CESAM
What is CESAM?
This is the acronym for the Circular Economy and Sustainable Solutions for Agri-Food in the Mediterranean project , which brings together nine partners from the European regions of Occitania, Catalonia, and the Balearic Islands to provide solutions to the agri-food sector focused on the Circular Economy and sustainability.
The three regions involved form a logical area of cooperation with similar goals and priorities. The partners seek to lay the foundation for long-term cooperation in their respective value chains.
The CESAM project focuses on four types of sustainable and circular economy solutions:
1. Treatment and recycling of industrial water / concerted use of water
2. Packaging: eco-design / plastic-free, new materials or circular solutions
3. Process optimization and circular processes: waste reduction
4. Recovery of by-products.
Poster of CESAM
Who makes up the CESAM project?
The project will be coordinated by Eurorregió , the European territorial cooperation grouping for the Pyrenees-Mediterranean region. Of the nine partners, four are institutional partners and five are SMEs.
Institutional partners (regional development agencies or clusters):
ASOI – Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation Association (Occitania)
ACCIÓ – Agency for Business Competitiveness (Catalonia)
FundacióBit – Fundació Balear d’Innovació i Tecnologia (Balearic Islands)
Finally, five SMEs from the three regions are participating, presenting specific investment needs to scale their innovative solutions:
NewTimes (Occitantia)
Asclepios Tech (Occitania)
Terracor (Balearic Islands)
Derypol (Catalonia)
Go Zero Waste (Catalonia)
Associate partner
Occitania Economic Development Agency (Occitania)
Map of the organizations involved
Go Zero Waste within the CESAM project
Go Zero Waste is participating in the CESAM project as one of five SMEs with the development of our Paasiot (Packaging as a Service IoT) reusable container dispenser .
The Paasiot system offers users access to reusable, clean, and adaptable containers for a variety of purposes. This smart cabinet is connected to an app that tracks the circulation of containers throughout the entire cycle: from delivery points to washing centers and their subsequent return, ensuring hygienic safety throughout the entire process.
Paasiot’s main objective is to promote reusable systems while ensuring convenience and safety for both end users and businesses as a sustainable alternative to single-use items.
Image showing the first prototype of PaaSiot
How does the Paasiot system work?
The dispenser can be placed in settings such as restaurants, cafes, shopping malls , and other spaces in the hospitality and catering industry to help businesses and users reduce waste.
Users can access clean, reusable containers with a simple login using their phones or personal card and return used containers after use.
Paasiot within the CESAM project
Within the framework of the CESAM project, Go Zero Waste is working to improve and industrialize the entire Paasiot system (including the IT platform and container dispensers) as well as its implementation in real-world environments. The roadmap includes:
- Improved functionality and scalability of the computing platform and container dispensers.
- Integration of key enabling technologies, such as advanced manufacturing, security, and connectivity, to optimize system performance.
- Implementation of the Paasiot system in various contexts to validate its effectiveness and adaptability.
Through this project, Go Zero Waste pursues the following objectives :
- Promote the widespread use of reusable packaging in a variety of contexts, helping to reduce single-use waste and carbon emissions associated with packaging.
- Improve resource efficiency through longer and more efficient lifespan.
- Facilitate the creation of green jobs.
- Promote sustainable consumption practices by providing convenient access to reusable products.
Financing
CESAM is a program co-financed (70%) by the European Union through the ERDF Interregional Innovation Investment Facility (I3) program, with a total budget of €3,022,935.
Each partner will contribute their own funds representing 30% of the total eligible expenses.
The project duration is 36 months, from September 2023 to August 31, 2026.
Call for tender
Within the framework of the CESAM project , Go Zero Waste invited qualified and experienced applicants (companies, public or private institutions, individuals, etc.) to submit proposals to help us develop our work within CESAM. We are looking for innovative solutions and reliable expertise to deliver outstanding results in both software and hardware. Total available budget: €30,000.00 for software proposals and €20,000.00 for hardware proposals. Application deadline: April 22nd, 5:00 PM CET.
Interested parties should send their proposals to info@gozerowaste.es . More information can be found in the applicant guide:
Software:
Software tender application form
Hardware:
Start of subcontracting
After evaluating the proposals received, the Go Zero Waste team selected the following companies for the development of the Hardware and Software:
Hardware: Lúcid , an agency that combines research and strategy, industrial design and digital design to generate positive impact experiences.
Software: Sparsity , a technology company, emerged from the DAMA-UPC (Polytechnic University of Catalonia) research group, with experience in data management and advanced algorithmic design.
Within the framework of the CESAM project, Go Zero Waste is working to improve and industrialize the entire Paasiot system (including the IT platform and container dispensers) as well as its implementation in real-world environments. The roadmap includes:
- Improved functionality and scalability of the computing platform and container dispensers.
