Ihobe, the Environmental Management Agency attached to the Basque Government’s Ministry for Economic Development, Sustainability and the Environment, has published its 2019 Environmental Statement (ES), which reports on the environmental performance and highlights the projects and services provided during the year. Particularly noteworthy among the main internal operating results are that 100% of the specifications were processed electronically, that all the energy consumed came for renewable sources and that fuel consumption was cut by 25% and vehicle electricity by 22%, along with the associated greenhouse gases.

According to the ES, paper consumption for internal use was down by 18%, except for that used for publications

The annual total waste generation also evolved positively, with a 53% reduction in paper and cardboard waste. Air emissions dropped due to the lower consumption of natural gas and fuel in the building, and annual water use also fell.

Furthermore, Ihobe awarded grants and subsidies totalling over €2 million in 2019, €334,135 of which were to municipalities and €1,673,490 to companies. The projects that Ihobe financed in the companies are estimated to have led to savings of 14,908 tons per year of raw materials and an additional turnover of €11.4 million a year. In turn, it is calculated that the emission of 1,133 tons of CO2 a year, 3,833 kilograms a year of NOx (nitrogen oxides) and 415 kg/year of particulate pollutants into the atmosphere was avoided thanks to the projects subsidised by Ihobe in the municipalities.

As regards the external results of the projects subsidised by Ihobe in the municipalities, education for sustainability sessions were run for over 187,000 students, 200 hectares of natural habits were restored, 600,000 m2 of land were studied and 24,000 m2 of contaminated soil recovered, as part of the School and Local Agenda 2030.

Activity results

The activities implemented by Ihobe with its stakeholders to deploy the environmental policy, generate knowledge and awareness raising in 2019 included:

- 2,817 cases processed
- 18 circular economy demonstration projects completed
- 610 delegates at technical sessions
- 4 reports on environmental trends
- 5 working groups with 160 participants in the Basque Network of Sustainable Municipalities-Udalsarea 2030
- 57 actions in the framework of the green public procurement programme
- 14 innovation projects in the Basque Ecodesign Center
- and 12 municipal innovation projects in the areas of climate change, natural heritage, the circular economy and efficient use of resources.

Furthermore, the four Ekoetxea environmental education centres, located in Urdaibai, Txingudi, Azpeitia and Meatzaldea-Peñas Negras, received 100,073 visits and 24,216 students took part in the educational programmes run by those centres.

About the ES

The Ihobe Environmental Statement report has been endorsed by AENOR and was prepared according to the EU EMAS Eco-Management and Audit Scheme. It describes the Ihobe environmental management system and its policy in that regard, and includes information on the organisation’s performance with respect to the environmental goals, targets and impacts.

In the same way that Ihobe has internal management commitments, it also extends that commitment to all the suppliers with which it works. The environmental benefit is thus extended beyond Ihobe’s direct activity and involves the suppliers of office supplies and paper, travel, IT and organisation of sessions.