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Circular economy

What is circular economy?

Circular economy is a new production and consumption model that ensures sustainable growth over time. With the circular economy, we can drive the optimization of resources, reduce the consumption of raw materials, and recover waste by recycling or giving it a second life as a new product.

The aim of the circular economy is therefore to make the most of the material resources available to us by applying three basic principles: reduce, reuse and recycle. In this way, the life cycle of products is extended, waste is used and a more efficient and sustainable production model is established over time. The idea arises from imitating nature, where everything has value and everything is used, where waste becomes a new resource. In this way, the balance between progress and sustainability is maintained.

Discover through the "Dale una vuelta" series the stories of people who drive the #circulareconomy

What is the difference between the circular economy and the linear economy?

Until now we have lived with linear production models, in other words, we extract, produce, consume, and discard. The society in which we live means that the pace of consumption is accelerating, a model that is fast but unsustainable for the planet.

The circular economy establishes a more sustainable production and consumption model in which raw materials are kept longer in production cycles and can be used repeatedly, therefore generating much less waste. As its name suggests, the essence of this model is that resources are kept in the economy for as long as possible, making it possible to use the waste we generate as raw material for other industries.

What are the benefits of the circular economy?

Protects the environment

It reduces emissions, minimises the consumption of natural resources and reduces waste generation.

Benefits the local economy

It can benefit the local economy by encouraging production models based on the reuse of nearby waste as raw material.

Drives employment growth

It stimulates the development of a new, more innovative and competitive industrial model, higher economic growth, and more employment.

Promotes resource independence

The reuse of local resources can lead to less dependence on imported raw materials.

What are the principles of the circular economy?

Most of us are familiar with the 3R rule, which is essential for sustainable development and preserving the environmental balance: reduce, reuse, and recycle.

In other words, what is obtained from nature returns to it when its lifecycle is over in a cyclical and environmentally friendly way. But, did you know that there are four other rules? These 7Rs are the necessary steps to achieve a circular economy:

Redesign: Thinking and designing products so that their manufacturing process consumes fewer raw materials, extends their lifecycle, and generates less waste (or at least waste that is easier to recycle). This increases environmental protection.
Reduce: Change our consumption habits towards a more sustainable model. If we reduce consumption, we avoid the generation of waste, the use of raw materials, and therefore reduce the impact on the environment.
Reuse: Reusing or repurposing products to extend their lifecycle.
Repair: Until now, when a product broke down, we tended to replace it. However, repairing it is not only cheaper, but also avoids the use of new raw materials, saves energy, and does not generate environmental waste.
Renovate: Update old objects so that they can be reused as vintage, e.g. furniture.
Recycle: Promote best practices in waste management and use what you can as raw material to manufacture new products.
Recover: Give new uses to products that are going to be discarded, for example, using plastic bottles to create watering systems, flower pots, or bird feeders.

Circular economy at Repsol

We implement circular economy projects throughout our entire value chain, from obtaining raw materials to commercializing products and services. Our circular economy strategy is based on four key lines.

Product design

From the product design phase, we apply criteria to minimize raw materials consumption during the manufacture of our products, extend their useful life, and increase the recycling of their components.

Green circle with a sentence about efficiency and innovation

Resource optimization

We optimize resources and processes so that waste has new uses, both in our production processes and in those of third parties.

Pink circle with sentence about renewable energy

Product manufacturing

We use renewable energy sources and alternative raw materials of residual origin to manufacture our products.

Blue circle with sentence about new patterns

Sustainable consumption

We promote initiatives that prioritize rental over purchase of products to encourage more sustainable consumption.

We received the AENOR Circular Strategy certificate

For our circular economy strategy aligned with the principles of: sharing, optimizing, closing the loop, virtualizing, exchanging, regenerating, innovating, and remaining transparent. During the certification process, the AENOR audit team verified our firm commitment to sustainability and the circular economy.

An ambitious goal for 2030

Our industrial facilities are being adapted to use multiple types of waste from different sources and convert them into raw materials to produce fuels and more sustainable materials.

The aim is to use 4 million metric tonnes per year and mitigate more than 7 million metric tonnes of CO₂ per year by 2030.

Currently, we are analyzing more than 40 types of waste and technologies to make possible the production of renewable fuels and circular petrochemical materials.

See our CE strategy

Our circular economy projects

Different types of vehicles on a highway

Synthetic fuels

We produce synthetic fuels using renewable hydrogen and CO₂ as a solution for decarbonizing transportation.

Find out more

Sustainable extenders for the rubber industry

We continue driving sustainability with our products specially designed for the rubber industry.

Find out more

Eco-aggregates: A new product for capturing CO₂

We've joined forces with O.C.O. Technology Limited to produce more sustainable products by capturing and using CO₂ emitted in our industrial processes.

Learn more about eco-aggregates