The Basque Government plans to reduce CO ₂ emissions by 26% through the circular economy

The Basque Government has approved a “Circular Economy Strategy” through which it plans to reduce carbon emissions associated with consumption by 26% in the next decade. The plan also includes the creation of around 3,000 jobs linked to the reduction of the use of materials and the generation of waste.

According to the spokesman of the Executive, Josu Erkoreka; and the Minister of Environment, Territorial Planning and Housing, Iñaki Arriola, the strategy sets three main objectives: increase material productivity by 30%, increase the rate of use of circular materials by 30% and reduce the rate of waste generation per unit of GDP by 30%.

As for the expected results with the implementation of the plan, according to Arriola, three indicators are set in environmental, social and economic matters: reduce carbon emissions associated with consumption by 26%, increase the turnover of Basque companies in more circular products to 10,000 million euros and create 3,000 jobs in the field of the circular economy.

“The promotion of the circular economy opens up opportunities to move towards a more competitive, more modern and more sustainable Basque Country,” he said.

Employment

Currently, in the industrial sector of the Basque Country there are 18,463 jobs related to circular economy activities, which is 2% of the total number of jobs in the Basque economy. The goal for 2030 is to continue to increase that figure until reaching 3,000 new jobs.

On the other hand, the implementation of this strategy is expected to have a direct impact on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, which cause climate change. In this way, an annual reduction of almost one million tons of CO2 equivalent is expected, which represents a reduction of 26%.

This decrease in emissions will be motivated by changes in waste management, that is, the decrease in the generation of waste and the increase in its reincorporation into the economy as secondary materials, and by the decrease in the import of resources.

To achieve these results, the ‘Circular Economy Strategy of the Basque Country sets three strategic objectives’. The first of these is to increase material productivity by 30%, an indicator that allows measuring the evolution of the economy towards a model of production and consumption less dependent on materials.

Currently, the Basque industry consumes 21 million tons of raw materials per year, of which 77% are imported, mainly fossil fuels, metallic minerals, biomass and non-metallic minerals.

Waste

It is also expected to increase by 30% the rate of use of circular material, which allows to evaluate the contribution of recycled materials in the Basque Country to the total demand for materials. Increasing this rate means not only reducing dependence on imports or the extraction of raw materials, but also reducing waste that would otherwise end up in a landfill.

The Basque industry generates 72% of the total waste, of which 42% ends up in landfill. In addition to reducing emissions, the increase in the use of circular material will boost the recycling sector and the emergence of companies linked to the transformation and use of waste for reuse in other production processes.

Likewise, it is expected to reduce by 30% the rate of waste generation per unit of GDP, a rate expressed as the intensity of economic activity in waste generation. According to the latest available data (2016), 67 kilos of waste (excluding the main mineral waste) were generated in the Basque Country for every 1,000 euros of GDP. The goal for 2030 is to lower that figure to 47.6 kilos.

Additionally, the Strategy includes two complementary objectives to this last objective in relation to two of the currents prioritized by the European Commission: to halve the generation of food waste and to achieve that 100% of plastic packaging is recyclable.

Support instruments

To achieve the results, the strategy foresees aid for investment, R&D&I, tax deductions, environmental fees and taxes, the development of technical standards and methodologies to facilitate the use of secondary materials, and measures for the training, generation and transfer of knowledge.

Arriola stressed that the Circular Economy Strategy of the Basque Country 2030 “opens up a range of opportunities that, in addition to the obvious environmental benefits, will modernize and transform the economy, generate economic benefits for companies, and increase their competitiveness”.

Source: ABC