Client

Department of Climate Action, Food, and Rural Agenda of the Government of Catalonia.

Challenge

To draft the Roadmap for the Circular Economy in Catalonia (FRECC for the initials in Catalan). This roadmap must accelerate Catalonia’s transition towards a more circular and fair economy that maximises the value of resources and acts as a lever for transformation within a coherent political framework that, through public-private collaboration, harnesses synergies with cross-cutting and sectoral policies while involving the entire population.

What was done?

To develop the FRECC, inèdit started with an international benchmarking analysis that examined 37 roadmaps or strategies for circular economy from leading countries, regions, and cities, as well as inputs collected through a participatory process involving entities from different sectors and typologies.

Inèdit undertook:

1) A compilation of ongoing initiatives in circular economy, both cross-cutting and sectoral, promoted by the Government of Catalonia as well as public or private agents in the territory.

2) 21 working sessions to define and specify lines of action with members of the Interdepartmental Working Group (GTI) ―comprising ACCIÓ, the Employment Service of Catalonia (SOC), and agencies and directorates-general of the Government of Catalonia, such as the Catalan Waste Agency (ARC), the Catalan Institute of Energy (ICAEN), or the Directorate-General for Environmental Quality and Climate Change, among others― and with agents from other departments of the Government of Catalonia and other relevant actors in the field of circular economy in Catalonia.

Resultats

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Roadmap for the Circular Economy in Catalonia (FRECC) 2030, which covers a time horizon extending to 2030

 

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Major strategic objectives

  • – To contribute to decoupling economic development from resource consumption and emissions generation;
  • – To ensure effective transition towards a circular and digitised industrial and business fabric;
  • – To accelerate social, cultural, and labour transformation towards circularity;
  • – To facilitate the creation of a favourable framework for transition towards the circular economy.

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  • Operational objectives, defined based on the strategic objectives, among which are, for example, facilitating the closure of key resource flow cycles in the territory, promoting entrepreneurial initiatives and new circular business models, or enhancing the eco-design of products and services and conserving the value of resources by prioritising prevention, reuse, and remanufacturing strategies.

Additionally, the FRECC is specified in a set of triennial action plans, which define axes of action, lines of action, and a series of actions. For now, the action plan for the period 2024-2026 has been defined, which includes five axes, fifteen lines of action, and 84 specific actions. Once completed, a comprehensive evaluation will be conducted to review the strategic and operational objectives, monitor the implementation of the lines of action, and define the new action plan for the period 2027-2029.

Conclusions

Catalonia has a strategy to guide it in the transition towards a more circular economy, which must contribute to achieving the following strategic objectives by 2030: decoupling economic development from resource consumption and emissions generation; ensuring effective transition towards a circular and digitised industrial and business fabric; accelerating social, cultural, and labour transformation towards circularity; and facilitating the creation of a favourable framework for transition towards the circular economy.

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