Interesting in sustainability is a competitive advantage in a work world focused on facing current environmental challenges. Is what he thought Immaculate Urraca (26 years old), and was right. Three years ago “I had no idea” that there were such innovative programs aimed at young people who seek employment in the circular economy, but saw an offer and presented their candidacy for the Ecoembes talent talent. Now he works with them and has contact with hundreds of companies in the sector.
This program takes place at the Ecoembes Open Innovation Center, in La Rioja, and the candidacy for this year is open. Its purpose is to connect young talent with the needs of the circular economy to generate real solutions and open professional horizons in sectors where sustainability and innovation go hand in hand. For three intense months, Six university graduates of very different areas – right, design or engineering – they form equipment and apply methodologies such as Design Thinking and cooking, with the accompaniment of experts.
Immaculate had finished economy when Talent Lab came to almost by chance. Although his master’s formation was focused on foreign trade, he soon saw the connections with the world of recycling and sustainability. «When you study international value chains, you realize that The circular economy is the order of the day and greatly influences them. In addition, my environment has always cared, ”he says.
From his passage through the program he remembers feeling part of a living ecosystem, where every step he counted. «That year they launched a question: how could we improve selective collection? We investigated, we talked to each department involved and realized that there was a great margin of improvement in the tourism sector ». After that reflection Ecohoster was born, a proposal to improve the separation of waste: «We saw that many foreigners who stayed in tourist apartments wanted to recycle, but they did not know how the infrastructure worked, so we created a Circular economy accreditation for floorswith simple infographics and bins with the colors of local containers ».
The impact of Talent Lab Circular It does not end with the presentation of projects. Many become real pilotsand some participants – as immaculate – find there a new professional starting point. Today, the young woman works as a technique in the area of open innovation in Ecoembes, tracking and connecting startups around the world with the recycling challenges of large Spanish companies.
David Cenicerosspecialist in the entrepreneurship area of Thecircularlabemphasizes that “the vision of the program is super powerful.” «See an engineer interact with a sociologist … sometimes it seems that they are not in the same world “I rose-, but the circular economy needs many disciplines,” he continues. “You put a market container and you need an engineer to make sure it is functional, a designer who makes it attractive and an expert in communication who explains to the people what are the benefits of making a change.”
This year the edition number 15 of Talent Lab Circularwith an especially relevant challenge. «It is related to payment for waste generation. We are going to work on the collection models with traceability technologies, one of the keys to reinforce the packaging system in Spain, ”explains Centers. The program begins in mid -September, although it is launched cyclically, so in January there will be a new edition.
The own employees of Ecoembes They propose the challenges of the program. Nancy Villaluengaof the area of institutional relations of Ecoembes, was “Product Owner” and mentor in 2024, guiding the team in the search for solutions to introduce reusable containers in the Spanish market. “It seems easy, but it is an important economic, ecological, technological and social challenge,” he says. “The theme of reuse greatly worried companies and third sector.”
The solution that his team designed was ambitious and realistic: «They thought a minimum viable product that complied with legal regulations. There were two product engineering profiles and product design, as well as an economist and a person from inside for economic viability. Also a sociologist to study the consumer reaction, because we are talking about asking the citizen to return the empty container to the supermarket. It is a cultural change ».
The result was promising. «They even created a replica of a store of Supermarket with a machine in which the citizen would deposit the containerwhich would later be sent to wash and hygienize. The best thing is that the work stays at home and we have it very much for future solutions with packaging companies, ”says Nancy. “The objective is to generate knowledge, put the barriers and opportunities on the table.”
Talent Lab Circular He has 14 editions and has welcomed 106 young people from 57 different universities, from 14 autonomous communities. Most were between 22 and 25 years old. Currently, Immaculate has gone from student to mentor. “Look, I always caught my attention what I was doing there,” he confesses. I thought they were looking for more technical profiles. Today, almost 90 % of my promotion works in circular economy or sustainability ». In the end, with each edition, with each challenge, with each new idea, a certainty is strengthened: the «Circular talent»You are already writing the future.