- Cepsa commits to maximising the use of renewable and circular materials to become a key player in the construction of new, sustainable production models in 2030
- Increasing the circularity of its waste streams by minimizing, recycling and reusing 8,000 tons of waste per year at its large industrial centers in Andalusia
- Increasing the share of renewable and circular feedstocks in its Energy Parks to 15%
- Leading the production of biofuels from 2G feedstocks
According to the company’s website press release on February 8, 2023, Cepsa announced strengthened 2030 circular economy targets, moving forward with its Positive Motion strategy to become a leader in sustainable mobility in Spain and Portugal and a benchmark in the energy transition. The company is committed to increasing the circularity of its waste streams by 50% by 2030 (versus 2019), allowing for 8,000 tons of waste to be minimized, recycled or recovered per year in Cepsa’s large industrial centers in Andalusia.
Cepsa will achieve this new commitment, one of the most ambitious in the energy sector, through the use of new technologies, the development of projects for the co-processing of waste and the identification of synergies with other companies to promote industrial symbiosis.
The company will also leverage its zero-waste approach and industry knowledge to maximize the use of waste as a raw material through sustainable solutions; and will progressively replace fossil sources in the products it sells by introducing renewable and recycled materials.
“The circular economy commitments we are presenting today allow us to continue progressing towards a zero-waste business model thanks to more sustainable solutions: reducing waste generation in our operations and promoting industrial symbiosis to give a second life to raw materials that were previously discarded. These 2030 targets will help support our 2030 sustainability strategy Positive Motion”. Mar Perrote - Director of HSEQ at Cepsa
The company's new transformation strategy, launched in 2022, aims to support Cepsa customers in their decarbonisation process. To do this, the company set itself the ambitious goal of reducing the carbon intensity of its marketed products by between 15% and 20% in this decade, as part of its roadmap towards net zero emissions (net zero). In this sense, the circular economy is a key lever for Cepsa to achieve the objectives of its ' Positive Motion ' strategy.
A second life for waste and wastewater
Cepsa will maximize the use of its own waste and that of third parties as raw material, giving it a second life. An example of this is the company's recent agreement with Aguas y Servicios del Campo de Gibraltar (Arcgisa), to promote actions related to the circular economy that affect urban waste. Specifically, this collaboration is aimed at the recovery and recovery of organic waste, used oils of domestic origin, biological sludge, and other waste from the facilities managed by Arcgisa.
Through this agreement, Cepsa will also produce green hydrogen from wastewater, avoiding its discharge into the sea. It is a project that will be developed in its San Roque Energy Park (Cádiz), and that will have a very positive impact on the availability of drinking water. This demonstrates the company's commitment to the goal it set last year, to reduce freshwater withdrawal by 20% in water-stressed areas by 2025. Maximize the use of renewable and circular
materials
Progressively, the company will replace fossil raw materials with renewable and recycled sources. The company undertakes to increase the proportion of renewable and circular raw materials in its Energy Parks to 15% by 2030. This will mean the use of 2.8 million tons of raw materials by 2030, of which 75% will be second generation (2G) and other waste that would otherwise be thrown away.
In addition, by 2030, Cepsa will lead the production of biofuels, such as renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), produced from second-generation raw materials (organic waste, used cooking oils or agricultural waste, among others).
An example of this type of solution is the production of SAF from agricultural waste produced by Cepsa, with which more than 220 flights departed from Seville airport last December, avoiding the emission of more than 200 tons of CO 2 .
Collaboration, key to driving change
Cepsa has created a circular economy working group in which all its divisions and business units participate, with the aim of promoting circularity, both in its activity and in its products. This includes the evaluation of new technologies and the implementation of waste co-processing projects and synergies with other companies to promote industrial symbiosis. Cepsa has been recognized for this leadership, receiving the 'Key Innovator' seal from the European Commission's 'Innovation Radar' programme, in collaboration with AIJU (Instituto Tecnológico de Producto Infantil y Ocio) and other companies and institutions at the beginning of 2023.
