2023 Year in Review
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Educate
Over the past 12 months, we’ve continued our outreach efforts to raise awareness about Zero Waste, the Circular Economy, and responsible consumption , with talks, workshops, and educational activities for all audiences, led by our co-founder and communications manager, Magda Cebrián.
In the business world , we highlight the in-person talks at Extia’s headquarters in Barcelona and the exhibition “The Circular Path of Plastics” that we created for Allianz’s offices in Madrid
and Barcelona during its EcoWeek.
We’ve also worked with several educational centers, such as the Don Bosco School in Errentería (Gipuzkoa) and the French Lycée in Barcelona, to share tips and examples for a more sustainable life with young people. In August, we had a visit from a group of Japanese students from Ritsumeikan University, who gave them a firsthand look at the reality of waste management in our city and the Zero Waste initiatives that exist in our immediate surroundings.
At the municipal level, we have carried out a dozen in-person activities in various Catalan towns as part of our “Move for Zero!” campaigns with local councils . These include several community cleanups of natural environments, a leftover cooking workshop in Manlleu, and an exchange market with all the primary school students in Les Cabanyes.
Finally, we have held two talks on entrepreneurship with Imagine Creativity Center and the Faculty of Economics and Business of the UAB, following our desire to promote and support entrepreneurial ideas that seek to create a positive impact from companies for society and the planet .
Ease
At Go Zero Waste, we have always aimed to support those who want to take action to prevent and reduce waste, facilitating a path often fraught with doubts and barriers to overcome.
For this reason, in 2023 we have continued to support our challenge campaigns called ‘Move for Zero!’ with city councils ( Manlleu , Blanes and Les Cabanyes ), companies and organisations ( Findasense , Secartys , Talent Garden ) and educational centres (University of Turin, Leioa School of Hospitality).
On the other hand, we have forged a new strategic alliance with the consulting firm We Go Zero to present Zero Waste 365™ for companies, a complete package of services to integrate Zero Waste into an organization’s strategy.
From data collection, through the identification and implementation of solutions, to the involvement of all employees, we have developed a comprehensive proposal to support companies on this journey.
This new solution allows committed companies to measurably contribute to their progress toward zero waste by bringing the entire team together in the process.
Innovate
In the field of innovation, we have entered a new phase of development for our PaasIoT prototype , a reusable container dispenser created with the aim of promoting reuse in environments such as markets and cafes. In October, we installed a model at the Basque Culinary Center in San Sebastián as part of a project with the Provincial Council of Guipúzcoa.
That same month, we also began our first participation in a European project . CESAM , the Circular Economy for Sustainable Agriculture in the Mediterranean , brings together various regional companies and organizations from Catalonia, Occitania, and the Balearic Islands.
Advances in the world of Zero Waste
The global context leaves us with a bittersweet feeling, somewhere between frustration and hope. 2023 was the year of the launch of the UN plastics treaty and the COP28 summit , which sought to herald the beginning of the end of fossil fuels, clashing with the interests of the oil sector, widely represented by the host country, the United Arab Emirates. We have also closely followed the evolution of the new European packaging regulations (PPWR), the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation , which has highlighted the actions of consumer industry lobbies to halt or dilute its most ambitious measures. In Spain, the implementation of several laws should allow progress towards zero waste thanks to the involvement of many stakeholders:
Law 7/2022, of April 8, on waste and contaminated soil for a circular economy.
Royal Decree 1055/2022, of December 27, on packaging and packaging waste.
The Food Loss and Waste Prevention Bill.
Now there’s a long way to go to ensure compliance with the legislation without abandoning measures that can truly contribute to progress in waste reduction and prevention. We highlight the initiative to promote compliance with the Waste Law, promoted by Retorna with the support of more than a hundred organizations throughout the country, including Go Zero Waste.
Finally, we were inspired by the example of the French city of Roubaix and its efforts to implement zero-waste policies, or the progress made in the certification for zero-waste cities promoted by Zero Waste Europe , for which our city, Barcelona, is a proud candidate .
We bid farewell to the year, aware that much remains to be done and determined to continue being part of a change that does not lose sight of waste prevention and the advancement of reuse to create a fairer economy that fits within the limits of the planet and makes responsible use of resources. We continue.
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