The path is defined and clear, but in addition to achieving the commitment and participation of all the agents involved, it is necessary to “accelerate.” The need to advance more quickly in the objectives of sustainability and circular economy in the construction sector has been one of the main reflections shared by the experts, business representatives and authorities participating in the III Circular Construction Forum of Grupo Construcía y 'The vanguard'.
The motto of the day, “Build the future in which we want to live”, frames the objective also shared by the more than one hundred attendees at this session held on September 27 in La Pedrera, a place that symbolizes the commitment of the company with innovation and sustainability.
In the welcome speech, Enric Sierra, deputy director of 'La Vanguardia', recalled that this third edition of the Circular Construction Forum is held at a time when our society is immersed in the climate crisis, a problem about which “ “The construction sector has a lot to say.” “Construction has historically generated and currently generates emissions and waste that we have the obligation to reduce to the maximum”, in this context, holding this forum with the objective of “posing the strategies and intentions” of the various agents makes complete sense. and companies to achieve the objective of the circular economy,” said Sierra.
Arturo Fernández, CoCEO and founder of Grupo Construcía, pointed out in his speech prior to the start of the forum that the sector is historically debated between the two sides of the same coin, wondering if “we are generators of wealth, one of the sectors that sustain the world. developed” or “we are destroyers of the planet.” After recalling the seriousness of the environmental crisis and climate change and providing resounding data on the great impact of the construction sector in areas such as the consumption of raw materials, waste generation and polluting emissions, Fernández proposed a reflection on “how we want Let our children and our grandchildren remember us, how we want history to remember us.”
The personal response and as CoCEO of Grupo Construcía de Fernández is that “we want to be remembered as the sector that minted a new currency, a currency that seeks economic benefit as a 'consequence' of social and environmental benefit, and I emphasize 'as a consequence'. ' and not as an objective.
To achieve this, Arturo Fernández explained the need to take action, adopting an attitude of responsibility and reaching new agreements with the entire value chain, which allow the construction sector to focus on the objectives of sustainability and circular economy. Fernández recalled that “ten years ago the Construcía Group made its first position in favor of the circular economy, we are pioneers”, but recognized that the sector has only achieved a small part of the set objectives in this time. “It is time to accelerate, to put everything on the table, the time to ask ourselves what role we want to play as a sector in this new industrial revolution, the circular revolution.”
In the opening speech of the session, Mireia Boya, Director General of Environmental Quality and Climate Change of the Generalitat de Catalunya, showed institutional support for the sector's commitment to sustainability and the circular economy. After providing data from Catalonia on the impact of each of the economic sectors on the emission of greenhouse gases, the general director recalled that last January the Generalitat approved the Catalan Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change, an initiative that includes 76 operational measures and 312 measures. One of these measures is dedicated specifically to urbanism and housing, in line with the objectives that have been raised in this III Circular Construction Forum. Boya congratulated the organizers and participants in the meeting for their commitment to the progress of the construction sector towards a circular economy and neutral in the emission of greenhouse gases.
In the first of the three tables of the day, representatives of four prominent companies presented the objectives and concrete actions they are developing in the face of the climate crisis. Jordi Garcia, VP of Digital Energy and Power Products at Schneider Electric Iberia, recalled that the main objective of his company is “to bring progress, along with sustainability, to the whole world, very focused on energy, but not only on it, and to From this objective we do our business; “Sustainability is the core of our company.”
Beatriz Larruy, ESG specialist at Fluidra, explained that in the context of climate change and drought episodes like the one we are experiencing, her company is working to achieve what they call “a positive pool”, that is, “a pool that returns more than what it consumes, in terms of resources.” To achieve this, Fluidra works to improve swimming pools from their design to their execution and maintenance.
Ismael Villar, Sustainability Leader at Ikea Iberia, recalled his company's long commitment to sustainability and “the purpose of, in 2030, being 100% circular”, with a more detailed example: “In 2025 the entire fleet of vehicles in stores and the distribution chain will be electric, not hybrids but completely electric.”
