Thursday, June 19, 2025
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The circular economy offers an alternative to the linear “take-make-waste” model by maximizing the value of products and materials while minimizing waste generation, making economic systems more efficient and sustainable. But where does Spain stand when it comes to adopting this model?
According to the 2030 Spanish Circular Economy Strategy by MITECO, our economy is still largely linear. This has real consequences for the resources we use, as we currently need more than two and a half times the land area we actually have to support our economy.
The main challenges to implementing the circular economy in our country are:
- Implementation costs: Switching to circular models can sometimes incur additional expenses for companies. This can be especially difficult for SMEs, which make up the majority of our business landscape.
- Regulatory tsunami: The EU has steadily raised the bar with stricter waste regulations. This means companies must constantly adapt to new rules and put in more effort to meet the standards.
- Lack of harmonization: Current national regulations haven’t yet caught up with the new technologies driving the circular economy, creating uncertainty about how to adopt them. Plus, differing rules across autonomous communities make it harder to get projects off the ground.
- Technological challenge: Boosting circularity requires new infrastructure, facilities, and technology, so it's critically important to ensure funding for R&D&I, as well as encouraging stronger public-private collaboration on innovative projects.
But what opportunities does this new model offer?:
- Private sector momentum: 80% of Spanish executives see the circular economy as key to future business competitiveness. They believe it drives innovation and opens the door to new business opportunities.
- Job creation: From 2012 to 2018, the circular economy generated 4 million jobs throughout the EU. By 2030, over 700,000 new jobs are expected, with around 10% of those in Spain, including in rural areas.
- Political will: The 2030 Circular Economy Strategy demonstrates strong political commitment by setting clear goals to reduce resource use, cut waste, and increase recycling.
Waste availability: Sectors like agriculture and livestock produce large amounts of waste, and Spain already has many facilities to reuse it, such as biorefineries and waste treatment plants.
What are Spain's objectives for 2030?
Amid these developments, Spain has set targets for 2030 related to waste generation, material consumption, and water use efficiency:
Circular economy in the national business sector
To understand how the Spanish business sector views the circular economy, Moeve conducted a survey of executives at an event hosted by Capital Radio.
The study looked at why companies are adopting circular economy practices and the main areas where they’re focusing on:
According to the report, 54% of respondents believe their company has embraced circular economy principles “a lot” or “quite a bit.” Meanwhile, 52% identified industry or energy as sectors with the greatest potential for circular economy growth, and 62% highlighted biomethane and 2G biofuels as key drivers of the circular economy in the energy sector.
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