Circular Economy and its opportunities for the public sector in the post-pandemic scenario

PhD in Environmental Engineering and professor in the ‘Environmental Technologies’ area in the Department of Chemical Engineering of the Environment at the School of Engineering in Bilbao. Since 2017 she is the Director of Sustainability and Social Commitment at the UPV / EHU. She is in charge of promoting and planning, along with the Vice-Rectorrate of Scientific and Social Development and Knowledge Transfer. She is a member of the Academic Committee of the Master Circular Economy: Business Aplication. Furthermore, she is the vicepresident of the Spanish Network for Sustainable Development (REDS).

She graduated in Business Sciences from the Mondragon University and she has developed a large part of her professional career linked to local development. Since 2005, she has been part of the Azaro Fundazioa team and for 4 years, she has managed the Lea Artibai Development Agency. She works in the observatory area where she proactively identifies opportunities that have an impact on the economic development of the Lea Artibai region. Together with her team, she has developed numerous projects in coordination with companies and local agents for the strengthening of the business network and generation of new business opportunities linked to different areas including the circular economy.

PhD in Economics, Master in Engineering (Environmental Technology and Management) and Degree in Economics. He is currently a research professor at the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3), which he joined in 2013. He has previously held research positions at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (2010-2013) and the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU (2001-2010). His research focuses on the analysis of the social, economic and environmental implications of the transition to a low-carbon economy. He has published more than 130 technical and scientific papers including 60 articles in scientific journals, 4 books, 17 book chapters and more than 50 scientific reports. He has also been a consultant to several institutions such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Bank, the World Health Organization and the European Commission, among others.

Ismael Aznar Cano is graduated in Law with a specialization in Community Law from the CEU San Pablo University in Madrid. He is a member of the Civil Administrators Staff of the State. He also holds a degree in Geography and History from the National University of Distance Education (UNED). Since February 2020 he has been General Director on Environmental Quality and Assessment at the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge. From July 2018 to February 2020 he was Director of Cabinet of the Secretary of State for the Environment. From January 2014 to July 2018 he worked at the European Commission as Policy officer (Seconded National Expert) in the General Directorate for Climate Action. From 2000 to 2013 he held positions of responsibility in different areas of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment and Ministry of Economy and Finance.

General Manager of NEIKER. She is a member of the governing boards of the Elhuyar Foundation and the Elika Foundation, of the board of the European Forest Institute (EFI) and of the board of directors of the Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA). In 2021, he joined the Basque Council for Science, Technology and Innovation.

Graduate in Business Management and Administration from Mondragon Unibertsitatea. MBA General Management and Postgraduate Degree in Local Agenda 21 Management. Since 2000 she has been Head of the Sustainable Development Department of Debegesa, Regional Development Agency of Debabarrena, and since 2016 she has also directed the Tourism Area of the organization. She has led and been part of the drafting team of the Strategic Plan for Sustainable Development of Debabarrena, Energy Strategy of Debabarrena and the definition of the Industrial Agenda of the Circular Economy of Debabarrena. Among the works led by Aitziber, the following three projects awarded by Udalsarea stand out: Revitalization of the Agenda 21 processes, Goitondo Project and Deba Ibaia Bizigura.

Manager of Economic Strategic Sectors Area at Bilbao Ekintza (Economic Development Agency of Bilbao), she is in charge of several programs related to Creative Industries, Digital Economy and Advanced Services, and works on activities linked to the European projects and International Design networks, as the UNESCO Cities of Design network. She also co-organizes the Bilbao Design Week and other events on the field of Design. She has a MSc in Management, Marketing specialty by Sarriko University UPV-EHU and has taken part in the International Leadership Program in Visual Arts Management, New York University – NYU and Deusto University, and Microeconomics of Competitiveness, Deusto University.

Director of Circular Economy at Ihobe and responsible for the Basque Ecodesign Center, a public-private collaboration initiative between the Basque Government itself and 8 of the most important industrial companies with their own products in the Basque Country for the promotion of Ecodesign and the integration of Life Cycle Assessment in industrial activity. Industrial Engineer from the Faculty of Engineering in Bilbao, he has more than 15 years of professional experience in private enterprise and administration. More than 10 years actively participating in different technical committees of the European Union in Brussels and in national and international committees in the field of product standardisation (UNE and ISO committees). Designated expert for Latin America and the Caribbean in Ecodesign, Life Cycle Assessment and Sustainable Building by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Jorge Fernández is Coordinator of the Energy Area at Orkestra. He holds a PhD in Economics from Georgetown University, and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the Autonomous University of Madrid. He has published several articles in specialist journals and books on the functioning and regulation of energy markets. He has extensive experience in the energy sector. He was director of analysis at MIBGAS, in the field of strategy, regulation and market analysis. He was technical director of the Iberian Gas Hub, working in the gas hub in the Iberian Peninsula and directing intermediation services in the wholesale natural gas market. He was deputy general manager of Intermoney Energía, where he led a team specialising in the regulation and operation of energy markets, and consultant at NERA Economic Consulting, in projects analysing regulated activities in the electricity sector and the operation of electricity markets.

