- The CÍCLICOM National Platform for Complex Plastics and Composites will be unveiled during the event.
- CÍCLICOM is looking to add actors to its innovation ecosystem based around composite materials and complex plastics
On February 18, Madrid will host the closing event of the CÍCLICOM project, an innovation ecosystem that connects technology centers, companies, and associations in order to speed up the circular economy involving complex materials and plastics in the automotive, aeronautics, renewable energy, and electrical-electronic sectors. The event will showcase the main results of the CÍCLICOM project, raise awareness about the CÍCLICOM National Platform for Complex Plastics and Composites, and there will be presentations and round tables to discuss the challenges and opportunities for effectively connecting the supply and demand of recycled plastics in Spain.
The meeting will bring together key players in the recycled plastic value chain (recyclers, transformers, industries that use plastics, sector-specific associations, public administrations and R&D&I actors linked to the circular economy) to discuss challenges, opportunities and new solutions that will make it possible to recover waste that is still going to landfill.
The event will be opened by María Pilar González Gotor, head of the Department of Institutional Promotion and Territorial Cooperation of the Centre for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI by its Spanish acronym), the entity that is funding the project through the Innovation Ecosystems programme as part of the National Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan and NextGenerationEU funds.
Luis Madariaga, Director of the Composites and Sustainable Functional Polymers Department at GAIKER, will then present the CÍCLICOM project as an innovation ecosystem for the circularity of composites and complex plastics. After him, Juan Antonio Gascón, Project Manager at Aclima, Basque Environment Cluster, will present the CÍCLICOM National Platform for Complex Plastics and Composites, which was devised as a platform to bring together actors from the production sector and facilitate access to state-of-the-art technological capabilities.
The event will continue with a presentation by Mercedes Santiago, a researcher and project manager at the CIDAUT Foundation, on the advantages and benefits of being part of the CÍCLICOM ecosystem for companies and organisations that want to improve the recovery of complex plastic waste.
Another highlight of the day will be the round table entitled “State of supply and demand of recycled plastics in Spain: how to facilitate the supply-demand connection”, moderated by Óscar Hernández, general manager of ANARPLA. Mikel Llona (CEO, CTO and co-founder of Birziplastik), Beatriz Castillo (Deputy Director of Waste and Plastics at Veolia) and Goio Borge (Project Manager at Zirkularte – Ecoinnovation) will share their views on current market needs.
After a break, the programme will focus on how the circular economy can be a decisive tool in the plastics industry. Pablo Ferrero, leader of the Biotechnology Cell at AIMPLAS, will look at the present and future challenges of the circular economy with regard to plastics. Then, Óscar Hernández will present the “Plastics Recycling Strategy” as a key initiative for strengthening the circular economy in Spain, underlining the importance of increasing the availability of quality recycled material for industry.
The business perspective regarding the recovery of complex plastics will be rounded off with a presentation by Juan Pablo Antillera, Technical Director of Waste Treatment at VALORIZA, who will share his company's experience and perspective on the circular economy for these types of materials.
Following this, a round table discussion on “Recovering composites and complex plastics: challenges and opportunities”, moderated by David Redondo, Head of Innovation & AI Architecture at VALORIZA, will feature Federico Sanmartín (Managing Director of ENERGYLOOP), Aitor Pablos (Business Development Manager of SBS) and Coralie Jehanno (Scientific Director and co-founder of Polykey), who will analyse the main barriers to and potential for development in the recycling of complex plastics.
Asier Ochoa de Eribe, Vice-President of Aclima, Basque Environment Cluster, will bring proceedings to a close. This event will mark the end of a project which, by promoting the circular economy, has boosted the competitiveness and internationalisation of companies from different productive sectors, fostered collaboration between technology centres, companies and administrations, and strengthened the value chains linked to recycling composite materials and complex plastics.
Almost 32 million tons of plastic waste are generated in Europe every year (European Commission). In Europe, the recycling rate for plastic packaging waste was 42.1% in 2023, according to Eurostat data, which was slightly lower than the rate in Spain (46.2%).
About the CÍCLICOM project
CÍCLICOM is an innovation ecosystem run by GAIKER (leader), Aclima, Basque Environment Cluster, AIMPLAS, ANARPLA, CIDAUT and VALORIZA Servicios Medioambientales, which connects technology centres, companies and associations to drive the effective circular economy of composite materials and so-called ‘complex plastics’. The project provides high added-value technical solutions for recovering and reintroducing waste that currently often ends up in landfills into the production cycle, while at the same time making it easier for companies to get access to quality secondary raw materials.
The ecosystem provides companies, particularly SMEs, with access to specialist knowledge, technological skills and a connected network of assets and services for training on, research on, testing and validation of technologies related to complex plastics and composite materials. The project also promotes the development of technology roadmaps, the training of professionals and the dissemination of best practices, thereby helping to bridge the gap between supply and demand for recycled plastics in Europe.
The project has been funded by the CDTI's Innovation Ecosystems programme, and the aim is to promote the introduction of the technological capacities developed by Cervera Technology Centres of Excellence into the economic and social environment, fostering their enhancement and contribution to the consolidation of innovative ecosystems The call is included in the actions foreseen in the National Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), and receives funding through the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism of the European Union's “Next Generation EU”.
Practical information and registration:
- Date: 18/02/2026
- Time: 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m
- Location: Espacio Eventize (María de Molina 41-43, 28006 Madrid)
- Free registration using this form
- Full programme at this link
- More information about the CÍCLICOM project at: www.ciclicom.com
