In addition, this report identifies possible lines of work of the Basque Ecodesign Center (BEdC) that can be used to make environmental innovation a competitive factor of the Basque Country's business fabric and accelerate the transition towards a circular economy as part of the solution to the scarcity of raw materials, logistics problems and the lack of energy security, worsened among other circumstances by the conflict in Ukraine.

The report mentions short, medium and long-term challenges derived from regulatory and market trend changes. This annual report is and will be a high-value benchmark for all companies in the Basque Country's business fabric (large, medium and small-sized) that want to know in advance, in the field of the circular economy, about the main regulatory and market driving forces, recent and in the germinal phase, associated with future market and legislative regulations.

Under the title “Anticipation for competitiveness”, the document published also contains a selection of emerging tools and instruments, from methodologies to ISO standards, that will help companies to face the challenges identified in the report.

The report is public and can be consulted on the website of the Basque Ecodesign Center and on Ihobe’s website.

Basque Ecodesign Center: a public-private partnership at the service of the Basque business fabric

The Basque Ecodesign Center is a stable initiative created in 2011, within a partnership framework between private sector companies and the Basque Government. It aims to foster the design and execution of innovative circular economy projects in order to coordinate the supply chain and create knowledge, to later transfer it to the Basque industrial fabric.

The Basque Ecodesign Center is formed by 16 Basque companies, leaders in sustainability in their sector, and by the public societies SPRI and Ihobe. The companies of the Basque Ecodesign Center represent more than 190,000 jobs and 19,000 supply companies. Its strategic Committee, formed by the management of the partner companies and the Basque Government, meets once every year to carry out a joint strategic reflection on the challenges and possible lines of work in the field of the circular economy in the Basque Country. This Strategic Environmental Monitoring Report is the foundation for this reflection process.