The projects of Madrid City Council, Renault Group, Surus, Cocircular, WAS and Plastics Europe have emerged winners in the sixth edition of the BASF Circular Economy Awards, in the categories of Public Administration, Large Companies, SMEs, Start-Up, Academia and Dissemination. The awards ceremony took place at a meeting held on November 7 at the Espacio Downtown in Madrid.
In front of an audience of more than 120 people, the VI BASF awards for the best Circular Economy practice in Spain have been presented at an event that has been closed by Alex Dorado Najera, Commissioner for the Circular Economy, of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. The objective of the awards is to recognize those projects or research projects that, based on the circular economy, contribute or have the potential to contribute substantially to the development of business competitiveness in our country, with special attention to those projects that include the perspective of environmental and social sustainability in their development and purpose.
During the event, there was a discussion on the circular economy, which highlighted how to integrate it into society. The participants in the round table were: Carles navarro, CEO of BASF in Spain and president of the Club of Excellence in Sustainability, Belen Hinojosa and Carmen Huidobro, creators of ClimaBar.
Award-winning projects
A jury of renowned experts made up of Marta Gomez Palenque, Director General of Quality and Environmental Assessment of the Ministry for Economic Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Christina Rivero, Director of Industry, Energy, Environment and Climate at CEOE, Xavier Rivera, Director of Communication, Institutional Relations and Sustainability at BASF Española, Juan Alfaro, general secretary of the Club of Excellence in Sustainability and Pablo Blazquez, founder and editor of Ethic, was responsible for evaluating the more than 120 candidates for this sixth edition.
The awarded projects in each category are the following:
Public Administration Category: Madrid City Council
The Circular Economy Innovation Centre (CIEC Madrid) project is an initiative of the Madrid City Council which, since 2022 and at its headquarters in the Vicálvaro district, acts as a hub for circular economy initiatives, fostering innovation, attracting talent, promoting entrepreneurship and creating new employment opportunities and networks, as well as aiming to promote citizen awareness in the field of the circular economy.
Second prize: Regional Government of Castilla La Mancha
The Network of Circular Economy Agents Project of the Ministry of Sustainable Development of Castilla La Mancha is a platform that aims to connect circular economy agents, professionals, entities and companies that are looking for collaborators, initiatives and projects with those who offer their collaboration. Commitment, co-responsibility and innovation are the hallmarks of this platform that seeks to connect to generate solutions in this new circular economy model.
Large Company Category: Renault Group
Renault Group will launch Refactory Sevilla at the end of 2022; a centre that gives used vehicles a second life, offering premium quality used vehicles at competitive prices, thanks to the combination of efficient and standardised industrial tools with Renault Group's industrial know-how. During the first year of Refactory Sevilla's activity, 1.000 vehicles were reconditioned, the one that marked the milestone being a Cassiopeia grey Captur E-TECH with a black roof destined for the Renew Network, on this occasion to the SYRSA Automoción facilities in Almería. Refactory Sevilla reconditions vehicles for all of Spain, offering its services to the entire Renault Renew Network, which is the one dedicated to the remarketing of used vehicles.
SME Category: Surus
With the “Re-employment Effect” project, Surus helps to turn around the management of assets that a company, organisation or Public Administration no longer needs, making re-employment the main priority and disposal in landfills the last resort. This re-employment is part of waste prevention: the operation by which a product is donated or sold by its original owner to a third party, a priori, to give it a second life. Unlike reuse, through re-employment the product retains its product status.
Start-Up Category: Cocircular
Cocircular has developed a SaaS technology (360º advisor) that allows 100% digitalized and traceable circular waste management for its clients (construction companies, developers, renewable energy companies, industrial companies, textile companies, etc.) guaranteeing compliance with the new Waste Law that requires the recovery of more than 70% of waste (currently 89%).
Academy Category: Women Action Sustainability (WAS)
The travelling exhibition “WAS CIRCULAMOS” aims to disseminate, challenge and encourage debate on the many practical applications of the Circular Economy in the real world, as well as the opportunities it offers for innovation. It does so in universities so that students can learn about practical cases of the Circular Economy and its application in various areas. We believe that today's students will be tomorrow's workers and entrepreneurs, and raising their awareness of the need for the circular economy is very important for the sustainability of our planet. Under the motto “From idea to action”, we aim to create ephemeral spaces in which real cases of the Circular Economy of companies and institutions linked to WAS are shown, inviting other agents who want to join the initiative, depending on the territory and/or the space used for the exhibition.
Category Disclosure: Plastics Europe
#PlasticosEnPositivo is part of the pan-European digital campaign #ChangingPlasticsforGood that began in 2021 to showcase real stories of change in the plastics industry in Europe. Plastics Europe in the Iberian region wanted to continue this campaign, focusing on the success stories of our partner companies in Spain and Portugal. #PlásticosEnPositivo highlights local initiatives that contribute to accelerating the transition of the plastics industry towards sustainability and generate a positive impact. The success stories that are part of #PlásticosEnPositivo cover areas such as the circular economy, climate neutrality or the use of materials of renewable origin.
Runner-up: CEOE
The CEOE 2023 Catalogue of Good Environmental Practices of Spanish Companies project is a descriptive and visual document where Spanish companies can present and give visibility to exemplary actions in environmental matters and the development of new technologies and investment in innovation. It was created after the great reception obtained by a first call in 2021 on good practices.
