The main objective of the project is to boost low-carbon economies through the efficient use of resources in the recycling value chain with a focus on MSMEs.

The specific objectives of the project are as follows:

• Technify the recycling value chain and MSMEs in the tourism sector with tools and methodologies for eco-efficiency, waste management, disaster risk management and biodiversity.
• Expand market access for the recycling value chain and MSMEs in the tourism sector to support increased sales and job creation.

It is defined as final beneficiaries:

• MSMEs Salvadoran related to the recycling value chainThe enterprises to be served in this chain are the collection centres (and the grassroots collectors linked to them); these micro, small and medium-sized enterprises are in charge of buying or receiving (in case they are not sold) waste for sorting, cleaning or preparation, and then reselling it to the pre-processing companies.
• Salvadoran MSMEs related to the tourism sectorWith the arrival of the COVID19 pandemic and the implementation of measures restricting the mobility of people in El Salvador, there was a total and abrupt loss of customers for tourism businesses. The flow of tourists reached zero and the existing tourist demand of 100,000 tourists per year barely reached 10,000 registered tourists by the end of 2020. In this way, a tourist businessman argues that this sector, in its different areas, was the most "hit", followed by handicrafts, since the handicraft market depends on tourism in its local, national and Central American markets, and the tourism sector is the most affected.

David Oswaldo Rodriguez Echegoyen

Project Coordinator - Fundación Empresarial para la Acción Social

david.echegoyen@fundemas.org