Conventional economics must evolve in the light of planetary boundaries and social inequalities. It must be borne in mind that the stability of natural life support systems is a prerequisite for a prosperous society.
Lines of action
12. Virtuous circle
Drawing up a green and circular economy strategy.
- 12.1 Draft a government measure on the green and circular economy (2019).
- 12.2 Foster low-carbon public procurement by drawing up guidelines and carrying out innovative public procurement (2020).
- 12.3 Set up programmes for training and employment in the circular economy, through Barcelona Activa (2020).
- 12.4 Design a municipal strategy for the green and circular economy (2025).
- 12.5 Adapt Barcelona Activa to promote the green local economy (2025).
- 12.6 Set up programmes to foster green employment, self-employment, and eco-entrepreneurship in economic sectors linked to climate change (energy renovation, solar panel installation and maintenance, drainage system maintenance, new gardening, etc.) (2025).
- 12.7 Review dealings with financial institutions to incorporate and promote ethical banking and entities involved in the cooperative, social and solidarity economy (ECSS) (2025).
- 12.8 Consolidate sustainable-bond issues to attract international and local capital for sustainable projects in the city (2025).
- 12.9 Develop a mechanism to compensate for emissions generated by major public works in the city, in support of actions to combat climate change (2025).
- 12.10 Study the options for improving environmental taxation for “low-carbon” companies (2030).
- 12.11 Advise companies on reducing waste and emissions, both at the planning stage and when implementing improvements (2030).
- 12.12 Facilitate the replacement of machinery and professional vehicles with others that are low in emissions (2030).
- 12.13 Improve energy consumption efficiency in businesses, especially in shops and services (2030).
- 12.14 Encourage companies and other entities to produce and consume their own energy from renewable sources (2030).
- 12.15 Promote the consumption of waste-valorisation products and supplies (2030).
- 12.16 Study the feasibility of having a green aaccounting system at City Hall, for classifying green-economy actions in the municipal budgets, as well as creating an additional environmental classification (2030).
13. Responsible consumption
Promoting conscious consumption that drives healthier, more sustainable ways of life, facilitating the choice of and access to sustainable and socially just products and services.
- 13.1. Create a new benchmark space (Espai Consum) in the city that will promote responsible consumption, provide information and specific resources for facilitating responsible consumption and become a meeting point for the stakeholders in consumption (2018).
- 13.2. Encourage a new way to be more socially and environmentally friendly by setting up the FAR (lighthouse) for social and economic innovation,, a facility for promoting the social and solidarity economy and ESS advice points in the districts, with more training and a line of funding for business projects based on agreements with ethical banks, among other things (2018).
- 13.3. Expand and strengthen the Network of Municipalities for the Social and Solidarity Economy, which promotes new democratic, solidarity and sustainable ways of producing and consuming, with the aim of moving towards an economic model that is more resistant to the effects of major economic crises (2018).
- 13.4. Boost the promotion of citizen and social projects and initiatives and continue the specific line of subsidies for responsible consumption (ongoing).
- 13.5. Enrich the Municipal Consumer Information Office (OMIC) with a responsible consumption perspective and expand the information and advice resources with specific issues resulting from a new way of doing things, such as the platform economy or the collaborative economy (2019).
- 13.6. Identify and highlight local authority strategies and good practices for responsible consumption by boosting its illustrative role in public policies (2019).
- 13.7. Conduct specific internal training on responsible consumption at City Hall (2020).
- 13.8. Consolidate the Social and Solidarity Economy Fair and the Christmas Responsible Consumption Fair as meeting points and places for promoting economic initiatives that advocate social and environmental justice (ongoing).
- 13.9. Apply and increase the use of social and environmental purchasing criteria in public procurement (ongoing).
- 13.10 Foster economic models based on responsible consumption and on social and solidarity economy organisational models (2021).
- 13.11. Raise public awareness of the responsibility of choice in consumption en la responsabilitat de l’elecció en el consum del conjunt de la ciutadania (2025).
- 13.12. Strengthen the greening of public and public- private events in relation to using single-use glasses and bottled water (2030).
