1st Sustainability and Markets Forum  

Lima, 05 December 2022. On 22 November, the Lima Chamber of Commerce, with the support of the Green AL-INVEST programme, the Peru Export and Tourism Promotion Commission (PROMPERÚ) and the Swiss Import Promotion Programme (SIPPO) organised the "Green AL-INVEST" event in Lima, Peru.1st sustainability and markets forum"The event was held at the Swissôtel de San Isidro, Lima, Peru, with the aim of presenting the progress made in sustainability under a focus on capacity building and promotion of good practices for compliance with the demands of international markets.

During the inauguration of the event, the executive president of Promperu, mentioned the importance of a sustainability strategy to boost the competitiveness of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) exporters in the country.

He also indicated that "99.6% of Peru's business structure is made up of MSMEs. Along these lines, we can estimate that, if each one of them incorporates these aspects of sustainability, we would definitely have a positive impact on the Peruvian economy."Amora Carbajal, executive president of Promperu, said.

Likewise, Dr. Oscar Vásquez, director of the CCL stated that "... the CCL is a very important institution for the development of the country.In Peru, one of our main challenges is to adopt sustainable practices aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). which proposes challenges that Peruvian agro-exporting companies must face in order to continue to have a leading position in international markets".

Against this backdrop, he stressed the need to be both efficient and sustainable, applying a circular economy approach, together with inclusive economic growth.

It should be noted that the forum was divided into three blocks;

Block I: Sustainability as a business strategy

Among the speakers were Gustavo Ferro, consultant in International Trade and Sustainable Development, who spoke on "Sustainability as a differentiation strategy in international markets"; Adriana Quiroz, country manager for Peru of the UN Global Compact, who explained about "The SDGs in the business ecosystem".

The event was also attended by leading national and international experts such as Ricardo Limo, director of export promotion; Irene Haddad, head of the AL-INVEST Verde programme and Manuel Olaechea, agricultural operations manager of Sunfruits Export, who participated as panelists in Block I.

Block II: Challenges for mainstreaming sustainability in the export ecosystem

In this block, the main theme was addressed in view of each organisation through the participation of John Rodriguez, head of trade promotion of the CCL's foreign trade centre; María del Pilar Alarcón, coordinator of sustainable trade of Promperú and Maira Vittorelli, consultant of the T4SD HUB Peru programme of the International Trade Centre (ITC).

Block III: Investment and business opportunities in sustainable markets

In the closing block, the speaker Daniel Vargas, environmental, social and corporate governance specialist of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) spoke on "Environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors as an investment strategy in sustainability businesses".

Also participating in this event were Diana Ramirez, Portfolio Director of NESst Peru; Eric Garnier, Co-founder and CEO of Choba Choba S.A.

The event sought to encourage activities that promote knowledge about sustainability, as well as the implications of its application, one of them being the need for a change in the organisational culture that considers sustainability as a pillar of our development.

It should be noted that more than 100 businessmen and professionals representing different sectors, especially the agro-export sector, were present.

Finally, the Lima Chamber of Commerce, with the support of the AL-INVEST Verde programme, plans to organise such events in the future, in order to promote and raise awareness of the efficient use of resources and sustainable growth towards a circular economy.

About AL-INVEST Green

AL-INVEST Verde is a European Union (EU) programme whose main objective is to promote sustainable growth and job creation in Latin America by supporting the transition towards a low-carbon, resource-efficient and more circular economy. Through Component 1, led by sequa, the programme manages funds for the implementation of innovative small business partnership projects to promote sustainable practices in the private sector.

Further information: www.alinvest-verde.eu

About the Lima Chamber of Commerce

The Lima Chamber of Commerce is the most important business association in Peru, currently with more than 15,500 associated companies, including small, medium and large companies from various sectors. It has the ISO 9001 quality certification, to provide the best attention and quality services. The CCL has highly qualified professionals, state-of-the-art technology, interactive business and information platforms, modern facilities, which make its services the best tool for companies to increase their competitiveness and business.

For more information visit: www.camaralima.org.pe