Although at COP10 of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (Panama, February 2025) and at COP11 (Geneva), harm reduction activists, doctors, and independent press could not even enter as observers—as these conferences are characterized by a high degree of closure and exclusion—COP30 on Climate Change (Belém do Pará, Brazil, November 10-21, 2025) has represented a positive and constructive turning point.
Circular Vape Recycle is a global environmental sustainability and harm reduction project that promotes the circular economy applied to electronic nicotine delivery devices. Its mission is to educate users about the responsible use and proper final disposal of these products, under the principle: “If we take care of our health through lower-risk alternatives, we must also take care of the planet.” Improper disposal of these devices, liquids, or batteries contaminates soil, water, and, ultimately, the food chain, thereby nullifying the individual and collective benefits of tobacco harm reduction.
Participation in Regional Preparatory Events
After the Global Forum on Nicotine 2025, we were invited to serve as observers at the First International Climate Conference “Latin American Commitment towards COP30”, held in Córdoba, Argentina, from July 1 to 3, 2025. Organized by the Municipality and the Government of the Province of Córdoba, this summit—recognized by the United Nations as a Commemorative Event for the 10th anniversary of the Paris Agreement—gathered more than 6,000 attendees and served as the Fifth World Circular Economy Summit. A historic agreement was reached, signed by governors of six Argentine provinces, ratified by 120 mayors, and supported by authorities from 20 countries in Latin America, Europe, and Asia.
This meeting positioned Córdoba as a regional leader in circular economy and subnational climate action, and represented a unique networking opportunity with activists, companies, foundations, consultants, and political decision-makers, expanding the project’s scope beyond the specialized harm reduction community.
Subsequently, in November 2025, we were invited to the Bioferia de Rosario, Argentina’s largest sustainability festival, where the growing interest of event organizers (environmental, musical, and cultural) in incorporating vape device collection infrastructure and educational campaigns was evident.
Circular Vape Recycle: Youth Leadership and Global Visibility on the Official COP30 Map for Climate Action
Circular Vape Recycle, along with its global research “Environmental Impact of Vaping Devices: A Global Approach to Sustainability”, has been officially incorporated into the #MutiraoCOP30 map, a global registry of youth actions led by the Brazilian Presidency of COP30 and aligned with the Action Agenda launched in June 2025 (6 thematic axes and 30 objectives).
Although, for personal reasons, we could not attend in person, our project is permanently featured on the interactive map.
This inclusion grants:
- International recognition of youth leadership in concrete climate solutions.
- Amplification at key events (Africa Climate Week, New York Climate Week, COP30).
- Direct influence on the 2030 agenda and global decision-makers.
This is the first tobacco harm reduction project to achieve official entry and visibility at a United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties.
Circular Vape Recycle: Argentine Innovation in Recycling, Environmental Bioethics, and Tobacco Harm Reduction
Circular Vape Recycle—funded by Knowledge·Action·Change (KAC)—was founded by Aylen Van Isseldyk and Juan Facundo Teme, Argentine activists specializing in harm reduction and environmental sustainability.
The project combines academic research, education, and the promotion of international recycling infrastructure. Its interdisciplinary study integrates bioethics, harm reduction, and circular economy principles, analyzing:
- Environmental impacts of vaping devices.
- Perception and disposal habits in different countries.
- Successful models (examples like Switzerland or the United Kingdom) and local opportunities.
It is concluded that, with adequate education and by leveraging current Argentine legislation on hazardous waste management (Laws 24.051 and 25.916), given our analysis and research capacity from other countries, Argentina has the potential to become a regional leader in the recycling of these devices.
Next academic steps (2026):
- Translation of the complete document into English and Portuguese.
- Ongoing updates to the study.
- Expansion of the analysis to other reduced-risk products.
Harm Reduction and the Climate Agenda: COP30
The project always had the virtue of transcending the exclusive scope of tobacco control and fitting perfectly into the climate agenda. While the Conferences of the Parties to the FCTC maintain a closed stance that systematically excludes harm reduction, COP30 on Climate Change was characterized by openness, respect for scientific debate, and a willingness to engage in constructive dialogue. Official inclusion on the #MutiraoCOP30 map represents a historic milestone for the entire global harm reduction community: for the first time, a project that simultaneously advocates for public health and environmental sustainability achieves visibility among 2030 Agenda decision-makers without renouncing its foundational principles.
CMCT vs. CMNUCC
Conferences of the Parties are, above all, spaces for inter-state negotiation. Civil society participates, but under rules established by the States Parties to each treaty.
- In the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), a small group of States and organizations maintains a prohibitive approach that interprets Article 5.3 of the treaty as an absolute exclusion of any actor related to lower-risk alternatives, severely limiting the plurality of voices and scientific debate.
- In the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), governance is more plural and decentralized. States have partially lost the monopoly of discourse: cities, regions, companies, youth, and organized civil society have formal channels for advocacy (Action Agenda, solution maps, side events). This reflects an evolution towards multi-level governance models where local solutions and citizen innovation gain weight over traditional diplomacy.
The difference does not lie in a supposed ethical contradiction within the United Nations, but in the different degrees of institutional maturity and the specific agendas of each treaty: one remains anchored in a paradigm of centralized control; the other advances towards inclusive, results-oriented climate governance.
What is the real difference?
At the FCTC COP, states retain almost absolute control over the agenda and participation, which restricts the diversity of approaches. At the UNFCCC COP30, states are progressively ceding power to non-state actors (youth, cities, private sector, academia), recognizing that effective climate action requires broad alliances and bottom-up solutions. This paradigm shift explains why an environmental harm reduction project, historically excluded, was able to find a legitimate space for recognition and collaboration in Belém do Pará.
* Aylen Van Isseldyk is the Founder of Circular Vape Recycle, a global project that integrates environmental sustainability, circular economy, and tobacco harm reduction. She is a THRSP Scholar (UK), Marketing and Advertising Analyst, and leads the “Lola Colazo” chapter of the Ladies of Liberty Alliance. Van Isseldyk writes as an International Contributor for El Bastión. Her work focuses on youth-led climate action and the responsible disposal of electronic nicotine delivery devices. Circular Vape Recycle became the first tobacco harm reduction project to achieve recognition at a UN Climate Change Conference (COP30, Brazil, 2025).
Source: We Are Innovation
