Mexico

Specific Measures:
Development of a diagnosis of the National Circular Economy Strategy in Mexico.
 
The central objective of this diagnostic analysis of the transition of the Mexican economy towards a new model of sustainable development, the Circular Economy, is to establish a better understanding of the challenges that make the current linear model unsustainable, while highlighting the main strengths and areas of potential national development for the next thirty years. This analysis will contribute to the intersectoral collaboration to promote sustainable production and consumption patterns in Mexico.

■ Regulatory Measures (ex: Production Ban, Ban on Use..etc)
Brief Description:
The solid waste law of Mexico City prohibits the marketing, distribution and delivery of disposable plastic bags.
 
Local-level bans on plastic bags, straws and Styrofoam in over 20 states in Mexico.

■ Informational Measures (Guideline, Standards…etc.)
Brief Description:
The Ministry of Tourism has collaborated with the German Agency for Cooperation (GIZ) in promoting the Less Plastics Guide: Tools to prevent the consumption of plastics in the Tourism sector, within the framework of the Circular Caribbean Initiative, which aims to be an accessible instrument to promote leadership in companies in the tourism sector in the prevention of plastic consumption.

Specific Measures:
Strengthening of federal regulations on single-use plastics and extended producer responsibility (EPR).

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Specific Measures:
The National Program for the Prevention and Integral Management of Waste (PNPGIR) and the National Program for the Prevention and Integral Management of Special Handling Waste (PNPGIRME) are programs in charge of establishing the national waste policy, through objectives, strategies and goals to prevent waste generation and improve waste management, as well as actions, projects and means of financing, aimed at leading the government's actions in this area.
 
The update of the National Climate Change Strategy aims to reduce 140 million tons of CO₂ by 2030, through renewable energy projects, reforestation, circular economy initiatives and the decarbonization of the electricity system, with an emphasis on transforming waste into energy sources.
Source: National Climate Change Strategy

Specific Measures:
Mexico is working on the development of its National Strategy for Circular Economy in order to promote a system in which resource consumption, waste and emissions are minimized through design, maintenance, repair, reuse, remanufacturing, restoration and long-term recycling, the purpose of which is to close energy, water and material loops.

Specific Measures:
In Mexico, the Mexican Standard NMX-AA-120-SCFI-2016 is applied, which establishes the requirements and specifications for beach quality sustainability promoted by the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources, which establishes the requirements and specifications for environmental and sanitary quality. , security and services for the sustainability of the beaches in the following modalities:

• Recreational use
• Priority for conservation

In addition, the Secretariat of Navy presented in June 2024 the “Port Decarbonization Strategy”, designed to reduce the carbon footprint derived from port activities from different fronts. This strategy focuses on cleaning the beaches so that, under the principle of a circular economy, it can give a responsible end to the waste and waste that is collected, thus preventing them from continuing to pollute the oceans.
 
Likewise, with this strategy brigades are formed to carry out a massive cleanup in beaches located in the north of Mexico like the Ensenada as well as “Playa Hermosa”, where a total of three and a half tons of garbage was collected. Among the waste collected were plastics, PET bottles, rubber, Styrofoam, microplastics, tires, mattresses, etc.
 
The Government of Mexico is implementing the National Strategy for the Cleanup and Conservation of Mexico's Beaches and Coasts 2025-2030, the purpose of which is to reverse and prevent pollution of the country's beaches and coasts through intersectoral and participatory work. The goal is to eliminate three thousand tons per year.

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Specific Measures:
Mexico has implemented various actions to address the problem of ghost nets, which are fishing gear lost, abandoned, or discarded at sea, posing a significant threat to marine fauna and marine ecosystems.
 
During 2024, a total of 370 nets were recovered, totaling 64,301 longitudinal meters. So far in 2025, a total of 127 nets have been recovered, totaling 34,116 longitudinal meters.
Actions aimed at reducing marine debris pollution, such as the problem of discarded, lost, and/or abandoned fishing nets (ghost nets), in Mexican marine areas, are expected to continue through the remainder of 2025.
 
Additionally, on June 5, President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo announced the launch of the National Strategy for the Cleanup and Conservation of Mexico's Beaches and Coasts 2025-2030, whose purpose is to reverse and prevent pollution of the country's beaches and coasts in an intersectoral and participatory work. In San Felipe, Baja California, 700 people collected a total of 1,140.4 kilograms of waste: 404 kg of plastic, 177.2 nets, 75.1 kg of debris, 9.9 kg of metal, 13.4 kg of organic waste, 198 kg of wood, 202.6 kg of glass, 35.3 kg of cardboard, 9.9 kg of aluminum and 15 kg of tires.
 
