This project, called “Analysis of new circular models around RCD and validation through a phase of on-site experimentation”, seeks to find innovative solutions, through circular business models, to achieve optimal levels of reuse and recycling of this waste.
Several key players in the ecosystem of the construction sector in Catalonia have participated, such as suppliers of materials and products, construction companies, knowledge and innovation centers, waste managers and the Administration. The ultimate goal: to be the stimulus for new circular initiatives.
Co-creation workshops
The initiative was implemented through the launch of two participatory workshops with key players in the sector, to develop new circular business models. Inèdit was responsible for designing and facilitating both workshops, which took place in February and April.
During the first workshop, participants analyzed the current state of the sector, reviewed good practices and identified possible new initiatives. In summary, these were some of the main reflections:
- Waste that is well segregated and characterized at source can be recovered more easily.
- It is necessary to identify the economic levers that drive the transformation of the industry and encourage demand for recovered materials.
- To implement circular initiatives in the sector, it is essential to know the ecosystem of actors and identify the agents in the value chain that are receptive and proactive in terms of circularity.
- There is a great lack of awareness and little monitoring of the sector’s legal obligations regarding circularity.
- For the sector to be more circular, the Administration must position itself as a facilitator of change.
As for the second workshop, it focused on the recycling potential of rock wool, laminated plaster and plastics. The use of these materials in the construction context remains very low: only 10% of plaster and 2% of rock wool are recycled. In contrast, materials such as concrete or metals exceed 70% recycling.
For this purpose, companies supplying rock wool, laminated plaster and plastics participated in the second workshop, with the aim of involving them in the reception of these materials once recovered. One of the key challenges of the project is to design a ‘take-back system’ that allows the suppliers themselves to collect these materials directly from the site.
The next step will be to design an experimentation phase, in which some of the circular business strategies or models that have been proposed and defined in the participatory workshops will be tested, validated and analyzed in real works.
This project is funded by the ACCIÓ IRC call for projects. It is also coordinated by CREC and, apart from inédit, has the participation of Eco Intelligent Growth, S.L. and the CGM – Environmental Management Center (CGM), as well as the collaboration of CELSA GROUP, ALIER, Blue Room Innovation and THEKER Robotics.
A real need for the sector
The construction sector is the one that generates the most waste: 40% of waste in Europe and 29.8% in Spain. In Catalonia, more than seven million tons of waste were generated in 2023. This includes materials such as concrete, bricks, plaster, wood, glass, metals, plastic, solvents, asbestos and excavated soil, and most of it ends up in landfills or is incinerated. Therefore, it is necessary to find innovative solutions to minimize and promote the reuse and recycling of construction and demolition waste.
