In Chile, only 22% of waste is recovered or valorized, while the remaining 78%—equivalent to over 19 million tons of solid industrial waste per year—is disposed of.

Corfo’s Executive Vice President emphasized that this represents a major opportunity for businesses and announced that a new round of funding will be launched later this year.

Corfo, in collaboration with authorities from the Ministries of Economy, Development and Tourism; Mining; and Environment, announced the companies awarded over CLP $10 billion to develop technological projects focused on the recovery of environmental liabilities in sectors such as secondary mining and mining waste, energy, transport, manufacturing, and service industries. The private sector will contribute an additional CLP $9.5 billion in investment to implement initiatives that create value from waste and by-products generated in their operations.

Corfo’s Technological Program (PTEC) for the Recovery of Environmental Liabilities co-finances up to 60% of the total cost of each project. These funds must be allocated to the development of pre-commercial or commercial technological products that address existing gaps and challenges, enhance competitiveness, and contribute to reducing environmental liabilities.

Representing the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism, Aintzane Lorca, head of the Sustainable Productive Development (DPS) Program, stated that this initiative is part of nearly 150 DPS-driven initiatives. “We are promoting this program from the Ministry of Economy, alongside Corfo and other ministries, within the framework of an interministerial committee that coordinates public-public collaboration to engage with the private sector and move forward coherently, effectively, and with strong synergies.”

She noted that DPS aims to contribute to decarbonization goals by 2050, increase the economy’s resilience in the face of the climate crisis, pollution, and biodiversity loss—key themes within the circular economy—and boost sophistication and diversification of Chile’s productive base. “In this third year of the program, we are allocating more than CLP $350 billion to combine efforts and work together in this direction.”

Tailings and mineral deposits

Deputy Minister of Mining, Suina Chahuán, explained that, according to the latest 2023 survey by the National Geology and Mining Service, there are 795 gold and tailings deposits distributed across 9 of Chile’s 16 regions. “In the context of the climate crisis and rising demand for critical minerals for the energy transition, it will be necessary to increase or intensify secondary mining activities and, consequently, also address the growing production of mining waste,” she said.

Chahuán added that “each year, approximately 500 million additional tons of waste are generated from these deposits, primarily from large-scale copper mining. Given the magnitude of this challenge, we must act urgently and decisively.”

Deputy Minister of the Environment, Maximiliano Proaño, congratulated the awarded companies for their contributions in tackling the triple environmental crisis: climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. “Being pioneers is the most difficult part—these are the first companies to take the leap. But once one company succeeds, others will follow. This PTEC for environmental liability conversion helps reduce biodiversity loss, emissions, and urban pollution,” he said.

He also noted that these efforts are aimed at “nothing less than ensuring the survival of our species, and to that end, governments must create the right conditions—programs like this are a step in that direction.”

The role of Corfo

Corfo’s PTEC for Environmental Liability Recovery not only addresses the growing accumulation of environmental liabilities across sectors, but also aims to overcome the limited technological development and adaptation in waste management and to enhance the productivity and circular economy potential of related value chains.

José Miguel Benavente, Corfo’s Executive Vice President, stated that “according to figures from the Ministry of the Environment, Chile produces between 17 and 19 million tons of solid industrial waste per year, of which only a very small portion is recycled, recovered, or enters a circular process. Only 22% of this waste is valorized, while the remaining 78% is discarded.”

He added that Corfo is allocating over CLP $3 billion to each project, which will also be matched by private sector contributions.

Benavente highlighted that this instrument—which will have a second call in 2025—supports “sectors that are essential to Chile, such as mining, energy, and manufacturing, at a time when sustainability is gaining importance—not only for its environmental benefits for citizens but also as an opportunity for value creation and innovative solutions.”

Awarded projects

The awarded project for this PTEC was NFU-EVOLUCIÓN, which focuses on “End-of-life tires for high-value commercial products”. It involves 13 partner companies and organizations and aims to valorize subproducts derived from disused tires. The project will be implemented in the Metropolitan, Antofagasta, O’Higgins, and Biobío regions.

“The NFU project is a collaborative effort, coordinated with three universities and four nationally and internationally recognized companies specialized in the valorization of end-of-life tires. It is part of Corfo’s environmental liability reconversion programs,” explained its director, Alejandro Navech.

In the mining sector, two projects were selected: one from the Center for Research in Sustainable Mining (CIMS) and another from Mineral Transport Technology (TTM). Both are aimed at converting tailings through secondary mining activities to extract valuable minerals and manage waste. The first project, operating in the Metropolitan, Atacama, Coquimbo, and Antofagasta regions, focuses on reusing mining liabilities for market transfer through commercialization strategies and technology dissemination.

“Our project seeks to develop and adapt technologies that transform mining tailings into concrete and scalable solutions for value recovery, tailings reuse, and environmental remediation. Our goal is to transition from prototypes to marketable products within five years, promoting business models that bring these technologies to market and turn innovation into a real tool for industry sustainability,” said Guillermo Vidal Rudloff, General Manager of CIMS and Program Director.

Meanwhile, TTM’s initiative, in partnership with Footprint Alliance, will operate from Tarapacá to the Metropolitan Region and will also focus on mining waste valorization through circular economy approaches in secondary mining. “Secondary mining is not only possible—it starts today. With Footprint Alliance, we are showing that Chile can lead the way toward a more efficient, responsible, and future-oriented mining industry,” said executives from TTM and ME Elecmetal.

The fourth awarded project is “Valoriza MáS: Scaling up technologies for the development of Circular Economy in the Manufacturing Industry and Service Companies”, led by the University of Concepción and to be implemented in the Biobío Region. It will focus on the application of mechanical, chemical, biological, and thermochemical conversion technologies to residual streams, aiming to reduce the environmental impact of liabilities in the manufacturing and service sectors while creating new business opportunities and promoting the circular economy.

Source: Corfo