Mexico has adopted a comprehensive approach that includes inter-institutional collaboration, the development of more sustainable technologies, and the active participation of fishing communities to combat the ghost net problem and protect marine biodiversity.
 
SEMARNAT, with the support of UNEP, is preparing the National Action Plan for Marine Debris and Plastic Pollution (REMAR Plan), which aims to identify priority actions, interventions and indicators to implement public policy on Marine Debris and Plastic Pollution, integrating the main results of the National Inventory of Sources of Plastic Pollution (INFCP).

Specific Measures:
Diverse Ministries participate in Working Group 3 "International Agenda" of the Intersecretarial Commission for the Sustainable Management of Seas and Coasts (CIMARES), which has a Subgroup of Ghost Fishing Networks, as Mexico is a member of the Global Initiative of Ghost Fishing Gear (GGGI), as well as the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, committed to ensuring the sustainability of fishing, including the elimination of Abandoned, Lost and Discarded Fishing Gear. Additionally, there is a Manual to prevent, mitigate and correct the damage caused by Ghost Fishing in Mexico.
 
This manual was prepared with the support of the PROBLUE initiative of the World Bank and aims to inform people who are dedicated to small-scale fishing about the causes and risks of ghost fishing, as well as the actions they can take to prevent, mitigate and correct its effects.
 
CONAPESCA made two formats public to report the loss and/or misplacement of fishing gear during fishing activities, one applicable in the upper Gulf of California and the other in the rest of the waters under national jurisdiction.
 
Legislative proposal to regulate abandoned fishing gear: In February 2024, Senator Alejandra Lagunes presented an initiative to reform the General Law of Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture, in order to establish rules for the management of waste generated by fishing gear. The proposal includes the creation of programs for cleaning and removal of this equipment, as well as the implementation of sanctions for those who abandon or lose their fishing gear at sea.

Brief Description:
In Mexico, the main institution responsible for ship waste management is the Ministry of the Navy (SEMAR), which is the national maritime authority and is in charge of preventing pollution of the marine environment, as well as ensuring compliance with international conventions related to ship waste management.

Specific Measures:
Mexico´s Government is collaborating with non-state actors to disseminate relevant knowledge and build capacities for coastal communities in the framework of the “Manual to prevent, mitigate and correct the damage caused by ghost fishing gear in Mexico. The government of Mexico is also part of the Global Ghost Gear initiative (GGGI) since 2020, which launched the North American Net Collection Initiative (NANCI)-the first-ever transboundary initiative to prevent ghost gear in the coastal waters of the western United States, Mexico, and Canada.
 
Recently, the government launched the National Strategy for the Cleanup and Conservation of Mexico's Beaches and Coasts 2025–2030, which seeks to become a multisectoral and collaborative effort. A wide range of stakeholders are already engaged, including civil society, the private sector, and government institutions. Among the participating organizations are the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), ECOCE, TIDE MPS, HUAWEI, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Pronatura Noroeste, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Greenpeace, Conservation International, Pesca Alternativa de Baja California, Limpiemos Yucatán, Grupo Modelo, FEMSA–Coca-Cola, OFEC, BEPENSA, Walmart, PepsiCo, HOLCIM, Santos Lugo, NOVA, SIGER, Grupo INCO, Polpusa, and GEPP, among others.

Specific Measures:
Promote the Less Plastics Guide, to invite private sector companies interested in joining the adoption of the principles of the circular economy to increase competitiveness and the quality of services, while protecting the oceans from plastic.

Specific Measures:
■ Conduct Monitoring/Scientific Research

Brief Description:
Project entitled "Design and validation of methodological instruments to strengthen the formulation of strategies for the sustainable management of plastic materials and waste in coastal areas”.
In collaboration with the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GIZ), the National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC) is developing the project which aims to promote the development of tools for collection, processing and modeling of plastic leaks through the Waste Flow Diagram methodology (developed by GIZ) to strengthen the formulation, development and validation of sustainable management strategies for plastic materials and waste with the potential for loss to the sea in coastal areas. This study is being developed in four municipalities in Mexico: Villa de Tututepec in Oaxaca, La Paz in Baja California Sur, Coatzacoalcos in Veracruz and Benito Juárez in Quintana Roo.
The report on the work carried out in La Paz has been completed and the reports from the rest of the municipalities are being integrated. Likewise, the specific documents of the methodological instruments are being adjusted, which include documents for: mapping of actors, definition of terms (glossary), information collection (surveys and field guide), data processing and modeling (spreadsheets, guides for WFD input, interpretation and presentation of results).
 
