The Circular Economy in Granada, Spain
While the COVID-19 crisis has put many economic activities on hold, notably tourism, a pillar of Granada’s economy, it has also created a momentum towards more sustainable production and consumption patterns, in line with carbon neutrality goals. The pandemic also magnified the need for new urban paradigms while increasing awareness on the potential of the circular economy to transition to low carbon cities and regions, whilst also stimulating economic growth, creating jobs, and improving people’s lives and social well-being. This report summarises the findings of a two-year policy dialogue with the city of Granada in Spain, and provides recommendations and a vision to transition to a circular economy. It draws on Granada’s own experience with the transformation of a wastewater treatment plant into a bio factory in 2015, which contributed to increased water reuse and the production of new material from waste. The report argues that the city of Granada can play a role as a promoter, facilitator and enabler of the circular economy. This will require a collective and coordinated approach across all stakeholders and levels of government.
Foreword
Like many cities around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit the city of Granada hard, with profound impacts on public health, social well-being and the local economy. As of April 2021, the Autonomous Region of Andalusia, where Granada is located, had the third-highest caseload and number of deaths in the country, after Madrid and Catalonia. The unemployment rate in the city of Granada, already among the highest in the country before the sanitary crisis, reached 28.4% in December 2020. In line with other tourism-dependent provinces, the province of Granada saw a significant fall in gross domestic product (GDP) in Spain (12.6% in 2020), the seventh-highest fall among Spain’s 50 Provinces.
