The Basque Government's Ministry for Industry, the Energy Transition and Sustainability will use the event to drive a circular economy by supporting Basque companies to face the challenges arising from EU policies and thus guaranteeing a transition towards a production model with better utilisation of the raw materials.

New this year, the next edition will have three main features: the ‘Forum’ will amalgamate all the congress papers over three days; the ‘Expo’ will showcase the developments in the circular economy by Basque companies in recent years, and there is still time for exhibitors to sign up; and, finally, the ‘Village’ will be the meeting point with stands and parallel events for the different entities and stakeholders working in this field to share and roll out their activities.

A range of papers

The Basque Circular Summit 2025 website has a preview of the themes that will be discussed during the three days of the summit. The ‘Forum’ will cover all areas surrounding the circular economy: packaging and the textile sector; the transition from the European Green Deal to the new Clean Industrial Deal; along with critical raw materials; construction materials; the European Ecodesign Regulation; the digital product passport; and the right to repair.

The event, organised by Ihobe, will be held in Bilbao on 2, 3 and 4 April, and over 800 professionals from the industrial and environmental sectors are expected to attend

The second day will focus on analysing the applicable European initiatives for Basque municipalities and the new legislative framework on corporate sustainability transparency. The panels will address topics such as sustainable finances, waste management, assessing the sustainability of SMEs, and how to empower consumers. And highly important issues, such as greenwashing and shifting capital investments to sustainable projects.

The final day will be spent on explaining how to measure circularity and sustainability in organisations, examples of circular business models will be given, and the importance of technology to accelerate the climate and circular transition in industry will be analysed. Accordingly, there will also be time to understand how artificial intelligence can be applied in the field of the circular economy, along with the key contributions of ecoinnovation to make materials more efficient.

An exhibition of circular Basque products

The ‘Expo’ will showcase a good number of examples of circularity in Basque companies thanks to products provided by the different sectors. The exhibition will also be the opportunity for the Basque Government to recognise the work of Basque industry in recent years in its transition to a more circular economy.

The different solutions in products and services developed so far will be on display at the Basque Circular EXPO 2025. Companies interested in being part of the exhibition can register until 31 January 2025. The requirements to do so include having their registered office or an activity centre in the Basque Country, and that their solutions are fully developed with demonstrable environmental improvement.

A new feature is that three events will be held in one: ‘Forum’ (the summit papers), ‘Expo’ (an exhibition of circular products) and ‘Village’ (a space to share and showcase circular economy activities)

A space for networking

The Basque Circular Summit 2025 is rounded off with the ‘Village’, which will be open during the three days so that entities and stakeholders of the circular economy can be in the spotlight or share their experiences. This networking is channelled around 20 modular stands, which will display achievements in the more efficient use of the resources, along with other priority strategies to address climate change or the loss of biodiversity. Stakeholders wishing to take part have until 17 January to apply for a stand; participants will be selected according to the value proposition that they offer.

The ‘Village’ is also the venue for parallel events within the Basque Circular Summit, organised by the entities at those stands. In total, 8 sessions have been reserved.

New edition of the Basque Circular Summit

The Basque Circular Summit had last been held at the Ficoba exhibition centre (Irun) in November 2022. Over 800 professionals and 350 companies from multiple industrial sectors gathered there to learn about new more sustainable and competitive business models.

Thanks to the event, the Basque Country has become a European benchmark in the circular economy, focused on its application to the business fabric. The participants at the 2022 Summit included European Commission representatives, large Basque companies, different clusters, technology centres and universities.

This latest edition of the Basque Circular Summit 2025 bolsters the commitment of Ihobe, a publicly-owned company attached to the Basque Government's Ministry of Industry, the Energy Transition and Sustainability, to help Basque industry to be ready for the impending economic challenges.

Registration is through the Summit's website: Basque Circular Summit – 2025