Alexander Boto, Ihobe General manager: 'Strengthening the circular economic model will enable Basque companies to face the changes in the international arena'

Public Agency Ihobe — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0200

The Basque Circular Summit 2025 has bolstered its position as the largest circular economy event in southern Europe. The Summit, held at Euskalduna Bilbao from 2 to 4 April, has rallied 700 Basque companies from the sector and has attracted over 1,300 people.

Fagor Ederlan, Somos Oreka, Gamesa Gearbox and Fuelium, winners for their circular solutions and products at the Basque Circular Summit 2025

Public Agency Ihobe — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0200

This morning, the Basque Government's Deputy Minister for the Energy Transition, Irantzu Allende, and the Ihobe General manager, Alexander Boto, have presented the Basque Circular BEST awards to Fagor Ederlan, Somos Oreka, Gamesa Gearbox and Fuelium during the Basque Circular Summit 2025.

Lehendakari Pradales: 'We are aligning our Industrial Plan with European directives, because the Basque Country can and must be a key player in this process'

Public Agency Ihobe — Wed, 02 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0200

This morning, Lehendakari Imanol Pradales opened the Basque Circular Summit, the largest conference on the circular economy in southern Europe and which is being held at Euskalduna Bilbao from 2 to 4 April; it will consider in detail the ramifications of the new planning, legislation and the recently approved Clean Industrial Deal of the European Commission, with the aim of Basque companies anticipating the global challenges of the circular economy and decarbonisation.

Basque Circular Summit 2025 to prepare Basque companies for the ramifications of the new European Clean Industrial Deal

Public Agency Ihobe — Wed, 26 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0100

The goal of the Basque Circular Summit, the leading conference on the circular economy in southern Europe, is to break down the ramifications of the new planning, legislation and the recently approved Clean Industrial Deal of the European Commission; the aim is to help Basque companies anticipate the global challenges of the circular economy and decarbonisation.

The Basque Country consolidates its environmental protection with significant improvements in air quality and emissions reduction according to its Environmental Outlook 2024 Report

Public Agency Ihobe — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 00:00:00 +0100

The Basque Government's Deputy Minister for the Environment, Josu Bilbao, today presented the ‘Basque Environmental Outlook 2024’ report, drawn up by the public company Ihobe, which reveals significant advances in air quality and the reduction of CO2 emissions, although challenges persist in water management and waste management.

Basque Circular Summit 2025, the largest conference on the circular economy in southern Europe, confirms leading speakers with almost all the places already taken up

Public Agency Ihobe — Mon, 24 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0100

The southern Europe's largest conference on the circular economy, the Basque Circular Summit 2025 (BCS2025), organised by Ihobe, the Basque Government's environmental management agency and to be held at Euskalduna Bilbao on 2, 3 and 4 April, is now almost full.

Strategic environmental watch report on circular economy. The 10 keys for 2025

Public Agency Ihobe — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0100

Basque companies will have to focus on the followings aspects if they want to be competitive on European and international markets.

Registration open for the Basque Circular Summit 2025, the largest event on the circular economy in southern Europe

Public Agency Ihobe — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Registration is now open for the Basque Circular Summit, the largest event on the circular economy in southern Europe for 2025. The event organised by Ihobe, the Basque Goverment's environmental management agency, will be held at the Euskalduna Conference Centre in Bilbao on 2, 3 and 4 April; hundreds of professionals and experts from the industrial and environmental sectors will gather there to analyse the implications of the transition to a circular model for Europe.

Arteche and Port of Bilbao join the Basque Ecodesign Center to drive the circular economy in the Basque Country

Public Agency Ihobe — Wed, 13 Nov 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Two new companies, Arteche and the Port of Bilbao, have today joined the Basque Ecodesign Center (BEdC), the public-private partnership between the Basque Government and the leading companies of the Basque Country to generate advanced knowledge and its transfer to the rest of the business fabric of the Basque Country, along with driving the value chain towards a more circular economy model.

Ihobe and the leading European environment agencies working together on a common portfolio of eco-innovative projects for CASRI

Public Agency Ihobe — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Ihobe is now part of a consortium with 17 other European environment agencies from 13 countries, with the goal of improving and accelerating the knowledge generation needed for the green transition and to optimise public resources

The Basque Country will once again host the largest circular economy event in southern Europe in April 2025

Public Agency Ihobe — Wed, 29 May 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The Basque Circular Summit, the largest circular economy event in Southern Europe, will be held again in 2025. The event will take place on 2, 3, and 4 April 2025 at the Euskalduna Conference Centre in Bilbao, and will bring together professionals and specialists from the industrial and environmental fields from all over the continent to analyse the implications that the transition to a circular model is having on the European Union.

