As the leader of the RCdiGREEN project, Fundación Laboral de la Construcción de Navarra organized last Thursday, 18 March, the work session on "Circular economy of construction and demolition waste (CDW) as a strategy for adapting to climate change", at its headquarters in Huarte.

The event brought together around twenty professionals and organizations from the sector both in person and online. Participants analyzed the opportunities, advantages, and benefits of the extensive use of recycled aggregates from construction and demolition waste, compared to natural and artificial aggregates.

Susana Aldaz and Isabel Martín, representatives of Gestión Ambiental Navarra-GAN NIK, the partner organization of the project, presented the "Inventory and characterization of degraded spaces and potential public spaces receiving recycled aggregates in Navarra". During their intervention, the authors defended the need to raise awareness of the properties offered by recycled CDW aggregate to the construction sector, which remains distrustful of this product. They also stressed the need to provide it with a CE marking and the need for public administrations to promote its extensive use in construction, as well as the use of natural or artificial aggregates.

Benjamin Laclau, representative of Nobatek, another RCdiGREEN's partner, presented a report prepared by this institute for energy transition. It identified the requirements for the use of CDW within a "Prospective analysis on climate change adaptation in construction based on the foundations of the circular economy", focusing on the regulatory differences in the regions of Navarre and Aquitaine.

To conclude, Emilio Lezana and Marta Ruiz, the manager and head of training at Fundación Laboral de la Construcción de Navarra,  respectively, explained the next steps planned for the project. Afterwards, attendees had the opportunity to share their points of view on two issues: how to boost the use of CDW in public works and in construction sites, and how to promote the use of CDW in rural environments.

The European RCdiGREEN project is an initiative led by Fundación Laboral de la Construcción de Navarra, with a partnership of entities from Spain and France: Gestión Ambiental Navarra-GAN NIK, Recuperación Ambiental (Ream), HautBearn and Nobatek. The objective of this initiative of the Poctefa programme is to develop a circular economy strategy that allows a better use and optimised management of Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) for the construction industry in Navarre and the Atlantic Pyrenees.

This initiative, budgeted at 1,045,000.03 euros, is 65% co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through Interreg V-A Spain, France, Andorra (Poctefa 2014-2020). The aim of this European programme is to strengthen economic and social integration along the Spain-France-Andorra border.