Basque Circular EXPO Objectives
In order to raise awareness of the progress made by Basque companies in terms of the circular economy in recent years and to serve as an instrument of recognition by the Basque Government for the work carried out, a great exhibition of circular solutions will be held within the framework of the Basque Circular Summit 2025, like in previous editions, under the name of Basque Circular EXPO 2025.
All Basque companies that have developed new circular solutions (products and/or services) may participate in the exhibition, no matter whether they have been developed with the support of the Ihobe company, with their own resources or with the support of third parties
Participation Terms and Conditions
Regarding the product / service
- That the proposed solution is fully developed and is in the production or marketing phase, whereby the presence of non-functional prototypes or past developments that are not currently being marketed are not valid.
- That the organisation can demonstrate the environmental improvement achieved in the proposed solution compared to the previous alternative or similar alternatives within its competence (quantification of the reduction of environmental impact, either through its own assessment or (preferably) through an official environmental impact measurement report, such as the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), verified carbon footprint, LCA with an external critical review,…*).
*NOTE: In those cases in which quantified environmental information is not available, but the proposed solution can demonstrate that significant design measures that contribute to improved environmental performance have been applied, Ihobe can provide a free service to assess its environmental impact, in order to meet this requirement. Therefore, companies interested in using this service must collaborate with this public company, providing the necessary information to carry out the environmental assessment of the proposed solution.
Regarding the company
- Its registered office or at least one centre of activity must be located in the Basque Country.
- Its situation must be regularised in terms of its tax obligations and Social Security contributions, in accordance with the limits set out in the prevailing legislation.
A single company may submit several proposals, although, for reasons of space and to ensure the highest possible representativeness, this may be limited to a maximum of two solutions per organisation. It is the responsibility of the participating companies to deliver and ensure that Ihobe receives the products that will form part of the exhibition in due time and form, and that they are collected at the end of the congress.
“Basque Circular BEST 2025" Awards
Within the framework of the Basque Circular Summit 2025, the Basque Government’s Public Company for Environmental Management, Ihobe, is organising the first edition of the “Basque Circular BEST” Awards in recognition of the best business solutions in circular economy, both in terms of products and services and business models.
Through these awards, Ihobe aims, on the one hand, to publicly recognise the contribution of these initiatives to increasing sustainability and, on the other hand, to act as a catalyst to foster the implementation of this type of projects in the Basque industrial sector.
To be eligible for these awards, the products, services or solutions proposed must be physically displayed at the “Basque Circular EXPO” which will be held at the Euskalduna Conference Centre in Bilbao from 2nd to 4th April 2025 as part of the “Basque Circular Summit 2025”.
The awards do not receive any monetary payment.
There will be four awards:
- Award for the most circular product.
- Award for the most circular service.
- Award for the most circular business model.
- Award for the start-up with the most circular solution.
Winning an award implies a balanced integration of all the aspects mentioned in the “evaluation criteria” section.
Furthermore, the Jury may award special mentions for any of the aspects considered.
Ihobe will set up a Jury of at least 5 and at most 12 members, in which experts in sustainability and circular economy will participate, which will be announced in advance. Its functions are to:
- Decide on the quality of the entries submitted and, where appropriate, select them.
- Decide on the ranking of the entries in each of the sections of the award.
Following its deliberations, the Jury shall draw up minutes justifying the award of the prizes.
Decisions shall always be taken with the absolute majority of the Jury members.
The Jury’s decision will be final, and will be taken during the “Basque Circular Summit 2025” from 2nd to 4th April 2025. The awards will be presented at a public ceremony during the congress.
The Jury will evaluate the following criteria in each category:
• Circularity criteria (50% of the score)Aspects related to circularity and sustainability as a whole will be considered. Contributions to reducing the environmental footprint throughout the life cycle will be assessed.
• Technological and innovation criteria (30% of the score)These aspects are related to innovation in the product/service or business model as well as in the technology used, both in its production and the technology it integrates, analysing its contribution to increasing the company’s competitiveness and differentiation in the market.
• Communication criteria (20% of the score)The way in which the proposed solution is communicated, the way in which it conveys the added value to the customer and the tools and channels used to do so will be assessed.
The documentation required will be the same as that submitted when applying to take part in the “Basque Circular Expo”. Therefore, those companies wishing to enter the awards will simply have to indicate this on the application form to participate in the exhibition, indicating the category of the award they wish to enter.
As it is possible for the same company to submit several proposals, it will be able to choose which one(s) it wishes to enter for the awards and the desired category in each case.
Application Form
The application form will have two different sections, one of a general nature with company and contact details, and another that is specific to the product to be displayed at the exhibition. Other supporting documents (certificates, figures, diagrams, links to videos, photographs, etc.) may also be attached, up to a maximum of three annexes per application.