Also at this first table, Aitor Molina, creative director of Dear Planet-Grupo Construcía, explained that precisely the idea of leading by example is at the origin of the firm: “We are part of the materialization of the purpose of sustainability and circular economy of the Construcía Group”. And to achieve this, Dear Planet focuses on the design of ephemeral branded spaces as a laboratory to investigate how to “accelerate the process of developing circular construction solutions from design, to transfer value to all actors, and to the building, which has a much longer life cycle.”
The second panel focused on the need to protect natural capital and develop a construction model compatible with natural systems. Miquel Rafa, director of Sustainability and Territory at the Catalunya La Pedrera Foundation, highlighted that we are experiencing a crisis with the double component of climate change and the network of life, the ecosystems, the species, the services that these ecosystems are providing us. “We cannot solve one thing without the other, we cannot address the climate issue without addressing the loss of biodiversity and ensuring that ecosystems remain functional.”
Rafa, a biologist by training, was pleasantly surprised by the commitment of the companies participating in this forum to advance as quickly as possible towards the circular economy and that this commitment is translated into concrete actions and not in make-up or marketing operations. As a “very simple example” of the path that companies in the sector can follow to help nature, he explained that every year thousands of birds die in accidental collisions with the windows of buildings or even paddle tennis courts, damage that could be reduced by incorporating small improvements in the construction components, “simple improvements such as the placement of micro-perforations or adhesives that allow birds to detect the glass and not collide with them, changes that can be applied without having to wait for European directives and mandatory laws. compliance".
Vicente Guallart, architect at Urbanitree and founder of the IAAC, for his part, pointed out that, unlike other sectors such as the automotive industry, construction lacks clear limits and strict regulations to address environmental problems. Guallart proposed a radical change in the way of building, moving towards the “demineralization and decarbonization” of the sector, to build with materials that are assimilable for the biosphere. Guallart explained as an example that, "today, when presenting a project to the public administration, we have to detail m2, height, budget, but they do not ask us what the carbon footprint of the building will be."
Marc Basany, Product Manager of Grupo Construcía, addressed the issue by talking about two 'C's: awareness of the impacts of our actions and knowledge to have the ability to change those impacts. Both issues must be translated into action. He highlighted the need for innovation in methodology as a key factor to quantify the real economic impact of internalizing externalities (negative impacts) and analyzing the complete life cycle of projects.
The third of the day's tables addressed several sensitive topics, such as the insurmountable limits that the real estate and construction sector must respect for there to be a future for humanity. Likewise, the speakers presented the debate on the European Taxonomy as a vector that should serve to accelerate the change towards the circular economy and the fight against climate change, although they regretted that its development and application are still not sufficiently defined.
Participating in this dialogue were Elvira Carles, director of the Private Business and Climate Foundation; Juan Carlos Orozco, Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer of Celsa Group; and Ignasi Cubiñá, Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer
Cubiñá stressed the importance of creating a model in which all companies move in the same direction towards sustainability and, on the other hand, emphasized that the taxonomy provides a vision of the interconnectivity in the system and the need to generate transparency in the process. and that is working as a clear lever of change both in Europe and in the world.
Juan Carlos Orozco, for his part, addressed the challenge of time in the application of the taxonomy, recognizing that it is still difficult to know how these European guidelines, so necessary to achieve a circular economy, should be applied. He mentioned the increasing regulatory burden faced by corporations and how states continue to delegate responsibilities and powers to companies, in reference to the new reporting scheme pending approval (CSDDD).
Elvira Carles explained the work carried out by the Business and Climate Foundation as a UN observer on sustainability and stressed the need for politicians to think about future generations adopting a long-term perspective. In this sense, she recalled that, although it may seem contradictory, companies often operate with much broader time horizons than politicians, who are limited to the results they can achieve in their mandate.
In the final presentation of the day, María Salamero, president of the Associació d'Enginyers Industrials de Catalunya, invited everyone present to advance the culture of building, not only in sustainable construction but also in techniques for the reuse of the existing buildings. In this sense, Salamero stated that buildings can become generators of positive impact. Likewise, she pointed out that it is necessary that “we adapt the regulation, the purchasing policies and certify with rigorous and comparable standards with maximum transparency” to achieve measurable objectives. Finally, Salamero established as a priority to prepare professionals to make the technological transition possible with the help of experts.
