Conference for Entrepreneurship in Circular Economy

Last June 16 and 21 took place the Conference for Entrepreneurship in Circular Economy, an event organized by Bioazul as part of our U-Eco project, which focuses on capacitation for the transition to a Circular Economy.

The events were organized in person at the Promálaga R&D Incubator in Malaga, where we could gather entrepreneurs and key stakeholders in a safe environment respecting all hygiene measures. They were organized with a workshop format where participants were able to gain more knowledge about circular economy, its connection to business, training and inspirational tips that use circular principles in their activities. In both sessions, the first part of the event began with an Introduction to the Circular Economy and a brief presentation of the U-Eco project, followed by interventions by entrepreneurs, experts in Circular Economy and different key stakeholders from Malaga.

I Conference for Entrepreneurship in Circular Economy

Turning business ideas into circular

On the first day, Inés Skotnicka, Director of de Innovation Colectiva & Business Management Consulting, told us about the Social Change Makers initiative in which they have been working with students from the University of Malaga on the 17 SDGs and the challenges defined for SDG 12 on Circular Economy.

Next, Antonia Lorenzo, CEO and Director of R + D + i at Bioazul, presented RichWater and Water2Return, two Circular Economy projects on which Bioazul has worked as examples of practical case studies.

Then Clara Plata, Operations Manager at SEMiLLA IPStar and Project Technician at the University of Malaga,, explained how to develop sustainable and circular business models and business model canvas that take into account sustainability and circularity. It had a hands-on approach so that attendees could participate by completing a business canvas.

The session finalized with Ingrid Mateo, CEO & Founder of MICROAMBIENTAL who told us about the EU Green Deal and its main priorities, and gave us an overview of the challenges and opportunities that will arise for entrepreneurship on Circular Economy today.

II Conference for Entrepreneurship in Circular Economy

Connecting the needs of entrepreneurs with the priorities of key stakeholders

In our second Conference, in addition to introducing the Circular Economy and presenting our U-Eco project, we were lucky enough to have Inés Skotnicka again to talk about the SDGs and the Circular Economy.

Then Juande Lozano, founder of the association Vision Circular and Jesús Iglesias, founder of Social Climate, presented their work to us as examples of practical case studies on Circular Economy. At Vision Circular they acting as transforming agents for the Circular Economy, with special interest in the tourism and hotel sector. Social Climate is a non-profit cooperative, committed to promoting climate action based on science and social justice; through social innovation, local economy, responsible tourism, nature-based solutions and international cooperation. They currently have a free tour project aimed at learning about specific topics related to climate change and its impact on the city of Malaga, and which will soon include a route in which the Circular Economy is the central axis. He also told us about a project that is in its initial phase together with Promálaga, BIOAZUL, Libero Association and other Malaga actors that seeks to launch a circular business whose purpose is to promote fair, local and sustainable trade in the Lagunillas neighborhood of

Later, Verónica Ramirez, Smart City Cluster R&D Director, gave a presentation about the role of companies in the Circular Model of cities and how the process of developing a Circular Economy Plan for Cities is like. Later, Javier Pedraza, R + D + I Director and Founding Partner of Green Globe, spoke about how the calculation of the carbon footprint can be a valuable tool to develop a Circular Economy that contributes to the reduction of carbon emissions.

The conference closed with a discussion table about Malaga in the Circular Economy. The discussion table was set up with key stakeholders in Malaga, where the speakers and event participants were able to share their concerns and ideas. Luis Medina, General Director of the Environment and Sustainability Area of the Malaga City Council; Verónica Ramirez, I + D Smart City Cluster Director; and Rafael Ollero, Director of the training and improvement programs in Malaga at San Telmo Business School. The debate began with the speakers presenting their vision about the state of the Circular Economy in Malaga. Next, they explored the challenges that the Circular Economy could solve in Malaga and the opportunities that could arise for those who want to undertake in the Circular Economy in Malaga. During the debate, the participants were able to comment on the initiatives underway in Circular Economy that are being launched in Malaga. The debate ended with a reflection on the role of institutions and the private sector in the transition to a Circulating Economy.