The selected projects are led by entities from Navarre and will be developed in partnership with organizations from other European regions. Collectively, they will mobilize a budget of €6 million and have received €4,83 million in approved funding, of which €2,48 million corresponds to entities from Navarre.
A European call with a Navarrese accent
The first ECIV call for proposals had a total budget of €9,13 million and received 21 proposals from 117 European organizations. Organizations from Navarre were involved in 13 of these applications and secured four approvals, representing a success rate of approximately 31%.
The Minister of Industry and Ecological and Digital Business Transition, Mikel Irujo, emphasized the capacity of the Navarre ecosystem to build European consortia and transform innovation opportunities into funded projects. He explained that these initiatives allow progress towards a more competitive industry and strengthen strategic value chains.
Four initiatives to close production cycles
The projects address challenges such as the valorization of agri-food resources , circular water management, packaging circularity, materials and waste recovery, and the bioeconomy. All will have a maximum duration of two and a half years, with completion planned for December 2028.
- C2BIOTICSThe project, coordinated by the CENER Foundation, will transform secondary agri-food streams into high-value-added biotic ingredients. It has a budget of €1,67 million and €1,48 million in approved funding, and brings together entities from Navarre, France, and the Netherlands.
- HYDROSTARCHThe project, led by URTECH WATER (URAPHEX), will seek to regenerate process water and recover starch in the agri-food industry. It has a budget of €1,01 million and €649.991 in funding, with partners from the Netherlands and France.
- TASTEThe project, coordinated by the CNTA, will develop traceability and recycling systems for safe food packaging. Its budget is €1,52 million, with €1,35 million in funding, and Navarre, Sweden, and the Netherlands are participating.
- REVALUEThe project, coordinated by the Koine Aequalitas Foundation, will focus on the reuse, repair, and recovery of electrical and electronic waste and plastics through digital traceability. It has a budget of €1,86 million and €1,35 million in funding, and is a joint initiative with France and Scotland.
Water, tourism, and financing as open fronts
Circularity is not limited to waste. Several Spanish projects are working on recovering raw materials from wastewater and using streams such as desalination brine to obtain valuable products, demonstrating that the water cycle can also be closed.
In tourism, the management of water, energy, food, materials, and waste determines the sustainability of destinations. The experience gained with circular economy hubs to transform the tourism model and businesses suggests that collaboration between government agencies and SMEs is essential for circularity to move from a statement of intent to a reality.
Financing emerges as another key element. Experts and financial institutions agree that a more efficient and circular business can reduce costs and risks , although many SMEs are still unaware of the opportunities or don't know how to turn their investment needs into bankable projects.
Bio-waste and fertilizers: restoring value to the soil
Organic matter represents a very significant portion of household waste. Its separate collection allows for the production of high-quality compost and reduces the volume that ends up in landfills, an improvement already being seen in regions like Galicia, where 295 municipalities have specific systems for bio-waste.
Alongside the brown bin, home and community composting is gaining ground. More than 23.000 composters have been distributed, and organic waste collection in the brown bin increased by 282% in the last year, exceeding 3.000 tons delivered to treatment plants.
In the industrial sector, the valorization of agricultural and livestock waste within the circular economy is also progressing. In Navarre, TIMAC AGRO has inaugurated biotechnology and circular economy units to produce sustainable fertilizers from bird feathers and other bio-waste , with the capacity to generate up to 6.000 tons of organic liquid nitrogen fertilizer annually.
Measuring, governing, and scaling circularity
One of the main challenges is measurement. Although international and European frameworks exist, a common sectoral circular economy indicator set for destinations and businesses has not yet been established. Without comparable data, circularity risks becoming just a label with no real impact.
Digitalization can help monitor consumption, waste, and demand patterns. Smart platforms and artificial intelligence allow us to anticipate needs and adjust processes, but experts remind us that technology does not replace governance and transparency.
The second ECIV call for proposals is scheduled for November with an approximate budget of €10 million. A funding line for experimental projects is also being prepared, geared towards more exploratory and early-stage initiatives.
The advancement of the circular economy in Spain combines European projects, funding, water and bio-waste management, industrial innovation, and everyday changes. Navarre, with four funded initiatives, stands out as an example of how competitiveness and ecological transition can go hand in hand, although the challenge remains in measuring results, involving SMEs, and extending solutions beyond pilot projects.
