombia, with more than 18 CEOs and 22 C-suite executives from the LatAm Board in attendance. The meeting started with an introduction explaining the challenges faced by the consumer goods and retail members of the CGF in Latin America and the highlights of the work done since the last LatAm Board meeting.

The Board then discussed the work of the CGF’s Coalitions of Action on Plastics Waste, Collaboration for Healthier Lives, Product Data and Food Waste. The group also shared more on the UN’s Race to Zero Campaign, of which the CGF is an official Accelerator, and updates on the CGF’s events, including next month’s Global Summit and the Sustainable Retail Summit, which takes place in October.

As part of these discussions the Board prioritised the socialisation and implementation of the Plastic Waste Coalition’s Golden Design Rules, the creation of a working group on Race to Zero and gave their continued support on food loss and waste measurement and the implementation of activities related to Collaboration for Healthier Lives, including those of the Workforce Nutrition Alliance.

The Board members also welcomed special guests, including the First Lady of the Nation of Colombia María Juliana Ruíz. The First Lady leads the “Grand Alliance for Nutrition” (“Gran Alianza por la Nutrición”), a programme supported by the CGF, which seeks to bring together key stakeholders to combine efforts that contribute to overcoming nutritional gaps in Colombia and provide information and communication to promote healthier eating habits. The First Lady also stressed the relevance of the private sector in the implementation of collaborative strategies like those created by the Grand Alliance.

The Board also welcomed Carlos Eduardo Correa, Minister of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Colombia, who shared national plans for a circular economy, protecting biodiversity, actions supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals and how to mitigate the impact of leading environmental challenges. These included the “Waste to Worth” programme, providing greater awareness and knowledge to the participating Board members on the special activities Colombia is taking to inspire a more Circular Economy by promoting different paths to innovate in subjects such as plastics production and sustainable consumption.