Last week, the chemical company BASF celebrated the sixth edition of its circular economy awards, with which each year it recognizes those pioneering initiatives that promote a model based on sustainability and the use of resources. On this occasion, the delivery gala took place at the Space Downtown of Madrid and brought together representatives of the public administration, private companies, entrepreneurs and specialists in fields related to sustainability.
Álex Dorado Nájera, commissioner for the Circular Economy of the Government of Spain, highlighted at the closing the importance of “moving urgently towards an economic model that minimizes the use of resources and the generation of waste” and that is useful, at the same time, to “mitigate the negative effects on the environment and people’s health.” BASF underlined its commitment to these priorities and confirmed that the mission of these awards is to highlight those projects that work towards this change. In this way, in this edition, the firm recognized the initiatives in a total of 6 categories: Public Administration, Large Company, SME, Startup, Academia and Dissemination.
In the first of them, the Madrid City Council was awarded for its project Center for Innovation in Circular Economy (CIEC Madrid)founded in 2022 and located in the Vicálvaro district. Its mission is to act as a node for circular economy initiatives, promoting innovation, entrepreneurship and the creation of networks and job opportunities in the sector. It also seeks to raise awareness among citizens about the importance of adopting circular practices. This category had a second prize that the Junta de Castilla-La Mancha won for its Network of circular economy agents, a platform that connects sector agents in this region to facilitate cooperation between professionals.
In the Large Company section, the award went to Renault Group and its project Refactory Seville. From the end of 2022, this initiative reconditions used vehicles to relaunch them on the market with higher quality and prices. Only in its first year of operation, thanks to this project a thousand vehicles throughout Spain had a second life.
In the case of SMEs, the award went to Surus, for its project Reemployment Effectwhich brings a new vision to the management of assets discarded by companies and organizations. Its priority is to reuse rather than eliminate products that end up in landfills. With this system, new owners are found and the original states are preserved: only the traditional concept of waste is discarded.
Drivers of the new economic paradigm
These awards have a specific section for the startups. In this sixth edition, the award went to a digital solution for waste management that uses a technology called SaaS. The project 360º advisor from the company Cocircular allows complete traceability and circular waste management for companies in the energy, construction or textile sectors and facilitates compliance with the Waste Law, since it exceeds the required limit with a recovery of 89% of waste treaties.
The penultimate category corresponds to the Academy and the awarded entity was Women Action Sustainability (WAS) for its traveling exhibition WAS WE CIRCULATE. With this exhibition, the non-profit organization seeks to raise awareness among university students throughout Spain regarding the practical applications of the circular economy, through real cases that fully introduce them to the importance of this economic model to guarantee a future. sustainable.
Finally, the award in the Dissemination category went to Plastics Europe. In this case, the campaign was awarded #PositivePlasticswhich is part of the European initiative #ChangingPlasticsforGood. The focus of the initiative has been on stories of change in the plastics industry that promote sustainability and climate neutrality through success stories in Spain and Portugal. This section also had a second prize for the Catalog of Good Environmental Practices of Spanish Companies 2023 prepared by the CEOE, a descriptive and visual document where Spanish companies expose and give visibility to exemplary actions in environmental matters.
Roadmap and challenges towards circularity
The gala also hosted a round table on the integration of the circular economy in society. Led by Carles Navarro, General Director of BASF in Spain and president of the Sustainability Excellence Club, the experts who participated were Belén Hinojar and Carmen Huidobro, influencers and creators of ClimaBar.
Belén Hinojar pointed out the need to change the “consume quickly and throw away” mentality that prevails today. Advocated for a change heavy towards a more conscious consumption, while highlighting the advantages of the circular economy: “We have to highlight the benefits it generates, whether economic, health or related to the planet,” he defended.
Carmen Huidobro emphasized “the challenges that youth face in the current context” and asked political leaders, institutions and companies “for help when creating conditions that allow them to consume sustainably.” He appealed to corporate responsibility, asking companies to “examine their supply chains and prioritize actions with the greatest positive impact on the environment.” Huidobro criticized the practices of ecopostureo and requested that companies focus their efforts “on really reducing their carbon footprint.”
For his part, Navarro highlighted that “40 years ago our grandparents already adopted some practices that today would be considered sustainable, such as extending the use of clothing or repairing it.” According to the director of BASF, incorporating these sustainable habits “does not always mean a radical change, but rather a return to simple and effective practices that are already part of our history.” Finally, he stressed the importance of “encouraging correct behaviors and penalizing those that are not.”
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