The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), through the Biodiversity Foundation, has granted a grant of 348,226 euros to Sociedad Paquas Alimentaires S.A. (SENAsa), based in Areso, within the framework of a call for the PERTE of Circular Economy aimed at promoting the circular economy in the plastic sector. This call for proposals includes aid of more than 150 million euros, which will generate a total investment in the sector of more than 530 million euros.
Due to the great demand that the call has had in the plastic sector and the high number of requests received, the call, which was initially endowed with 97.5 million, has increased its endowment by another 57 million.
Of the 201 applications received, 125 projects have been selected (seven of them are carried out by groupings that unite 14 companies). In terms of their nature, 48.12% are led by SMEs (24.82% by small companies and 23.31% by medium-sized companies), while the rest, 51.87%, are not classified as SMEs.
In the case of Navarro project, it is about increasing the level of environmental protection by implementing an innovative process for the manufacture of 100% recycled products with a high degree of waste reduction and reuse.
SENAsa’s objectives include reducing the use of virgin raw materials, increasing recycled plastic, reducing the volume of waste, reusing all generated waste and improving the ecological footprint of the final product. To this end, an advanced thermoforming line, new automated and optimized bagging and grinding systems, a high control chiller and a MES system for traceability will be implemented.
Projects must be completed by 31 October 2027.
Circular Economy PERTE
The Circular Economy PERTE, financed by the Next Generation EU funds, aligned with the Spanish Circular Economy Strategy and the European strategies, has public aid worth 492 million, with which it is expected to mobilize resources in excess of 1.2 billion euros during its execution.
The plastic sector in Spain is of great importance. Proof of this is the turnover of the subsector of manufacture of plastics in primary forms, which rises slightly above 17% of the total of the chemical industry.
Plastic is therefore an important material for the Spanish economy, which has an important role in many processes and sectors such as food or health, but which is often misused, uncoupled from its characteristics. About two-thirds of the world’s plastic production is used for short-life cycle products, and one-third of the plastic is disposable.
Unsustainable patterns of plastic production and consumption, anchored in the linear economy, and the lack of proper waste management have made plastic pollution one of the environmental challenges of our time.
