The Foix thermal plant in Barcelona is a perfect example of Endesa’s understanding of what the circular economy means. Work started in March 2017 to gradually and safely dismantle and demolish the former plant in an orderly manner. This work generated a plethora of resources and materials that could have a second life. Models, lab resources and books, among others, were donated to several public and cultural institutions including the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), two schools in Cubelles where the plant is located, and the town council there.
A very specific example of the social aspect of the circular economy: optimising resource performance, reusing instead of throwing away. There are many examples, such as restoration of the natural environment at the former As Pontes mine in A Coruña where we have successfully applied another of the principles of this new economic model: protecting and enhancing natural capital.
For some time now, Endesa has been committed to a model founded on the efficient use of resources, in which products and materials are kept in the economy for as long as possible and waste is minimised. This is a pledge we have strengthened by joining the Circular Economy Pact established by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Environment Ministry, and the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness.
This pact is part of the European strategy to drive this change in business model, as set out in the European Commission’s Circular Economy Action Plan. The Spanish government is following this strategy to foster collaboration between the public and private sectors and coordinate economic and social agents.
The objective of the Circular Economy Pact is to work together towards the same goal: replacing a linear economy based on extraction, production, use and disposal for a circular economy built on the premise of reducing, reusing and recycling materials to reincorporate them in the production process, cutting and even eliminating the production of waste.
We are aware of the importance of our role, and that of society as a whole, in tackling the environmental, economic and technological challenges of a model that often rewards growth, without taking future consequences into account. We live on a planet with limited resources, which we must all work to save and protect.