Thursday, January 9, 2025
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Recycling to build: the circular economy is revolutionizing building in Spain, with partnerships between firms from different sectors already in place that promise to recycle 1,000 tons of waste per year
By Tomás Muñoz M.
Although the construction sector is performing strongly in our country, it does face some challenges, challenges that require a genuine shift of model, with sustainability emerging as a particular standout. The law has concentrated its efforts here, and it is where the most promising synergies and alliances are being set up in order to achieve construction with a lower impact on the environment. Experts agree that the circular economy is the biggest challenge, as the incorporation of recycling into processes needs coordinated action from all the actors involved. At the same time, they also recognize that in some cases, the reduction in costs has a welcome impact on the income statement in the form of higher profitability.
As for the benchmark regulations - Law 7/2022 -, it sets up specific objectives for reuse, recycling and recovery of material for construction and demolition waste, which must reach 70% by weight. According to this law, non-hazardous waste must be sorted at the point of generation and in specific fractions, such as wood, minerals, metals, glass, plastic, and plaster, in order to promote the circular economy. It also marks the requirement to use digital books of materials in new projects, enabling their reuse and recycling.
Experts have no doubt whatsoever that these regulations “provide important benefits, such as environmental protection and waste segregation”. However, they express disappointment that the text is not more specific with the treatment of each material: “For example, residue such as plaster need separate treatment, as they cannot be mixed due to their unstable behavior when they come into contact with water”. This is explained by Jaime de Luis Rullán, IRP and Sustainability coordinator of the Saint-Gobain Weber company, which specializes in the manufacture of industrial mortars for building and which has a presence in 50 countries.
According to Rullán, the fact that the regulatory framework is “increasingly restrictive” is pushing companies “to correctly manage their waste”. How? "Distribution on site is now common, with different containers for each type of waste." Moreover, some advanced companies use presses to compact paper or eliminate excess EPS (expansion polystyrene), significantly reducing waste management costs. Despite these advancements, our country operates at “two distinct speeds: some residue like paper, glass, and metals benefit from well-established recycling systems, while others with significant recycling potential, such as EPS or glass fibers, have not been widely integrated into these systems yet due to a lack of valorization facilities,” he clarifies.
The expert is aware that for small companies, “these challenges are very complex”. And as a solution for the entire value chain to take part in the circular economy in building, he encourages them “to participate with the representative associations of the sector”. “The implementation of the circular economy is only possible if all stakeholders collaborate—he goes on—. The administration's role should be to facilitate the connection between the waste holder and the valorizer, ensuring a safe product that meets standards.” According to Rullán, “Law 7/2022 grants mechanisms which enable administrations to promote the circular economy, and it would be ideal for them to be used more frequently”.
How to recycle 1,000 tons of waste per year
Among the synergies that are taking place in our country, Saint-Gobain Weber is taking part in one of the most ambitious initiatives, aiming to recycle 1,000 tons of waste annually, partnering with Moeve. “Through this alliance, we make the most of the catalysts used in Moeve's energy parks once they have been depleted, using them as raw material in the production of mortars that we use to place and grout ceramics, coating and facade rehabilitation,” Rullán explains.
Moeve, for its part, confirms that this collaboration fully aligns with their strategy: “Our commitment to a sustainable consumption model and zero-waste approach drives partnerships in industrial symbiosis, such as our collaboration with Saint-Gobain Weber,” explains Mar Perrote, Director of Safety, Environment and Quality at Moeve. That way, “Through pioneering innovations and cutting-edge technical solutions, we are moving towards a more sustainable and resilient future, where the circular economy is an accelerator lever for the energy transition,” she emphasizes.
Indeed, this roadmap of the energy firm covers other fields of the circular economy. In fact, Perrote explains that “it is based on three fundamental pillars: reducing freshwater withdrawal in water-stressed areas, increasing the waste circularity in our industrial centers in Andalusia, and enriching biodiversity in the renewable projects that we develop”.
The Moeve and Saint-Gobain Weber project has been well received up to now, to the point of being recognized by the CEOE as good environmental practice. “It helps us to meet two of our aims for 2030: reducing virgin raw material consumption by 30% and reducing CO2 emissions by 20%,” Rullán emphasizes again, before adding that “collaboration with Moeve helps us to reduce approximately 775 tons of CO2 per year and decrease the carbon footprint of our products.”
But construction can focus on other vectors, as the expert admits. “We are being very active in terms of packaging and we have a pallet return system that enables us to reuse 72% of those we put on the market annually,” he explains. When it comes to construction bags, Saint-Gobain Weber takes part in the Construction Goes Circular initiative for the reuse of Kraft paper bags.
With these and other projects, the circular economy has evolved from a trend to becoming an essential pillar of construction. Law 7/2022 sets up a framework that not only promotes sustainability, but which also aims to boost the sector’s profitability. Challenges such as the lack of valorizers for materials such as EPS or fiberglass however highlight the need for greater effort, coordination and more alliances in order to build a more sustainable future.
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