LIFE REFIBRE project seeks a joint strategy of all its agents on Ecodesign and Circular Economy.

The need to think about the environment and the people within Construction and Industry are some of the conclusions of the second workshop ‘From waste to resource’.

LIFE REFIBRE project has held a new workshop with the intention of seeking a joint strategy that helps Construction and Industry use Ecodesign and Circular Economy for the continuous improvement of society, health and the environment.

Under the title ‘From waste to resource’ experts met who presented their vision, making different presentations throughout the morning. Jesús Díez, Program Director of the FPNCyL began, explaining the new Regional Circular Economy Strategy of Castilla y León 2020-2030, which is currently in public information so that any citizen can contribute their opinions to the economic model. He stressed that the action plan favors the analysis of the life cycle of the products and their eco-design, betting on their reuse and repair, and only at the end, their recycling.

Then, Delfín García, Incosa technician, partner of the project, shared with the attendees the project that gives name to the conference, highlighting the technical part that has been implemented throughout these years of the project. The objective of the LIFE REFIBRE project is based on the integrated management of plastic waste reinforced with fiberglass (GRP) that make up the blades of wind turbines once their useful life has ended. LIFE REFRIBRE promotes the complete and high-quality recyclability of its main compound, fiberglass (64% total by weight), favoring the recovery of these wastes in favor of a reduction in their presence in landfills and providing them with a second cycle of life for a high added value application: its incorporation into asphalt agglomerate.

This first part of the workshop was also attended by Luis Palenzuela, Project manager at Tecnalia and Alberto Moral Quiza, Director of Management of the Agri-Food and Processes Division of Cartif, who presented the vision of the technology centers and of two European projects linked to recycling and reuse: an H2020 FiberEUse and a LIFE BattleCO2, respectively.

In the second part of the workshop we had experts from different sectors at a round table in which the challenges and barriers in waste management were addressed. Luis Miguel Beltrán, Manager of GRSoria; Felipe Romero, Technical Director of the Castilla y León Construction Institute and partner of the project; Esaú Escolar, Delegate of Castilla y León of the Spanish Association of Forestry and Environmental Agents and Jesús García Granda, member of the Governing Board of the College of Civil Engineers, Channels and Ports, provided their point of view and together they gave the audience reflections key. They explained that transversal communication between the different agents is essential to achieve the success of the project and to be able to obtain an improvement in the environment thanks to eco-design, reuse and correct waste management, since these will be the obstacles to overcome in our next future.

To end the morning, the CEO of Incosa, Javier Cid, shared the vision of the circular economy from the SDGs, through the importance of its incorporation in companies, being able to obtain profitability with a strategy based on: understanding them, prioritizing , commit, act and communicate.

In the following link, through the project’s youtube channel, it can be seen a summary of the workshop.