14. Zero Waste
Rolling out the zero waste strategy by means of the waste action plan, in order to substantially reduce the generation of waste, improve separate collection and promote its reuse as resources.
- 14.1. Foster exchange and marketing of second-hand products (ongoing).
- 14.2. Develop more product repair and restoration services and empower people so they can repair their own things (e.g. the Barcelona City Council and AMB repair workshop programmes) (ongoing).
- 14.3. Promote deposit, return and refund systems (SDDR) in the city (ongoing).
- 14.4. Introduce and promote the use of a reusable tableware loan service for public events (2018).
- 14.5. Promote fab labs 2.0 (ateneus de fabricació) (2018).
- 14.6. Promote waste reduction, management and reuse initiatives at events, trade fairs and conferences (the Donation Room, for example) (2020).
- 14.7. Optimise transport routes to reduce journeys and improve the waste collection service (2020).
- 14.8. Renew the cleaning and waste collection fleet with less polluting vehicles on the market (2025).
- 14.9. Promote waste prevention in shops and department stores (2025).
- 14.10. Extend the door-to-door system where it is practical (2030).
- 14.11. Foster and promote products and commercial formats that reduce or do away with packaging and the waste associated with packing transporting products (2030).
15. Food sovereignty
Advocating local, ecological and healthy products that help to improve people’s quality of life and preserve the environment.
- 15.1. Promote an agro-ecological vision,, an approach with a triple focus (as a science, a social movement and a vision with agrarian practices), working with projects and communities and promoting links with all the agents involved (2018).
- 15.2. Create and promote farmers’ markets, with producers from Barcelona’s surroundings (2018).
- 15.3. Develop short food circuits with various initiatives and agents to boost local, ecological agriculture, and logistics to facilitate these circuits (2018).
- 15.4. Create a pavilion for local ecological produce at Mercabarna, in collaboration with other municipalities, the AMB, DIBA, the Generalitat, the Llobregat Agrarian Park, the Strategic Metropolitan Plan and producers’ organisations (2019).
- 15.5. Raise public awareness of the important contribution of food (the food chain, distribution, eating habits and consumption patterns) to climate change. Make schools places for transmitting the values of a healthy and sustainable diet (2020).
- 15.6. Promote the consumption of locally produced ecological products among the general public by supporting the growth of ecological consumption groups, awareness campaigns, publishing guides, the More Sustainable Barcelona Map, etc. (2019).
- 15.7. Consolidate the acquisition of locally produced ecological products and seasonal fruit and vegetables through communal dining rooms (nurseries, schools, homes, etc.) and at various public events (meal services) through public procurement of food services (2019).
- 15.8. Take the step to a healthier, low-carbon diet,, by increasing the production and consumption of local ecological products, promoting fresher diets rich in vegetable protein (therefore reducing the meat content) and less processed (pre- cooked) food (2020).
- 15.9. Promote the use of local ecological food in the restaurant sector(2020).
- 15.10. Support the appearance of consumer cooperative initiatives with higher scalability and other projects that boost the supply of responsible consumption products and services in the city (preferably ESS services) (2020).
- 15.11. Combat food waste by promoting integrated management of the food production cycle to prevent it from spoiling, establishing compulsory mechanisms and circuits for reusing surplus stocks, studying possible refuse tax exemptions, running communication campaigns targeting consumers, promoting the use of leftovers for new meals, etc. (2020).
- 15.12. Promote and boost training and activities designed to ntroduce knowledge of vegetarianism in various spheres (2020).
- 15.13. Consolidate the green markets project and create new farmers’ markets evenly spread around the city (2025).
- 15.14. Add the vegan/vegetarian option to the Technical Instructions for the Application of Sustainability Criteria to Food Services (2025).
- 15.15. Promote local commerce in the food sector (2025).
- 15.16. Promote the urban allotments network for its social function and as an outreach tool, and foster ecological peri-urban agriculture and livestock raising in collaboration with supramunicipal authorities (2025).
- 15.17. Promote food shops and spaces in the markets to show how to make the most of quality food with a short expiry date, , in order to foster saving and reduce food waste (2030).