Legislation, technology, and co-responsibility for a second life

The Vocento-ABC headquarters hosted a new meeting of the 'ABC Natural' forums, this time under the title 'Transforming Waste', to analyze the current and future regulations and their updates, reflect on sustainable solutions, on-the-ground experiences with management models, and more. New developments include the upcoming introduction of the Deposit, Return, and Refund System (DRRS) for certain types of packaging, especially single-use beverage containers such as plastic bottles and cans.

In the current context of ecological transition and sustainability, waste management and recycling have undoubtedly become key pillars for achieving the climate and environmental objectives of Spain and the European Union, in times of Sustainable Development Goals. The recent approval of new regulations, both at the state and regional levels, poses significant challenges for public administrations, businesses, and citizens, but also opens the door to new opportunities for innovation, investment, and green job creation.

In January 2025, the entry into force of the new regulations on packaging and packaging waste marked a substantial shift in the way the product life cycle is conceived, introducing clear obligations for producers and marketers, in addition to supporting mechanisms such as the aforementioned SDDR and the reinforcement of Collective Systems of Extended Producer Responsibility (SCRAP). This context of clear social interest, highly topical, was discussed by Charo Barroso, head of 'ABC Natural', who moderated the meeting between Sandra Anguiano, Director of Public Affairs and Institutional Relations at Ecovidrio; Isabel Goyena García-Tuñón, Director of Envalora; Esther Colino, Director of Business and Public Affairs at ProCircular; and Isabel Rivadulla Sánchez, Director of Communications and Marketing at Signus.

The specialists shared their experiences in this role as SCRAP, as non-profit entities, to contribute to a more sustainable society, in which responsibility is transversal to public administrations, companies and citizens... a current situation in which much progress remains to be made, as Anguiano pointed out: "There is still a lot of regulatory development pending, which I hope we will see in the coming months, in which commercial and industry obligations, the corresponding data information requirements, etc., must be detailed."

Goyena, for his part, emphasized that until a few months ago, many companies were not yet registered as product producers; however, "at ENVALORA, we have reached 2,600 registered members of our collective system." Colino emphasized that "there are still many industrial companies that must comply with the requirements to avoid unfair competition, considering that 50% of companies are from outside Spain. This is why the figure of the Authorized Representative is important. For example, the European and national approaches do not coincide, so legal security is necessary in the medium and long term."

The Signus representative pointed out, for her part, how "in the case of tires, the legislation dates back twenty years, with a modification five years ago, in line with the regulation of packaging and waste, as in the case of the producer registry." A review in which she highlighted how so-called "1,400" tires (very large and expensive to manage) have already entered this virtuous circle, while bicycle tires are still considered urban waste.

Rivadulla added, in this context, how the 'new life' of 21st-century tires involves processes such as pyrolysis to enable new uses, "even more so when recycled rubber granules (used in artificial turf fields) will be considered microplastics in 2031. This will be one of the challenges to be faced in the context of the next Royal Decree that will regulate the relevant obligations of producers, eco-modulation, tire flow, etc."

A time of challenges, therefore, in which Anguiano highlighted how "more than 90% are small and medium-sized food and cosmetics companies, which we must support by supporting a clear definition of obligations, without forgetting the importance of joint responsibility among the companies themselves, public administrations, and citizens, to ensure separation at source."

In any case, and as in all sectors of economic activity (and, therefore, demands for efficiency in sustainability), technology (with tools such as Artificial Intelligence and Big Data—data collection and analysis) will contribute to a management system "in which 60% of municipalities are directly managed," as well as to the ongoing performance of information and dissemination: "We have to make things easier for everyone involved, and be aware that we scrappers must work in a coordinated manner: it's true that sometimes we are competitors, but we each have our own specialties." This is an essential role in this new world, characterized by factors such as those highlighted during the conference: the grouping of multiple producers; the responsibility to finance, coordinate, and control selective collection, transportation, treatment, and recovery of waste; the presentation of operational plans, performance reports, annual audits, and compliance with specific recycling and reuse targets, etc.

In this area of ​​European regulatory implementation, Goyena noted that Spain requires more data to report than the rest of the EU, which poses a challenge for integration with other registries. While in other countries there is no distinction between industrial and commercial packaging, in Spain this distinction is made.

On the other hand, Goyena highlighted that ENVALORA is providing incentives to holders of single-use packaging waste who recycle it through authorized recyclers. Companies can sign an agreement and receive financial compensation for the proper management of their packaging waste. In this regard, ENVALORA works daily to drive the industry toward greater efficiency and sustainability. Its two pioneering packaging reuse systems, Closed and Open SDDR, will allow companies to meet European reuse targets. They have also proposed specific selective collection models for the construction sector.

The meeting demonstrated how scrappage companies are prepared to adapt to these types of incidents, in a model that requires agility and flexibility to stay ahead of the curve. In Colino's case, he discussed initiatives such as Procircular Depósito, an entity through which we have requested official authorization to operate a deposit and refund system (SDDR) in Spain. Their proposal is based on expertise, advanced technology, efficient logistics, and international collaboration, with the goal of building a flexible, transparent, and citizen-centered system.

He added that "currently, there are nearly 40,000 companies registered in the producer registry, when it is estimated that there should be more than 150,000; therefore, there is a very significant number of companies that are still not complying. Therefore, the responsibility for achieving recycling targets in Spain falls on a limited number of companies, which generates unfair competition and market imbalance."

As Rivadulla concluded: "We must continue with our technological processes to obtain useful materials that can be reintroduced into industrialization through recycling. Therefore, upcoming legislative developments will be essential for us to carry out our work under the best possible conditions." These technological developments, the participants emphasized, emphasized the importance of their application in essential work platforms not only for processing so much data and sectoral and multinational case studies or for providing proper management of essential traceability, but also for ensuring that they reach the user in the clearest possible way.

A statement of intent that coincides with the conclusions of a conference that underscored the importance of the role of scrap metal in the sustainable world of the 21st century, as a means of support, in a shared commitment by industry and business to comply with laws that must rise to these challenges. In new times, with new models, the establishment of sanctions for non-compliance was also called for ("if there are sanctions for traffic violations, there should also be sanctions for anyone who demonstrates irresponsibility in this regard").