Querétaro’s Circular Economy Model to Include Tourism, Restaurants, and Primary Sector
Querétaro, Qro. The circular economy model in Querétaro aims to incorporate more sectors, including tourism, restaurants, and the primary sector, according to Ricardo Javier Torres Hernández, the subsecretary of Environment at the Secretariat of Sustainable Development (SEDES) of the state.
The Journey to a More Inclusive Circular Economy
Since 2020, the planning for Querétaro’s Circular Economy System (SECQ) began and in 2021, it entered phase 0. This initiative was launched by SEDES in collaboration with the Automotive Cluster of Querétaro. Torres Hernández highlighted this progress during his speech at the Co2 & Circular Economy Business Summit 2025, an event organized by the cluster.
“Our efforts with the cluster are pushing all sectors to join this model, which initially focused on industrial activities. We are about to start with the restaurant industry, the tourism industry, and the primary sector, circular economy models that are already a reality in the industrial sector but need to migrate to other sectors of Querétaro’s formal economy,” he explained.
Strategic Approach and Collaboration
As part of the six-year strategy, the goal is to implement a comprehensive circular economy model that sets Querétaro’s path. The local model began with sensitization, first of large companies and then involving supply chains, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, as well as citizens.
“Each year we add another ingredient to the circular economy model we are building. Simultaneously, we construct an economic funding model for projects that foster their development,” Torres Hernández pointed out.
The federal government’s circular economy policy will complement the local actions, he added. He emphasized that it could be anticompetitive if this model isn’t implemented in other states, as Querétaro doesn’t fully control the product life cycle in most industrial processes of its local economy.
Targeted Sectors and Future Initiatives
Due to this, the state’s initiative began with sectors that have a complete life cycle within Querétaro, such as construction and demolition waste, for which a technical standard was issued. He previewed upcoming work on an initiative for tire reuse.
He advocated for a model where all actors involved in production, distribution, and product or material usage have financing options for their input to reinsert at the end of its first useful life cycle into a production chain, which he said offers business opportunities and positions Querétaro at the center of these schemes.
Legal Adjustments and Existing Progress
With Querétaro’s circular economy law in place, incorporating this system into other sectors might require legislative or regulatory adjustments to align with the existing framework.
Progress and Impact
Nearly five years after the SECQ’s emergence, it currently involves 330 companies and institutions that have generated over 400 circular economy initiatives, along with a community of 700 trained individuals, according to Renato Villaseñor Mendoza, CEO of Galnik and former president of the Querétaro Automotive Cluster.
In his company, Villaseñor mentioned reviewing their practices to identify efficiency improvements and better resource utilization, along with the collective learning fostered by the state’s system.
German Ruiz Méndez, Director General of Sustainable Urban Environmental Performance and Development at SEMARNAT, spoke about Querétaro’s prominent role in the circular economy among Mexican entities. He also mentioned the federal government’s policy to incorporate circular economy, as it is recognized for the first time as a strategic project in the National Development Plan and includes a long-term environmental agenda, along with work on a related law proposal.
Business Summit
In this context, the second edition of the Co2 & Circular Economy Business Summit 2025 took place on October 28-29, serving as a meeting point for the circular economy model through panels, conferences, and business meetings.
During the inauguration, Daniel Hernández Camacho, Director of the Querétaro Automotive Cluster, highlighted that Querétaro is recognized for implementing circular economy and decarbonization strategies.
