NAIDER is supporting the Beterri-Buruntza Association of Municipalities in promoting the circular economy among businesses in the district, combining tailored assessments, action plans and new opportunities for collaboration and industrial symbiosis.
The Beterri-Buruntza district, made up of the municipalities of Hernani, Lasarte-Oria, Andoain, Astigarraga, Usurbil and Urnieta, has a business base with a strong industrial tradition and a wide range of productive activities. Against a backdrop of tightening environmental requirements, shifting resource costs and supply-chain challenges, the circular economy offers an opportunity to improve business competitiveness and move towards more efficient and sustainable production models.
In this context, NAIDER is delivering a strategic and operational circular economy project for the Association, building on the business intelligence and outreach work carried out in the district in recent years. The initiative seeks to identify opportunities to optimise resources, improve production processes and foster cooperation between companies, linking the individual needs of the industrial base with a shared vision for the district’s economic development.
The project starts with an analysis of the area’s economic and productive structure, paying particular attention to material flows, resource consumption and waste generation, as well as to the opportunities within different value chains. This assessment is complemented by direct consultation with companies and strategic stakeholders to identify the main challenges and areas for action.
One of the central strands of the work is one-to-one support for at least ten companies in the district, using CICLO, the circular economy assessment and planning methodology developed by NAIDER. This process will gauge each company’s circular maturity and define tailored action plans, with improvement measures prioritised according to their impact and feasibility.
Alongside this, the project includes a collective dimension aimed at identifying opportunities for collaboration and industrial symbiosis between companies. Through shared working sessions, it will explore potential synergies around the use of by-products, waste recovery, material optimisation and the shared use of resources and services.
The results of both strands will feed into a district-wide roadmap setting out priority actions, the stakeholders involved and monitoring mechanisms. The work will also be supported by digital visualisation and monitoring tools to help sustain the initiatives identified.
The goal is to move from identifying challenges to implementing practical solutions, strengthening companies’ capabilities and fostering new forms of cooperation that contribute to a more circular, competitive and resilient industry in Beterri-Buruntza.
