Recapping the first ever Cantabrian Festival of Circular Economy and Bioeconomy

During the week of November 28 to December 2, Santander hosted the 1st Cantabrian Festival of the Circular Economy and Bioeconomy, organized by EIT Climate-KIC, sponsored by the Government of Cantabria, through the Ministry of Rural Development, Livestock , Fisheries, Food and Environment, and the collaboration of the Society for the Regional Development of Cantabria (SODERCAN), dependent on the Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Innovation, Transport and Commerce, the Chamber of Commerce of Cantabria and the Santander International Center of Entrepreneurship (CISE).

The Festival was carried out with the purpose of disseminating and promoting the creation of circular communities, with a focus on the areas of entrepreneurship, innovation and citizen activation at the local level. To this end, joint activities were carried out every weekday, both at the Cantabria Chamber of Commerce and at the historic Palacio de la Magdalena, in Santander, Spain.

The first three days of the festival (November 28 and 30) the various sessions of the circular economy training course were held. During the first session, the concept of systems thinking was explored and it was learned that today’s economy is less than 9% circular, which means that there is still a world of opportunities to be developed. On the other hand, the “circularity compass” was presented and the participants had the opportunity to apply this tool to real problems.

The second day of training continued with the study of tools focused on the identification of waste, including those that are hidden. In addition, strategies for capturing value through the process and the product, the business model and the redesign of the paradigm were explored, following a systemic approach. The third, and last day of the circular economy course, closed with the presentation of circular solutions to problems that result from the traditional linear economy, presented by the participants. These solutions took into account the identification of actors, as well as their needs, during the life cycle of the solution, in addition to the interest groups that contribute to the execution of the actions to be taken.

Thursday, December 1, began with a presentation by Totti Könnölä, CEO of the sustainability and innovation consultancies Luonto SL and Insight Foresight Institute, and Professor of Strategic Foresight, Innovation and Circular Economy at the University of Alcalá, who spoke about “Circular economy and digitization in cities and regions”. During this conference, various cases of eco-innovation, digitization and roadmaps, aimed at the circular economy, were explored.

In addition, on the same day, the 2nd workshop of the Public Policy Laboratory was held, which focused on addressing the pillars for the construction of a Circular Policy Laboratory.

The last day of the Festival was full of different activities, which included a welcome message from Mr. Juan Guillermo Blanco Gómez, delegate of the Government of Cantabria for the Ministry of Rural Development, Livestock, Fisheries, Food and the Environment of Cantabria. Likewise, diplomas were delivered to the first graduates of the circular economy course, which included participants from the Government of Cantabria, the Cabezón de la Sal City Council, the University of Cantabria, Public and Private Companies, as well as students. On behalf of EIT Climate-KIC, the research director, Dr. Fernando Diaz López, shared the firm intention to continue collaborating in the implementation of a Cantabrian circular economy model, that faces the challenges of also incorporating climate resilience and systemic transformation through more radical and relevant social and environmental innovation. For his part, the director of the Chamber of Commerce of Cantabria, Mr. Jesús Tortosa del Valle, expressed the opportunity for the Cantabria region to continue working with such an emblematic entity as EIT Climate-KIC, in addition to recalling that the Strategic collaboration agreement between these entities has resulted in the installation of an antenna office of said entity since 2019, with which this Circular Economy festival is one of the most significant milestones.

The day continued with the last session of the Public Policy Laboratory workshop and closed with the first Climathon-Santander, a workshop to develop entrepreneurial ideas based on circular solutions and move towards the goal of zero emissions based on the imagination of citizens. . In the first part of the Climathon activity, Emily Amann, manager and designer of entrepreneurship programs at EIT Climate-KIC, presented the methodology for developing ideas taking into account a systemic perspective. Additionally, the executive director of the Santander International Center for Entrepreneurship CISE, Manuel Redondo García, presented the findings on challenges in Circular Economy in the context of RIS3, to share more about the context and status of the Circular Economy in the region.

During the second part of the Climathon, we worked with the participant Jessica Rivero, a young Cantabrian entrepreneur, who has the vision of creating a service business through circular shared flats (apartments), for young students and professionals. Her business model is based on promoting changes in consumption habits, aimed at low-carbon lifestyles through a home equipped with circular products, and incorporating payment-for-service models, instead of individual purchase and use. .

The Cantabrian Festival of the Circular Economy and Bioeconomy has demonstrated the region’s desire to work for the need to transform towards a sustainable model that brings together actors at all levels to support the development of the regional strategy.