On 8 November, an audience of more than 150 people witnessed a ceremony that underscored how the circular economy has moved from a trend into a practical, everyday approach. The fifth edition of the BASF Circular Economy Awards in Madrid celebrated projects and research that either contribute to or show potential for boosting business competitiveness in Spain, with a strong emphasis on environmental and social sustainability throughout development.
There is clear evidence of momentum behind these ideas. With 100 applications received, submissions highlighted initiatives that center on circular economy principles and demonstrate real potential to benefit industries and communities alike.
Premiere
The awards kicked off with Xavier Ribera serving as host. BASF’s Director of Communications, Corporate Affairs and Sustainability emphasized the event’s mission to inspire ongoing innovation. Juan Alfaro, the Secretary General of the Sustainability Excellence Club, described the awards as a model for Spanish companies aiming to adopt these practices, noting that the circular economy acts as a generator of competitive advantages.
Marta Gomez Palenque, Director General of Quality and Environmental Assessment at the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenges, remarked that the awards are a benchmark because they bring together leaders who are guiding the transition. She highlighted how circular economy poses a significant challenge to business structures, asserting that companies are the primary architects of change.
Awards
The ceremony began with a lively dialogue on circular economy between Carles Navarro, General Manager of BASF in Spain, and Arturo Larena, Environmental Director at EFE Agency, followed by a video tribute to prior winners. The second prize in the Public Administration category went to Gavà City Council for the Gavà Circular project. This initiative rests on three pillars: installing a non-potable, smart groundwater recharge point for irrigation and street cleaning, calculating the terrestrial water footprint, and creating an urban garden to promote water reuse in municipal farming. The town’s mayor, Gemma Badía, accepted the award.
The Barcelona Free Trade Zone Consortium earned recognition in the Public Administration category for the EcoCircular ZF project, which aims to foster synergies that make industrial areas more sustainable and efficient.
Antolín and Volvo Cars were acknowledged in the Big Company category; their roofs, composed entirely of urban waste, highlighted the message that sustainability endures beyond trends and that there are more sustainable ways to operate.
Jose Maria Cancer, General Manager of CESVIMAP, received the sustainability award for the Second Live project. The initiative focuses on repairing rather than replacing and, when repair is not possible, repurposing damaged vehicle batteries into energy storage units.
The Start prize went to Birziplastik, a company leading by example in circular economy through a process that recycles wind turbine blades (fiberglass) into new uses.
The Castilla-La Mancha Minister of Sustainable Development, Mercedes Gomez, won the Academic World category for the Super Circles project, which promotes waste prevention, reuse, recycling, and efficient resource use in early childhood and primary education centers. Speaking to Prensa Ibérica after the event, the consultant stressed the importance of empowering new generations to see recycling as a path to improving the natural environment and to reimagining products with new lives.
Other news noted the close of the V Edition of the BASF Circular Economy Awards in the category disclosure, recognizing a dissemination project in universities. Women’s Action Sustainability and the RETEMA magazine were highlighted for informing and advocating waste management, water sustainability, and circular economy for more than three decades.
María Jesús Romero de Avila, Director General of Economy for the Madrid City Council, closed the event by outlining the council’s ongoing circular economy initiatives and inviting participants to explore the Circular Economy Innovation Center (CIEC) in Madrid.
Dialogues with conscience
The discussions on the circular economy featured Carles Navarro and Arturo Larena offering distinct perspectives. For Larena, environmental journalism remains a front-line informant and a reminder of science as a basis for understanding, along with ongoing R&D and corporate development. Navarro expresses cautious optimism, noting that the chemical industry can be part of the problem but also a crucial part of the solution. His closing message was hopeful: there are more things to save than what has been lost.