EU Ecolabel and EMAS-registered organisations continue to grow in the Basque Country

Public Agency Ihobe — Tue, 07 May 2024 00:00:00 +0200

The 2023 results report shows that more and more Basque companies are introducing the EU Ecolabel.

The first comprehensive calculator to measure the carbon footprint, environmental footprint and circularity indicators of organisations, products and services launched

Public Agency Ihobe — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The first web tool is now available to calculate the carbon footprint, environmental footprint, and a series of circular economy indicators from an organisation approach, along with the simplified life cycle assessment and carbon footprint from a product and services approach; while all using the same baseline information. It has been created by Ihobe, the environmental management agency of the Basque Government.

Nearly 200 Basque companies committed to circular ecoinnovation as an opportunity for competitiveness

Public Agency Ihobe — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0100

Ihobe, the Basque Government's environmental management agency, has launched its new "Ecoinnovation in the Basque Country” website, which features the 179 projects implemented between 2016 and 2023 by Basque companies taking part in the Basque Government's Circular Ecoinnovation Programme. This new Ihobe website is a unique portal in its area of activity and details the work in ecodesign, circular design demonstration and strategic ecoinnovation; that information is also compiled in two Ihobe technical publications, which include the datasheets on each project.

82% of the Basque Parliament backs the Energy Transition and Climate Change Law and Tapia stresses its instrumental significance for the future of the Basque Country

Public Agency Ihobe — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0100

The Basque Regional Minister for Economic Development, Sustainability and Environment, Arantxa Tapia, stated that the Basque Energy Transition and Climate Change Law, which was approved today by the Basque Parliament, will be an instrumental regulation that will result in future benefits.

Axular Lizeoa, Alboan, Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council and Bizislow to represent the Basque Country at the 2023 European Week for Waste Reduction Awards

Public Agency Ihobe — Fri, 24 Nov 2023 00:00:00 +0100

Axular Lizeoa, in the Educational Establishment category; the international cooperation foundation Alboan, in the Associations category; Vitoria-Gasteiz in the Public Administration category; and Bizislow, in the Business category, will be representing the Basque Country at the European Week for Waste Reduction Awards to be held in June 2024.

ITP Aero and Petronor join forces with the Basque Ecodesign Center to boost the circular economy in the Basque industrial sector

Public Agency Ihobe — Fri, 14 Jul 2023 00:00:00 +0200

Today, ITP Aero and Petronor have joined the Basque Ecodesign Center, the public-private collaboration alliance between the Basque Government and the country's leading companies for the generation of applied knowledge in the circular economy at the service of the Basque business sector.

The Basque Government approves the draft Energy Transition and Climate Change Law to achieve climate neutrality in the Basque Country before 2050

Public Agency Ihobe — Tue, 16 May 2023 00:00:00 +0200

The Basque Government Council today approved the draft Energy Transition and Climate Change Law of the Basque Country with the aim of accelerating the decarbonization process through co-responsibility. Driven by the Basque Government's Department for Economic Development, Sustainability and Environment, it will facilitate the alignment of the Basque Country with all regulations, policies and plans with which it has expressed its commitment and adherence at state and international levels, and thus achieve climate neutrality and a fair energy transition by 2050.

The European Commission recognises Ihobe's ecoinnovation manual and circular products catalogue as examples to follow

Public Agency Ihobe — Mon, 24 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0200

The European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, a joint initiative by the European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee, has highlighted Ecoinnovation in the Basque Country. 105 Industrial Projects for New Circular Solutions and Circular Products Catalogue, published by Ihobe, as good practices to drive forward the ambition of the European Green Deal by means of the circular economy.

Public-private collaboration drives 105 eco-innovation projects in the Basque Country with successful circular solutions

Public Agency Ihobe — Fri, 25 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Ihobe, the Public Company for Environmental Management of the Basque Government, today presented a guide on eco-innovation in the Basque Country at the Basque Circular Summit, a topic that was the focus of the last day of the event.

Eco-designed products from 115 Basque companies show real examples of the Basque Country's commitment to circularity

Public Agency Ihobe — Fri, 25 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Real examples of the work that Basque companies are doing in the field of eco-design and the circular economy can be seen at the Ficoba exhibition centre (Irun). The ‘Circulares/Zirkularrak’ (Circular Products) travelling exhibition was inaugurated yesterday as part of the Basque Circular Summit 2022. The collection consists of 175 sustainable and eco-designed products from different industrial sectors in the Basque Country . The show will be open to the public until November 27.

