Oarsoaldea Garapen Agentzia is leading a support process for seven industrial SMEs in the district to identify, define and develop specific circular economy projects tailored to each company’s circumstances. The initiative, named LOTU, aims to move from diagnosis to implementation, launching actions capable of reducing environmental impacts, making better use of materials and strengthening business competitiveness.
The project builds on earlier work carried out under BIRATU, which assessed the circular economy performance of 30 companies in Oarsoaldea. Drawing on that knowledge, LOTU works in greater depth with seven firms from Oiartzun, Lezo and Errenteria, spanning a range of industrial activities.
The process combines one-to-one support for each company with shared work among the participants. In an initial phase, each company’s starting point is assessed through a circularity diagnosis and a carbon footprint calculation with the 3C tool from Ihobe, the Basque Government’s Public Environmental Management Company. This analysis gives each company a roadmap of improvement opportunities and helps select a priority project for subsequent development.
The proposed actions cover areas such as decarbonising industrial activity, life cycle assessment, ecodesign and the use of recycled materials, the recovery and reuse of materials from production processes, and the development of reusable packaging solutions.
Alongside the work with each company, LOTU includes a collective dimension aimed at sharing lessons, identifying common challenges and exploring potential synergies between firms. Although the participating companies come from different sectors and value chains, they share materials, customers and issues that could open up new opportunities for collaboration and industrial symbiosis.
LOTU is promoted and coordinated by Oarsoaldea Garapen Agentzia, with technical assistance from NAIDER, and forms part of Ihobe’s Pyme Circular programme, with Ihobe also collaborating on the initiative. The company projects will run until May 2027.
