Led by AVINA partner Alicia Montoya of the El Alamo cooperative of urban waste pickers, recycling cooperatives in Buenos Aires won recognition from the city and were integrated into the city’s waste management system. Their work now benefits from state logistical support and a differentiated collection system among large producers of waste and domestic collection in various zones. The significance of this achievement is reflected in data showing that until 2007 the annual budget going to city waste pickers was a mere USD 300,000, but rose to USD 30 million in 2008.

During the first meeting of waste picking cooperatives in Uruguay, the nine participating groups from Montevideo and Uruguay’s interior established a national network to promote a “free, open, and horizontal federation.” Its key objectives are to ensure that the waste pickers can work with dignity and to seek public recognition for the contribution of this sector to environmental conservation. The Ministry of Social Development joined in the initiative, which also enjoys the support of the private sector through the Business Committed to Recycling (CEMPRE) organization, led by AVINA partner Jorge Meoni.

Business schools belonging to the Social Enterprise Knowledge Network (SEKN), an initiative supported by AVINA since its creation in 2001, were the only ones in Latin America included in the Global 100, a bi-annual ranking conducted by the Aspen Institute’s Center for Business Education. This is a worldwide ranking of business schools, created in 1998 with support from the World Resources Institute, that spotlights innovative full-time MBA programs that lead in incorporating social and environmental stewardship into their curriculum. In 2008, EGADE, Monterrey, Mexico (ranked 16th), IESA, Caracas, Venezuela (75th) and the Universidad del los Andes, Colombia (95th) were among the top 100 business schools out of the 590 surveyed around the world, among four Latin American universities with this distinction.