Alexander Boto: “The circular economy is competitiveness; it is economics”

Public Agency Ihobe — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Day two of the Basque Circular Summit puts the spotlight on SMEs, which are vital to the EU economy as they represent 99% of European businesses and two thirds of the jobs in the private sector. Speaking today at the round table entitled ‘The commitment to the circular economy in the Basque Country’ Alexander Boto, General Manager of Ihobe, stressed “that "the circular economy is competitiveness, it is economy”, and pointed out that environmental taxation is a challenge for the administration, because “1.6% of the Basque Country’s GDP come from environmental taxes, while the European average is 2.4%”.

The Basque Circular Summit presents the circular economy as a key tool for decarbonising Basque industry

Public Agency Ihobe — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Basque companies are flexing their muscles in the circular economy and are ahead of the curve in terms of the environmental requirements set by the European Commission. This was reflected today at the opening of the Basque Circular Summit 2022, which is one of the most important meetings in this field in Spain and southern Europe and has attracted more than 600 professionals from a range of industrial sectors to Irun to find out more about new, more sustainable and competitive business models. At the same time as this industrial summit, which lasts three days, there will be an exhibition of 175 circular products manufactured in the Basque Country.

Tapia defends a new regulation on eco-design to promote the circular economy at the European Council of Environment Ministers

Public Agency Ihobe — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0200

Regional Minister Tapia has attended today the European Council of Environment Ministers in Luxembourg on behalf of the Autonomous Communities, where she has supported the proposal for a European regulation aimed at setting environmental design requirements for sustainable products.

The Basque Circular Summit 2022 will focus on the circular economy model and its impact on industrial competitiveness

Public Agency Ihobe — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 00:00:00 +0200

The publicly-owned company Ihobe is organising the Basque Circular Summit 2022 to take place from 23 to 25 November at the Ficoba trade fair centre in Irun. The subject for this international get-together for around 500 specialists from all over Europe is “Walking the talk”, and it will analyse the implications of the transition toward a circular economy model in industry and discuss business opportunities and methods to improve business competitiveness in various industrial sectors using the model.

Vitoria-Gasteiz to host exhibition on circular products manufactured in the Basque Country from 24 September to 2 October

Public Agency Ihobe — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 00:00:00 +0200

From 24 September to 2 October, the Europa Congress Palace in Vitoria-Gasteiz will host the “Zirkularrak-Circulares” exhibition on circular products manufactured in the Basque Country. The exhibition brings together a wide range of products that have been made using eco-design methodologies with a life-cycle approach and that have therefore substantially reduced their environmental impact and become an example for the entire European industrial sector. The exhibition is free of charge and there will be guided tours to tell visitors all about the environmental improvements brought about by these products.

Ihobe advocates for eco-innovation as an instrument for competitiveness at the APD International Innovation Congress

Public Agency Ihobe — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 00:00:00 +0200

Alexander Boto, General Manager of Ihobe, moderated a panel discussion today entitled “Eco-innovation: sustainable innovation” at the 2nd International Innovation Congress of the Association for Progress in Management (APD) on 1 and 2 June in Barakaldo (Biscayne), which was attended by around one thousand managers from all over the country.

Widespread uptake of the EU Ecolabel and EMAS (EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) among Basque organisations

Public Agency Ihobe — Mon, 23 May 2022 00:00:00 +0200

The EU Ecolabel and the EMAS environmental certification are widespread among Basque organisations, as revealed in the report published by the Department for Economic Development, Sustainability and the Environment of the Basque Government which sets out the results of these accreditations in 2021.

Ihobe and the Basque Ecodesign Centre present a guide to implementing sustainable finance regulations

Public Agency Ihobe — Wed, 11 May 2022 00:00:00 +0200

Ihobe, the Publicly-Owned Environmental Management Company of the Basque Government and the technical secretariat of the Basque Ecodesign Centre - the public-private partnership between the Basque Government and 16 major Basque companies - has published the “Guide to the Application of the European Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance”. The publication, aimed at non-financial institutions, analyses the Regulation (EU) 2020/852 of the European Parliament and of the Council.

The Basque Ecodesign Center publishes a strategic environmental monitoring report that will be key to consolidate the environmental competitiveness of Basque companies

Tue, 03 May 2022 00:00:00 +0200

The Basque Ecodesign Center, considered Spain’s most important public-private partnership in ecodesign and the circular economy, has published its strategic environmental monitoring report which identifies in detail the main regulatory factors, particularly within the framework of the European Green Deal, and as regards the market, that can affect decision-making in Basque companies.

