El Corte Inglés, Finsa and IKEA found an association to manage bulky waste in Spain

El Corte Inglés, Finsa and IKEA founded an association this Monday to promote the creation of a Collective Extended Producer Responsibility System (CEPRS) for bulky waste management in Spain (furniture, mattresses and large items).

This initiative was created to promote an efficient, traceable and transparent model that actively contributes to the progress of the circular economy in Spain, offering a coordinated response to one of the main waste challenges.

With this agreement, the signatory companies anticipate the roll-out of the new regulatory framework provided for in Law 7/2022 of 8 April on waste and contaminated soil for a circular economy. In the coming months, they will work alongside other companies interested in joining the association, which will define the legal, financial and operational model of the future CEPRS.

The project aims to create a collaboration space integrating all value chain agents —manufacturers, distributors, managers, consumers and public administrations— to develop a system capable of providing an effective response to the collection, treatment and management of bulky waste.

El Corte Inglés Environment Manager Francisco Núñez indicated that "at the company, we understand the circular economy and waste recovery as key elements of our environmental strategy. That is why we feel it is essential to promote shared initiatives, such as a collective system for managing bulky waste, which allow us to move towards more efficient, responsible and traceable management in line with our commitment to reducing environmental impact and collaboration with different sector agents".

Meanwhile, Juan Carlos Moure, director of Evolta, the recovery and recycling division of Finsa, pointed out that "wood has an endless life cycle; once we recover and treat it, it comes back to life in new products again and again. After several decades recovering and transforming wood, we are convinced that this CEPRS will help reinforce the recovery ecosystem that already exists in our country. It will help with selective separation and collection, guaranteeing that wood will always sustainably return to the furniture value chain with a shared project that is open to other companies”.

Eva Mengs, Director of Sustainability at IKEA Ibérica, underlined that "as a responsible company that seeks to create a better day to day for most people, at IKEA we are convinced that the more companies join this association, the scope and result will be much greater. We hope to co-create a scrap CEPRS together that offers the best solutions in managing bulky waste, creating a positive impact from day one".