In December 2015, the European Commission (EC) adopted the Strategy 'Closing the loop. An EU action plan for the Circular Economy', an action plan to accelerate the Europe's transition to a circular economy, to boost global competitiveness, to promote sustainable economic growth, and to create new jobs.

Fundación Laboral de la Construcción also participates in the challenge of achieving the EU's 2020 objectives, through two European projects that are in line with the strategies, protocols and measures set out by the Commission.

The new initiative "RCdiGreen. The circular economy of the CDW as a strategy for adaptation to climate change", belonging to the Poctefa programme, which is led by the Fundación Laboral of Navarra. And the Erasmus+ project "CDWaste-ManageVET. Development of Vocational Education and Training -VET- to address skills needs in construction and demolition waste management", which is coordinated by the Environment Office of Corsica (France) and Pedmede (Greece).

In the Circular Economy Action Plan, the EC identified five priority sectors to support the transition along its value chains, including construction and demolition, together with plastics, food waste, critical raw materials, biomass and biomaterials.

Construction and demolition waste (CDW) is one of the heaviest and biggest wastes generated in the European Union (EU), amounting to 36.4% of total EU waste production. The sector has become the main consumer and generator of waste, more than 90% of materials and inert waste (including concrete, bricks, plaster, wood, glass, metals, plastic), many of these can be recycled.

Over these three years, the Action Plan has carried out the 54 measures proposed, to "close the loop" of the product life-cycle: from production and consumption to waste management and the market for secondary raw materials. However, some of the measures will continue beyond 2019.

Strategy for the valorisation of CDWs

In the area of Navarre and the Atlantic Pyrenees, the development of the CDW has become a strategic objective for the Administration and the inter-regional construction industry. The reason is the lack of raw materials, he difficulties in opening up new landfills, the regulations for extractive industry operations and the strategic commitment to the renovation of buildings to adapt them to new social and energy needs.

However, a strategy is needed to implement efficient management of CDW, based on the foundations of the circular economy, which responds to each of the needs linked to sustainability (economic, social and environmental).

This is the main objective of the five partners of the RCdiGreen project, who held the project's kick-off meeting last week in Pamplona (Navarra): to design a strategy for the valorisation of CDWs, to improve the qualification of professionals and the safety of workers, and to develop pilot experiences to validate this strategy. These actions, together with other complementary ones, will be developed during the next three years.

Shortage of CDW management skills in the workforce

Furthermore, the six CDWaste partners -who also held their first meeting on November 20th and 21st in Bucharest (Romania)- aim to answer the needs of CDW management, through the development of specialised training, and to promote the model of the circular economy in the European construction sector,over a period of 28 months.

With this initiative, an innovative online VET training programme will be launched, based on an open online courses, adapted to the demands of the labour market and to cover the skills in CDW management in the existing workforce.

Positive progress, but much to be done

On 4th March the European Commission published a report on the implementation of the Circular Economy Action Plan. The report presents the main achievements of the Plan and outlines the challenges ahead in shaping our economy and simplifying the path towards a circular and climate-neutral economy.

In addition, Eurostat reported last March that the EU had achieved record recycling rates and use of recycled materials that are "steadily increasing". Overall, the EU recycled around 55% of all waste excluding major mineral waste in 2016 (compared with 53% in 2010). The rate for recovering construction and demolition waste reached 89% (2016), with a recycling rate of 18%.

Measures linked to the EU Construction & Demolition Waste Management Protocol, which is also part of the Construction 2020 Strategy, as well as the Communication on Resource Efficiency Opportunities in the Building Sector and the European Commission's Circular Economy Action Plan. Its overall objective is to increase confidence in the process of managing Construction and Demolition Waste and trust in the quality of recycled Construction and Demolition materials. This will be achieved by: improving waste identification, separation and collection at source; waste logistics; waste treatment; quality management; and appropriate framework conditions and policies.

All adds up in the sustainable cycle

In addition to these new projects, the Fundación Laboral de la Construcción is making progress along these lines, through various other European initiatives:

• Bus.Trainers, with the course to be launched in early 2020 on "Environmental skills for trainers in the sector", which has a specific module on "Waste management".
• Construction Blueprint, in which the European framework of professional skills is developed, based on three priority areas, one of which is the circular economy and the important role of construction in the transition to a 4.0 industry that respects a sustainable cycle in the sector.
• Construye 2020+, which promotes 'green' employment in the construction industry by encouraging professional training and accreditation in Energy Efficiency (EE), Renewable Energy Systems (RES) and Near Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB). And, with all this, the sustainable life cycle of the building.
• Net-Ubiep, which promotes the increase in the energy performance of buildings through the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM), a methodology directly linked to waste management and the digital economy.