Degree in economics from the EHU/UPV, with a university specialisation in communication, environmental policy, regional and urban economics. Master's degree in Business and Institutional Communication Management from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Professionally linked to the management of public policies, he has developed technical functions in the management of projects and services related to the design, development and communication of environmental policies for the last twenty years. Since 2010 he has held management responsibilities in the field of strategic support and communication. He is currently the Director of Environmental Sustainability at Ihobe, the Basque Government's Public Company for Environmental Management. In addition, since 2011 he has participated in several external evaluation processes within the framework of the Euskalit Basque Award for Advanced Management, playing the role of senior evaluator in some of them.

Degree in Biology from the UPV/EHU (1999), she has been working as an Environmental Technician at Amurrio Town Council since 2000 as head of environmental planning and sustainability. She is in charge of developing and implementing Agenda 2030 in the municipality and has been the coordinator of the EMAS environmental management system in Amurrio Town Council since 2003. She has managed numerous strategic and innovative projects in the environmental and sustainability sector in Amurrio, in different topics such as circular economy, climate change, energy transition, water cycle management, biodiversity, soil, mobility, environmental education, rural development and citizen participation, among others.

Degree in Law from the University of Deusto, Specialist in Gender Mainstreaming from the University Jaume I of Castellon. General Manager of ELIKA FUNDAZIOA, Basque Foundation for Basque Agri-Food Security from 2016 to the present and therefore member of the Management Committee of the Circular Economy Strategy of the Basque Country, co-responsible for the Circular Food Key Project of the Environmental Framework Plan of the Basque Country and participant in the Strategic Plan for Gastronomy and Food of the Basque Country. Elika Fundazioa has designed and implemented the Basque Strategy against Food Waste. It has created the Basque Platform against Food Waste in more than 100 organisations. Elika Fundazioa supports the Basque agri-food sector in the transition towards a more sustainable food system, following the Farm to Fork Strategy integrated in the Green Deal and the Basque Country 2030 Agenda.

He coordinates activities on Circular Economy, sustainable resource use and industry at the European Environment Agency (EEA). Previously, he worked as an expert in the area of industrial environment at both the EEA and the European Commission. Prior to his European experience, Daniel worked in the administration of the Community of Madrid coordinating the inspection of industrial installations, particularly those under the scope of the regulations on pollution integrated prevention and control, and as a consultant for the former Ministry of Environment in the field of environmental investments of various European Funds.

She holds a degree in Chemistry (University of the Basque Country) and an Executive MBA (University of Barcelona). She has extensive professional experience in companies, particularly in VIDRALA, where she has held various management positions. She has participated as a representative in important glass sector associations such as FEVE - European Federation of glass packaging and glass tableware makers and ANVEFI - National Association of Glass Packaging Manufacturers, and in glass consortiums in the field of innovation such as IPGR or ICG. Olga Martín is currently the General Manager of Aclima. Her commitment to the cluster and its Strategic Plan is to position the Basque environmental sector as a lever of competitiveness for the rest of the sectors. Aclima-Basque Environment Cluster is the reference point for the environmental sector in the Basque Country. It represents the private sector as well as the sphere of knowledge and the public sector.

Industrial Engineer specialized in Mechanical engineering (1995) by the Faculty of Engineering in Bilbao. He works at the Department of Graphic Design and Engineering Projects since 1998. He was recognized as Full Professor since 2019. Head of the Department of Graphic Design and Engineering Projects since 2016. Chair of the board of studies of the Master's Degree 'Circular Economy: Business Application' of the University of the Basque Country. He joined Laval University in Québec in 2005 as a visiting scientist. He works in the Product Design Laboratory since its creation in 2005, and in the Life Cycle Thinking Group. His current research focuses on Product Life Cycle Assessment, Ecodesign and Circular Economy.

Enrique Monasterio: Graduate in Industrial Engineering specialising in energy technologies at the Bilbao Engineering School, part of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), where he also did his doctorate in Thermal Engineering. He also holds a master's degree in Automotion Project Leadership from AIC. His career has always been linked to the energy sector. He is currently head of Development and Innovation at the Basque energy organisation EVE, where he has worked in different positions since 1992. From 2010 to 2016, and then in the first half of 2018, he held the position of general manager of the electric vehicle charging service provider IBIL (in which EVE and REPSOL each have a 50% holding) and its electric car-sharing subsidiary IBILEK.  For some years he combined his work at EVE with lecturing in thermodynamics at the Bilbao Engineering School, part of the University of the Basque Country.

He was born in Genoa, Italy. He holds a degree in Management and Economics from Università Bocconi, Milan. After working in the HR department of a multinational company, he joined the European Commission in 1994, serving in a variety of posts in Eurostat, the Enterprise and Industry DG, the Secretariat-General and the Health and Consumers DG, where from 2006 to 2011 he headed the unit responsible for non-food consumer safety. From 2012 to 2016 he was the Head of the "Medicinal products - quality, safety and efficacy" Unit and then of the “Animal nutrition, veterinary medicines” Unit. Stefano joined the Internal Market, Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs DG as Head of the "Food Industry" Unit in 2017. Since 16 March 2021 he is the Head of the DG’s new Green and Circular Economy Unit.