Today, the public company attached to the Basque Government's Department of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability, Ihobe, has presented the most important data on its activity in 2024 in its Corporate Report, which sets out all the initiatives and actions carried out to promote climate action, the circular economy, local sustainability, environmental education, eco-innovation and soil protection.

2024 was an important year for Ihobe and for the Basque Country as a whole. The approval of the Basque Law on Energy Transition and Climate Change reinforces the commitment to climate neutrality and a just transition by 2050, and positions the region as a driver of change, accelerating mitigation policies, regional adaptation to climate impact and social equity that will ensure that no one is left behind.

In 2024 Ihobe promoted more than 12,000 actions with companies and more than 3,000 activities with municipalities and public entities to mobilise them in relation to the circular economy, climate change or contaminated soils

2024 also placed the Basque Country at the forefront of Europe with the publication of the new List of Clean Technologies, a key fiscal instrument to boost the energy transition and the circular economy, which enables companies to deduct 30% of the cost of investment in sustainable technologies, becoming a key tool to accelerate the decarbonisation of the Basque economy. All of this has been possible thanks to the joint work between the Ihobe, Spri and EVE public entities, with the involvement of financial institutions, technology providers, tax consultancies, business associations and companies themselves.

2024 in Figures

Ihobe's corporate memory is a reflection of its important role in building a sustainable future, inspiring and mobilising companies, local entities and Basque society in general. In 2024 alone, Ihobe promoted more than 12,000 actions with companies and more than 3,000 activities with municipalities and public entities, in order to mobilise them in relation to the circular economy, climate change or contaminated soils, in most cases through the Basque network of sustainable municipalities Udalsarea 2030.

In 2024, 80 waste collection and cleaning actions were carried out as part of the Lets Clean Up Euskadi! initiative, which is a spin-off of the Let's Clean Up Europe! initiative, promoted by the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR), which seeks to involve organisations and citizens in voluntary waste collection in nature. Among them, the Ekoetxea network of environmental centres organised a citizen collection activity that led to the removal of almost one tonne of waste in natural spaces to mark World Environment Day. In this respect, 2024 was a record year for the Ekoetxea Network, managed by Ihobe, with more than 140,000 visitors.

It was also a record year for the Erronka Garbia methodology, a procedure that minimises the negative environmental impacts associated with holding events. In 2024 alone, 106 events were awarded Erronka Garbia environmental certification. In total, there have been more than 400 certified events since 2015, more than half of which have been held in the last two years.

Generating and disseminating knowledge

In 2024, Ihobe also demonstrated its commitment to the generation and dissemination of quality technical knowledge through various publications and conferences.

One of the outstanding publications is Nature-Based Solutions in the Basque Country.20 success stories for adapting to climate change by applying NBS. This document compiles successful interventions, lessons learned, barriers and success factors, providing practical information to inspire the implementation of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). The document was presented at a conference held in Bilbao, in which the Basque Government's commitment to these solutions that help to sustainably manage and restore ecosystems, while providing benefits for human well-being and biodiversity, was recalled.

The New Practical Ecodesign for a Circular Economy Manual is another major contribution, offering clear guidelines to integrate environmental criteria and a circularity approach into product design. This manual is essential for companies seeking to reduce their environmental impact and adopt more sustainable practices. Furthermore, the Guide to Environmental, Social and Governance Rating Activities for Companies brings together and classifies a wide range of ESG rating activities, providing companies with a valuable reference to improve their practices in these areas.

In the field of adaptation, Ihobe has published Adaptation of the Coastline to Climate Change through Urban Planning in the Basque Country. This guide proposes a set of guidelines for the adaptation of the Basque coastline, helping local authorities and urban planners to move forward in this respect. The publication was presented at a conference to present the progress made in recent years, focusing mainly on climate risk analysis and guidelines for adaptation on the Basque coastline.

2024 was a key year for the Basque Country with the approval of the Basque Law on Energy Transition and Climate Change, which reinforces its commitment to climate neutrality and a just transition by 2050

Other notable publications include the Climate Change and Energy Transition 2024 ecobarometer. Citizen Perception, which reveals that 72% of citizens believe it is necessary to give up comforts to combat climate change. Eco-Innovation in the Basque Country. 74 new circular solutions, which brings together the results of the latest Basque eco-innovation projects, or From product to business model: servitisation in a circular economy, which offers a methodology to set up business models aligned with the circular economy through product servitisation, can also be highlighted.

Other events were also held, such as the sixth edition of the Environmental Communication School which, in collaboration with APIA, the Association of Environmental Information Journalists, offered conversations with those who are contributing to advancing the energy and climate transition and changing the narrative to increase and improve the communication of environmental issues, which took place within the framework of the Summer Courses of the University of the Basque Country, UPV/EHU. The fourth edition of the Education for Sustainability 2030 School identified the keys to enhance the impact of public policies through their evaluation and underlined the importance of environmental education as a tool for social transformation.

ASTEKLIMA, the Basque Climate and Energy Week, promoted by Ihobe and EVE, was held between 18th and 27th October, getting Basque society involved in the challenge posed by the energy and climate transition through 114 activities under the slogan that "every action counts, no matter how small". Among the various experiences, Klima Azoka stood out, offering a tour around different tents to find out more about issues such as climate change, habits at home, mobility, leisure and responsible consumption, and it visited around ten Basque municipalities.

More than twenty Circular Economy Thursday - Ekostegunak/span>workshops were also held, addressing issues like the regulatory situation of the European Green Deal; the fight against greenwashing; the evaluation of sustainability throughout the supply chain; the digital product passport; European taxonomy or the presentation of the Climate&Circular Calculator, which, enables the carbon footprint to be calculated, the Corporate Environmental Footprint to be estimated and a selection of circular economy indicators to be obtained from a life cycle perspective.

The List of Clean Technologies published last year is a key tool for economic decarbonisation, placing the Basque Country at the forefront of Europe

About Ihobe

Ihobe is the public environmental management company attached to the Basque Government's Department of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability, which seeks to improve the environment by integrating environmental criteria into Basque public policies as an element of competitive value for the Basque Country and its organisations. In this way, it addresses the main challenges related to the climate transition in the Basque Country and hence increases the resilience and competitiveness of the region.

The organisation has a workforce of 53 people - 41 women and 12 men - with an average age of 51, of whom 85% have higher qualifications. Ihobe employees have a degree of satisfaction of 7.4/10 in carrying out their work. In 2024, the entity fully implemented a budget of €13.7 million, and the average supplier invoice payment term was 12 days.

Ihobe has been recognised as a "Collaborating Entity for Gender Equality" by Emakunde, and is part of BAI SAREA, a network made up of entities that have this distinction and are voluntarily committed to promoting gender equality.

Furthermore, the public company is committed to the promotion and use of the Basque language through the Declaration of the International Day of the Basque Language in 2024 and, last year, it contracted a consultancy service for the normalisation of the language, drawing up a diagnosis of the situation and an associated strategic plan.

More information regarding Ihobe's workforce, its actions to promote equality, its activities to foster cooperation, insertion and education, its international activities, and the other initiatives promoted in 2024 can be found in the corporate report.