This 2024 has brought us the creation of the CRECEMOS association to promote the circular economy. This is an action that will try to promote new value chains in terms of reusing waste, encourage the development of new technologies to improve the usefulness of waste, new markets...
But What is the CRECEMOS association? Who makes it up? Why is this partnership important? We tell you everything below.
What is the CRECEMOS association to promote the circular economy
The CRECEMOS association to promote the circular economy was born in 2024. It is a collaboration between several companies, many of them well-known, that have signed in Madrid to be partners of this association with the main objective of promoting the circular economy in Spain and use renewable fuels.
As it appears on their website:
«The Association of Renewable Fuels, Circular Economy and Sustainable Mobility (CRECEMOS) was born with the purpose of promoting the principles of the circular economy, aligned with the use of renewable fuels, to address the current challenges of the energy sector, industry and transport ».
Which companies are part of the CRECEMOS association
The CRECEMOS association to promote the circular economy has, for now, 20 companies among its partners (although the logos that currently exist are only 19, and not 20 as stated on its website, so we do not know who the partner will be. number 20). These are: Acteco, Grupo Corral, Logista, Repsol, Sesé, Técnicas Reunidas, Vertex, Airbus, Alsa, Young Farmers Agrarian Association, Enso, Fertinagro, Lipsa, Mercadona, Oleofat, Scania, Saica, Toyota and Wärtsilá.
In fact, when the news broke to the media, the association had 18 members, but they have included some more. And it will surely be open to all companies that want to join this action (they just have to write to the association). Right now all the companies are a representation of leading entities in energy, primary sector, raw materials, retail, transportation and industry.
What are the objectives of the association
Visiting their website we see that they have posted a series of objectives that all their members must meet to help achieve climate neutrality in 2050. Among these objectives are:
- Promote the circular economy. To do this, they must create new value chains related to the reuse of waste. They will also have to develop new technology that helps give more value to waste. Finally, they undertake not to deposit waste in landfills or incinerators.
- Create new markets. In this case with more sustainable products. In this regard, the focus has been on using renewable fuels with the aim of reducing transport emissions, especially by plane, ship or heavy transport. The goal here is decarbonization.
Why do they give so much importance to the circular economy?
The circular economy is a topic that we have talked about on another occasion. It is a production and consumption model in which an attempt is made to reuse and recycle materials and products as much as possible to avoid excessive consumerism. In exchange, what is done is to improve reuse, recycling and more responsible consumption.
Los most important principles of the circular economy are the following:
- Eliminate waste and pollution to achieve a better, healthier planet.
- Circulate products and materials.
- Regenerate the environment. And with it nature itself.
«At CRECEMOS we promote a change in mobility based on the principles of the circular economy through the valorization of waste and biomass, such as used oil, agri-food waste and forest remains, for reuse in advanced renewable or low-emission fuels. ][…] We work tirelessly to position circular products as a tangible and immediate alternative for the decarbonization of the economy.
The presence in CRECEMOS of all the key links in the circular economy represents a clear commitment of the association with a real change in the production model.
We could say that it would be move from the current economic model, in which its objective is to produce, use and throw away; to one in which everything is based on reduce, reuse and recycle. Combining it with the other model, it would be something like produce, reduce, use, reuse, recycle (instead of throwing away).
«This new model also represents an opportunity to generate a greater industrial fabric, based on the strengths that this sector has demonstrated by initiating an unprecedented transformation. Likewise, the circular economy could increase Spain's energy independence and would allow it to exert a driving effect on employment in rural areas.
The functioning of the circular economy helps us understand that waste can be, in turn, resources. That is, those that are biodegradable should return to nature, and those that are not, used again for new products.
By keeping in mind, a second use is given to those products that no longer serve their main purpose, but that can be used for other things. Once they can't take it anymore, their parts or waste are reused for new products. If it can be recycled, it will be done to give a second or third life to these, while those that cannot are recycled and valued.
Benefits of the circular economy
Based on all of the above, there is no doubt that the circular economy offers a series of significant benefits such as:
- Waste reduction where we will try to reuse, repair and recycle all products and materials to avoid throwing away so much.
- Conservation of resources. In the sense that, if waste is reused, it will not be necessary to extract natural resources and, with this, we allow the planet to regenerate.
- Less environmental impact. Related to the above, by not extracting raw materials and regenerating waste, there will be less pollution of the air, soil and water.
- Promotion of innovation. Both in product design and technologies, development of mechanisms or models...
- Cost savings. Because the reuse of materials and the intelligent use of resources can lead to lower costs in production or manufacturing.
What do you think of the CRECEMOS association to promote the circular economy?