Circular seas, protection and conservation of aquatic environments

Circular seas, the project for the protection and conservation of aquatic environments and biodiversity, as well as for the promotion of the circular economy promoted by Coca-Cola, concluded 2024, its seventh year of work, exceeding all the objectives set forth in each of the three pillars that support it: the withdrawal of natural environments residues, the promotion of a culture-based culture Search for solutions and new economic models based on circularity.

With regard to the first of the pillars, in 2024 more than 376 tons of marine waste were collected and classified. This achievement has been possible thanks to the participation of 9,731 volunteers who during the last year were part of the crews responsible for cleaning in 169 the beaches and aquatic environments, 22 marine reserves and natural spaces, as well as in underwater waters. In the latter area, collaboration with brotherhoods and fishing associations in 16 fishing ports allowed the withdrawal of 44.8 tons of the total waste collected, thus reinforcing the synergies between the fishing sector and the environmental initiatives. Since 2018, around 55,000 volunteers have managed to withdraw about 2,700 tons of waste from these spaces.

Beyond the cleaning, in a clear commitment to the formation and awareness of citizenship-the second of the pillars of this initiative-, 10,946 people passed through the workshops, educational activities and specialized conferences carried out throughout 2024. As part of these actions, a scientific-technical day was also organized together with the Autonomous University of Madrid with the aim of searching, in the university field, in the university. Marine trash through the analysis of success cases of business initiatives and scientific projects.

Innovation and circular economy

Circular seas has continued to consolidate its support for research and innovation in circular economy, its third pillar. In their seven editions, the Circular Mares Awards have promoted scientific and entrepreneurship projects on the basis of the circular economy. This contest has invested a total of 172,800 euros to reward scientific studies and focused start-ups. The growing recognition of this award has managed to increase the number of candidacies presented, passing the 14 of 2023, at 26 this year. In this latest edition, winning projects have been “magnetic nanoparticles for environmental catalysis: towards a circular economy based on the revaluation of pollutants”, developed by the Institute of Materials Sciences of Madrid (CSIC); and «Algarikon Zero», developed by the company Algarikon Mar Menor.

These data from the seventh edition of circular seas have been presented at the annual meeting of the Project Advisory Committee, where a positive evaluation of the results obtained in the past year has been carried out and a renewed roadmap has been established to face the environmental challenges of the future. This Advisory Committee has the presence of reference experts such as Enrique Segovia (WWF), Javier Remiro (Biodiversity Foundation), María García (Apia), Marta Martínez-Gil (Miterd), José María Fernández (Ihobe), Marisa Fernández (Cetmar Foundation) and Pilar Zorzo (AEBAM).

For Carmen Gómez-Acebo, director of sustainability of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Iberia, «the data presented to the Advisory Committee exceed the objectives that we set at the beginning of last year, which comes to reaffirm the interest in acting with decision in the preservation of our natural environment and the development of the circular economy of the waste. In addition to the figures, the most important thing about Mares is that it is a project of alliances that allow us to strengthen collaboration with public entities, environmental organizations and society as a whole, because only working together we can achieve a real and lasting impact on the protection of our environment ».

Future challenges

In addition to analyzing the data, the Advisory Committee, in its annual meeting new approaches to the project have been raised to continue responding to the challenges and challenges that represent the waste in our environment. In this sense, it was addressed how to continue implying citizens in cleanings, how to deepen the blue economy or how circular seas can work more directly and ambitious in the recovery and conservation of marine biodiversity. In this line, circular seas already works in line with the Law on Restoration of the Nature of the European Union, which establishes binding goals for the recovery of degraded habitats. As a first step, studies on the state of preservation of the Posidonia are being carried out in Malaga, Granada and Almería, and measures will be implemented for the restoration of underwater reefs and grasslands, fundamental for marine biodiversity.

With this vision, circular seas will continue to evolve in 2025 to adapt to the new environmental challenges and consolidate as a reference in the fight against marine pollution and the promotion of sustainability.