From our involvement in the Center for Circular Economy of Madrid (CIEC)'s, management, we have coordinated meetings included in the Circularization of Companies program between furniture manufacturing companies and Madrid City Hall.
The goal was to advise these companies when designing and manufacturing furniture to facilitate its circularity. This comprises roadside bollards, fences, street pots, benches, bins, bike parking racks, etc.
At the same time, in partnership with the City Hall, we have provided information to create an appropriate framework that allows a change of vision when applying the installation requirements of these supports.
"There are not many urban furniture companies in Madrid. With this program, we have provided individual support to each of them,” explains Saul Ortiga, Manager of innovation projects at Valoriza.
“In the first stages, we explained to them what the circular economy was, sustainability. Many of the difficulties that manufacturing companies find to include circular economy criteria is the context in which they work: the characteristics of the urban furniture elements that they manufacture is conditioned by the criteria that are applied when the elements are approved by the City Council to be installed in the different areas of Madrid,” explains Antonio Salvatierra, Head of the Urban Equipment Service at Valoriza in Madrid.
"For instance, rubber bollards have a steel core enclosed in a rubber and resin mixture. In this case, it is very difficult to separate the rubber from the steel. It would be easier for us if they were made in a single recyclable fraction that could be easily recycled, for example, only metal, or if the item was made with two or more fractions, these should be easy to separate", explains Salvatierra.
Within this whole process discussions with the Madrid City Hall have considered the evolution of their way of applying the legislation when it comes to approving furniture using circular economy criteria.
In this way, companies that make an effort to apply circular economy principles in their products could obtain higher scores in tender processes.
Sacyr, as a conservative company of this furniture, is looking for solutions to give a useful outlet to it when it no longer serves or is deteriorated. This way, the possibility of recycling deteriorated urban furniture becomes a possibility in their activities. "This way we open new opportunities to collaborate with the manufacturing companies as we have been doing so far”, says Saul.
Another determining factor for change would be the servitization of the product. Meaning, that instead of the City Council owning the furniture, it could rent it out to manufacturing companies. This would promote the elements' durability.
"This way, the manufacturer might could no longer be interested in the product deteriorating as soon as possible, but in it lasting as long as possible instead. It is a joint effort between manufacturer, conservation company, with the support of the municipalities. The trend could be joint ventures between manufacturing and maintenance companies. The business area would be expanded, as would the social and environmental benefit", explains Saul.