- Integration of key enabling technologies, such as advanced manufacturing, security, and connectivity, to optimize system performance.
- Implementation of the Paasiot system in various contexts to validate its effectiveness and adaptability.
Through this project, Go Zero Waste pursues the following objectives :
- Promote the widespread use of reusable packaging in a variety of contexts, helping to reduce single-use waste and carbon emissions associated with packaging.
- Improve resource efficiency through longer and more efficient lifespan.
- Facilitate the creation of green jobs.
- Promote sustainable consumption practices by providing convenient access to reusable products.
Cascade Funding
Once we have the new PaaSiot model under construction, the CESAM team launched Cascade Funding, where Go Zero Waste is looking for two SMEs to conduct two pilot tests:
1.- Restaurant : with a budget of €20,000 to conduct the pilot test. More details can be found at the following link.
2.- HoReCa : with a budget of €20,000 to conduct a pilot test. More details can be found at the following link.
We trust that in the coming months we will be able to find the perfect partner to continue with our project and achieve the maximum environmental, social, and economic impact.
Pilots
Bodega La Peninsular (HORECA pilot)
Bodega La Peninsular, a tavern in Barceloneta and a member of the Sustainable Restaurants Foundation, piloted PaaSIoT as a reusable container service. Customers could use it for takeaway orders, and diners could also take their leftovers home in a reusable container, which tackled single-use packaging and food waste at the same time.
Beyond the service itself, the pilot’s greatest value has been opening doors to the wider hospitality and market ecosystem. The restaurant’s founder, Sergio Gil, who also chairs the Sustainable Restaurants Foundation, acted as a bridge to institutional stakeholders and organised meetings to present the project. As a result, representatives of Barcelona City Council and the Municipal Markets Institute (Mercats de Barcelona) visited the restaurant to see the return station in operation. That visit confirmed the solution’s relevance for the city’s hospitality and market network, and the interest is already turning into next steps, with deployments lined up at Mercat de Cardedeu and in Barcelona’s municipal markets.
The pilot also reached a general audience. The La Peninsular team presented the service on the evening news of Betevé, Barcelona’s public television channel.
Image of the interview
Foodcoop BCN (retail pilot)
Foodcoop BCN, a cooperative and participatory supermarket in Barcelona, hosted the retail version of the pilot. It brought together the IoT return station, QR and blockchain traceability, and the gamified app with EcoTokens, and it showed that the full end-to-end system works in a real retail environment.
The supermarket has since become a live showcase for the solution. Inèdit, the sustainability innovation consultancy, visited to see the service in action. AguaKM0, Recircular and Singulars have also shown interest in the technology. Building on this, Go Zero Waste is inviting major Catalan supermarket chains to experience the system first-hand, using the pilot as a key business development lever.
Two Testers
Commercial interest and media impact across both pilots
Taken together, the two pilots have generated a solid commercial pipeline. Six companies have expressed interest in adopting the solution, and an NDA has been signed with ITC Packaging. The goal for the operational phase is to turn these leads into the first revenue-sharing contracts.
Media coverage has been strong and varied. The project was featured in environmental and waste trade media (Industria Ambiente, Residuos Profesional), in business and startup outlets (Crónica Global from El Español, Ecosistema Startup), in the gastronomy press (Información Gastronómica) and internationally in SmartCitiesWorld. This mix put PaaSIoT in front of both the hospitality and retail sectors, as well as public administrations. Martí Morató also pitched the project at Alimentaria, Gastronomic Forum Barcelona and Smart City Expo, which strengthened its visibility within Barcelona’s circular economy ecosystem.
Share
News related
Activity ideas for World Environment Day
World Environment Day is held every 5 June. Here are nine activity ideas —beach clean-ups, swap markets and sustainability training— to help companies, schools and local councils move from awareness to measurable action.
VSME: what it is and how to implement it
Blog 07/21/2026 Magda Cebrián Sustainability is no longer the sole domain of large corporations. With new reporting requirements coming into effect, SMEs are facing increasing pressure from banks, investors, and large clients demanding reliable ESG data. This is where the VSME (Voluntary ESRS for SMEs) standard comes in , a strategic tool designed to simplify…
Five most in-demand sustainability and environmental training topics for companies
Blog 07/14/2026 Magda Cebrián Sustainability and environmental training has gone from being an optional extra to a strategic necessity. European regulatory pressure, demands from clients and investors, and the growing commitment of teams themselves mean that more and more organizations are seeking training programs that go beyond theory and generate real, day-to-day changes.…
Compartir
Magda Cebrián
Environmental consultant and impact entrepreneur, based in Barcelona and specializing in sustainability, zero waste and circular economy.
- Corporate sustainability
- Circular economy
- Environmental education
- Zero waste projects
- ESG & CSRD Reports