Ihobe allocated €70 million to environmental investments in Basque industry in 2021

Public Agency Ihobe — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 00:00:00 +0200

In 2021, Ihobe, the environmental management agency answering to the Basque Government’s Ministry for Economic Development, Sustainability and the Environment, invested over €70 million to integrate environmental policy in the different industrial sectors of the Basque Country. These investments have had a significant multiplier effect as each budget euro invested by Ihobe in Basque industry has led to €6 in environmental investment.

Ihobe driving circular businesses in the Basque Country in partnership with SITRA, the global leader in the circular economy

Public Agency Ihobe — Thu, 31 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0200

Ihobe, the Basque Government’s environmental management agency, has reached an agreement with SITRA, the Finnish Innovation Foundation, to use its playbook to create new circular businesses.

Eco Rating, an environmental rating system developed by Ihobe, is already being applied to smartphones from three continents

Public Agency Ihobe — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0100

Almost a year since it was launched, the impact of the mobile phone environmental labelling known as Eco Rating, a methodology developed by Ihobe, the Basque Environment Agency, is being shown and discussed by operators during the Mobile World Congress.

Ihobe launches a catalogue of circular products manufactured in the Basque Country

Public Agency Ihobe — Thu, 10 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0100

The catalogue, entitled “20 years of ecodesign. Made in Euskadi”, available in both physical and digital formats, is the first in Europe to compile a broad list of product categories from ten industrial sectors. The publication illustrates how lifecycle analysis methodologies have been applied to substantially improve the environmental impact of these products and to serve as an example for the European industrial sector.

The Basque Government and 14 basque companies join the state’s most significant public-private ecodesign and circular economy partnership

Public Agency Ihobe — Wed, 09 Jun 2021 00:00:00 +0200

The Basque Ecodesign Centre in figures: the companies in this alliance have an annual turnover of 59 billion euros, employ 148,000 people and have 103,000 suppliers. A guide has been launched to enable Basque companies to calculate their Environmental Footprint.

The Basque Green Deal, the Basque model for just and sustainable economic development

Public Agency Ihobe — Wed, 12 May 2021 00:00:00 +0200

The Basque Country has today signed up to the European Green Deal and has unveiled its own roadmap for a more sustainable future, while leaving nobody behind on the way out of crisis. Lehendakari Iñigo Urkullu, the Basque Premier, the Basque Government’s Minister for Economic Development, Sustainability and the Environment, Arantxa Tapia, and the Deputy Director-General of the European Commission’s DG Climate, Clara de la Torre, took part in the presentation. The event was also the opportunity to deliver the findings of the survey conducted by the Sociological Exploration Office on Climate Change and Energy Transition.

The Basque Ecodesign Center launches a call for new partners to consolidate Basque industry’s leadership in the circular economy

Public Agency Ihobe — Mon, 26 Apr 2021 00:00:00 +0200

Since 2106, the Basque Ecodesign Center has so far had 9 partner companies, and the Basque government's entity, SPRI. The admission period to be a new partner company ends on 7 May.

The Basque Government and Bilbao City Council set up the first advanced circular economy services centre in Southern Europe

Public Agency Ihobe — Wed, 17 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0100

This new expertise centre, which will be managed by Ihobe, is the outcome of the public-private partnership between the Basque Government, Bilbao City Council, Deusto University, the University of the Basque Country-UPV-EHU, Mondragón University, the Basque VET Applied Research Centre-Tknika and the Nova Salcedo Foundation.

The European S3 smart specialisation platform chooses the Basque Government's eco-innovation programme as an example to follow

Public Agency Ihobe — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0100

The programme to implement eco-innovation in Basque companies by the department of Economic Development, Sustainability and the Environment, in collaboration with its partner Ihobe, has been chosen by the European Commission to be disseminated on the S3 smart specialisation platform as part of the call for contributions "Fostering the implementation of environmental-oriented activities through Smart Specialisation"

The Basque Government appoints Alexander Boto Bastegieta as General Manager of Ihobe

Public Agency Ihobe — Thu, 24 Sep 2020 00:00:00 +0200

This afternoon, Alexander Boto Bastegieta will be appointed General Manager of Ihobe, a publicly-owned company coming under the Ministry for Economic Development, Sustainability and the Environment, headed by the minister, Arantxa Tapia.

The key environmental factor for business competitiveness in the mobility and logistics sector

Public Agency Ihobe — Fri, 10 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0200

The Basque Ecodesign Centre, Ihobe, and the Mobility and Logistical Cluster presented the results of their sector’s “Environmental Surveillance and Competitiveness” report today. The purpose of the study is to encourage Basque enterprises to make environmental improvement a corporate strategy for achieving competitiveness and future sustainability. The results of the work were presented today in a webinar which revised the main ecodesign strategies applied to the sector. Some of the programmes that support their incorporation in companies were also explained.