With the implementation of the methodological instruments of this project, an improvement in the management systems of plastic materials and waste in the municipalities of the country is expected. This will be observed in the future when a complete set of these tools is consolidated.

Challenges (if applicable):
As a result of this study, 3,372 tons of plastic waste were estimated to leak annually, mainly from uncollected waste. 8% of the plastic waste generated leaks into the environment, 2,256 tons per year are retained in land, 1,473 tons per year are incorporated into water systems and 4 tons per year are removed from drains. Developing strategies to reduce this plastic waste is one of the biggest challenges.

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Specific Measures:
Within the framework of trilateral collaboration as part of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) in North America, it was developed a toolkit for community engagement entitled “Reducing marine litter through local action”, available here:
http://www.cec.org/publications/reducing-marine-litter-through-local-action/

As part of this initiative, it was also elaborated an Action Plan to reduce marine litter with local actions consistent with circular economy in Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas.

As part of the Pacific Alliance, Mexico has participated in the development of four projects funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) related to plastic sustainable management:

1. Consultancy to design and implement a virtual platform for recording and systematizing regulatory information on plastics at the Pacific Alliance level.
2. Communication strategy on responsible consumption of plastic and environmental education.
3. Development of a proposal for a regional information generation system on plastic waste management.
4. Development of a proposal for regulatory improvement in sustainable plastics management, including dissemination and analysis of results.

The National Institute of Ecology and Climate Change (INECC) participated in the project “Measures for the adequate management of waste in the Gulf of Mexico coastal towns with emphasis on Materials recovery and reduction of plastic disposal in the ocean”, which aims to develop a strategic proposal for measures for the proper handling of plastic waste with potential for leakage to the sea by developing a specialized diagnosis on management Urban solid waste in four towns in the Gulf of Mexico: Coatzacoalcos, Alvarado and Tuxpan in the State of Veracruz, and Champotón in the State of Campeche. The study also includes a study of waste characterization with emphasis on plastic waste in the municipality of Tuxpan, as well as a study to assess the level of micro-contamination plastics.

It is remarkable that the Government of Mexico is part of diverse multilateral initiatives that address MLP, such as the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy and the Global Ghost Gear initiative (GGGI). Furthermore, the governments of Mexico, the United States and Canada incorporated a specific commitment to take measures to prevent and reduce marine debris in the Environment Chapter of the T-MEC. The T-MEC is the first trade agreement to incorporate this commitment.

In addition, the Global Initiative on Tourism and Plastics promoted by UN Tourism brings together the tourism sector around a common vision to stop the root causes of plastic pollution, allowing companies, governments and other tourism actors to take concerted action and become examples of the change towards circularity in the use of plastics.

The Initiative connects the tourism sector with the Global Commitment of the New Plastics Economy, to which more than 500 companies, public entities and other organizations have already joined, and which is aligned with the vision, framework and definitions of the New Plastics Economy to mobilize the global tourism sector towards concerted action against plastic pollution.

The Global Tourism and Plastics Initiative calls on tourism organizations to make a series of concrete and actionable commitments by 2025:

• Eliminate problematic or unnecessary plastic containers and items.
• Take steps to abandon single-use plastic products or items and move to reuse models or reusable alternatives.
• Commit the value chain to move towards the goal of 100% of plastic packaging being reusable, recyclable or compostable.
• Take steps to increase the amount of recycled content in all plastic packaging and items used.
• Commit to collaborating and investing to increase plastic recycling and composting rates.
• Report publicly every year on the progress achieved in relation to these objectives.

More recently, a process in collaboration with the French Development Agency started to a national develop a diagnostic and a Roadmap to address ghost gear across the country.
 
In addition, Mexico is currently collaborating with UNEP and CCA on various initiatives, including integrated solid waste management in coastal cities, the development of circular economy roadmaps, and the implementation of plastic-free pilot zones in marine protected areas.

Specific Measures:
Mexico signed the Americas for the Protection of the Ocean Declaration. The main goals are to increase cooperation between the countries of the continent by establishing a coalition for political collaboration and coordination on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs), marine ecological corridors and other actions aimed at protecting the marine environment, including tackling marine pollution.