More than sixty professionals gathered on the 9th of July at Barcelona Circular Center for a joint event hosted by the Catalonia Waste Cluster (CREC) and the Catalan Energy Cluster, aimed at advancing circular economy approaches to decarbonizing industry.

The intercluster meeting brought together experts from the energy and waste sectors to share strategies for reducing emissions and managing waste flows associated with the energy transition. Leading companies including CATOR, FCC Medioambiente, Molins, and Tandem HSE presented case studies of circular innovation in action, while calling on public authorities to introduce stronger fiscal incentives to accelerate the shift towards a low-carbon economy.

Opening the session, Esther Izquierdo, Director of Innovation and People at WATTEGA, delivered a keynote speech emphasising the need for circular thinking throughout the energy value chain. “It is no longer enough to focus solely on immediate use and return. We must now consider the end-of-life of materials and technologies integral to the energy transition,” she said, underlining the importance of circularity in achieving net zero by 2050 and supporting Catalonia’s reindustrialisation within the framework of Europe’s new industrial strategy.

A round table moderated by Francesc Ribera, Managing Director of the Catalan Energy Cluster, followed. The discussion centred on the challenges and opportunities involved in decarbonising the waste sector. Participants included Lluís Gimeno (CATOR), Pol Carreras (Tandem HSE), Daniel Sanz (FCC Medioambiente), and Manel Guillem (Molins), who all agreed that regulatory reform and competitive market pressures are key to driving industrial transformation. Each panellist highlighted practical initiatives their companies are implementing to cut emissions, and collectively urged policymakers to introduce targeted tax breaks for climate-conscious enterprises.

The event then turned to the issue of circularity in the energy transition, with a second panel moderated by Carmen López-Quintana, Cluster Manager of CREC. Contributions came from Anna Camp, Director of ICAEN; Pilar Chiva, Head of Circular Economy at the Catalan Waste Agency; and Albert Ballbé, Strategic Projects Lead at the Directorate General for Industry.

Chiva raised a red flag over the region’s capacity to handle the mounting volume of waste generated by renewable energy infrastructure, warning: “We currently lack the facilities to manage the waste that will arise in the coming years.” She called for increased investment in local waste treatment capabilities to avoid exporting valuable resources. Camp, meanwhile, advocated for a clearer, more ambitious framework for managing energy transition assets, noting that although current legislation mandates site restoration, “we’re not addressing what happens to the materials that are dismantled.” Ballbé closed the session by stressing the need for a long-term vision, citing the development of policy guidelines for photovoltaic park decommissioning as a positive step.

In her closing remarks, CREC President Elisabet Alier highlighted the natural alignment between the energy and waste ecosystems. “Both sectors face the shared challenge of decarbonisation,” she noted, “and both must commit to circularity in order to manage the new waste streams emerging from the energy transition.”