Valencia - 26.11.2020. The Institute of International Economics of the University of Valencia has organized, within the framework of the European project LOOP-Ports, an Institutional Workshop on Circular Economy in the ports of the Valencian Community which has been attended by representatives of both the port sector and, among others, companies specialized in waste management and revaluation.
The workshop, which was welcomed by María Dolores Real García, Vice President of Innovation and Transfer of the UVEG, aimed to present the results of the project that ends next December and thus open the discussion on the potential of the circular economy in the ports of the Valencia Region and the role of institutions to facilitate and promote its implementation.
The presentations of Enrique López Balaguer(Head of the Prevention, Reuse, Recycling Promotion and Circular Resource Management Service of the Generalitat Valenciana) on the strategy of circular economy in the Comunitat Valenciana by Cliona Howie(Director of Circular Economy of EIT Climate-KIC) on the actions of Climate-KIC in the field of Circular Economy and by María Feo (researcher at the Institute of International Economy) on the results achieved in LOOP-Ports have allowed to set the context and the reference framework of the workshop, highlighting the commitment among all social and economic agents that an effective transition towards the circular economy requires.
The following is an overview of the main lines of action in terms of sustainability and the environment in the ports of the Valencian Community and their positioning and potential in terms of the circular economy through the interventions of the Ports of the GV (headed by Francisco Bayarri, Head of the Port Operation Service in the Valencian Government), the Port Authority of Castellón (María José Rubio Felip, Head of the Department of Sustainability) and the Port Authority of Valencia (Federico Torres Monfort, Head of Ecological Transition).
Finally, the main researcher of the project, Jorge Lara López from the Valenciaport Foundation, closed the day by explaining the next steps and inviting the attendees to continue studying the subject in depth at the national workshop that will take place on December 4th and at the final conference of the project sponsored by the World Circular Economy Forum on December 16th.
LOOP-Ports
The European project "LOOP-Ports - Circular Economy Network of Ports", coordinated by the Valenciaport Foundation and financed by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) through EIT Climate-KIC, has as its main objective to facilitate the transition towards a more circular economy in the port sector, where products, materials and resources are not considered as waste but can become sustainable and replicable business models in ports of similar characteristics.
The project, through the creation of a Circular Economy Network in Ports, will provide an innovation ecosystem to stimulate the implementation of this type of initiative in European ports. The network will focus mainly on the following materials: metals, plastics, cements and biomaterials. This network of ports will facilitate the exchange of experiences and good practices, make recommendations at the regulatory level and promote training as well as new business opportunities both in port clusters and in other industries related to their environment.