Environmental Ministry earmarks €1.67 million to boost the circular economy in Basque industry

Public Agency Ihobe — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 00:00:00 +0200

36 particularly innovative industrial projects in the field of the circular economy have received grants from the Basque Government's Ministry of the Environment, Territorial Planning and Housing. Since 2016, the Environmental Ministry has awarded €4 million to fund 118 circular projects in 57 Basque companies.

Elena Moreno, Deputy Minister of the Environment: “Purely electric vehicles have a lower impact on the environment”

Public Agency Ihobe — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0100

“The environmental impact of electric cars is significantly lower than that of conventional vehicles, producing less than half the emissions", says Elena Moreno, Deputy Minister of the Environment of the Basque Government this morning in Bilbao at the conference "eMOVILIDAD EUSKADI 2020, sustainable cities designed for people", which was attended by a hundred sector specialists. Moreno presented the main conclusions of the "Life cycle analysis report. Environmental comparison between different alternatives of electric, hybrid and combustion vehicles", published by the Basque Ecodesign Center and the Department of the Environment, Territorial Planning and Housing of the Basque Government.

The Basque Government to sign an agreement with UN Environment to support developing countries in the circular economy and ecodesign

Public Agency Ihobe — Tue, 25 Feb 2020 00:00:00 +0100

The Bilbao Euskalduna Conference Centre will be the venue for one of Europe’s leading events on the circular economy and ecodesign, the Basque Ecodesign Meeting (BEM 2020), from tomorrow (Wednesday). The first of the three days will be noted for the signing of the agreement between UN Environment and the Basque Government’s Ministry for the Environment, Territorial Planning and Housing, through its environmental management agency Ihobe, which is organising the meeting along with the Basque Ecodesign Center.

Elena Moreno: "We have adopted the Sustainable Development Goals as inspiration for the Basque model for well-being"

Department of Economic Development, Sustainability and Environment — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 00:00:00 +0200

This morning, Elena Moreno, the Basque Government’s Deputy Minister for the Environment, took part in The Hub, the high-level forum organised during the New York Climate Week. Speaking to the auditorium of over 600 economic and political leaders, she presented the measures adopted by the Basque Country to address the climate crisis. The Deputy Minister particularly stressed the importance of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a cornerstone of Basque political action. She went on to highlight the strategic planning designed by the Basque Government over a decade ago to progress towards sustainability, where people are at the centre.

Environmental Ministry to provide nearly a million euros to fund innovative ecodesign and circular economy projects in the Basque industry

Public Agency Ihobe — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 00:00:00 +0200

The Basque Government’s Ministry of the Environment, Territorial Planning and Housing, through Ihobe, a public society, has approved the new grant programme to fund innovative ecodesign and circular economy projects in the Basque industry. This new call aims to increase material efficiency in industry and drive the durability and ecodesign of products by means of innovation. These are core areas of the “Circular Economy Strategy of the Basque Country 2030” expected to be approved shortly.

The Department of the Environment and the University of the Basque Country organise the first State Postgraduate in Industrial Circular Economy

Department of Economic Development, Sustainability and Environment — Tue, 28 May 2019 00:00:00 +0200

This morning, Deputy Minister for the Environment of the Basque Government Elena Moreno and Vice Rector for Basque Language and Continued Education at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) Jon Zarate announced the first State post-graduate course on the Circular Economy with an industrial focus for the 2019-2020 academic year at the Faculty of Engineering in Bilbao and at the Faculty of Economics and Business.

The Basque companies A&B Laboratorios de Biotecnología and EKONEK 2018 European Business Awards for the Environment prize winners

Public Agency Ihobe — Fri, 16 Nov 2018 00:00:00 +0100

The environmental commitment of two Basque companies was recognised at a ceremony held in Vienna on Wednesday 14 November, and where they were competing against the nationwide winners in each of the EU member countries.

Carbon footprint and our impact on the environment

Public Agency Ihobe — Fri, 10 Aug 2018 00:00:00 +0200

Numbers are an essential part of our life and their measurement capability is nearly an indispensable aspect of our existence: how old we are, our weight, kilometres travelled each day, calories consumed, the amount of monthly gigabytes in our phone package and even our degree of satisfaction with a service.

Basque Ecodesign Meeting-BEM2017 to showcase new trends in ecodesign legislation in Europe for a circular economy

Public Agency Ihobe — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 00:00:00 +0100

BEM2017 will be held at the Euskalduna Conference Centre in Bilbao on 19 and 20 September