Circular inclusivity as a model for job creation

On March 22nd, Chapter TBS Alumni in Barcelona organized the round table “Circular Inclusivity as a model for job creation”, an event in collaboration with TBS in Barcelona and the Fundació Formació i Treball (Cáritas). Delphine Arnau, Head of Business Relations and Career Services, moderated the round table, which included presentations by Fernando Portas, responsible for relations with universities at Cáritas, and Miquel Vidal, circular economy coordinator at Cáritas.

The Formació i Treball foundation

The speakers explained the origins and operation of the Fundació Formació i Treball. “It was created to facilitate access to the labor market for people at risk of social exclusion,” explained Miquel Vidal. The organization carries out job placement programs for people in vulnerable situations, following a circular economy model that generates many jobs.

Formació i Treball has a textile line and a food line, committed to social transformation and respect for the environment. It also has social delivery programs and accompaniment of people in all the steps of labor recruitment. Besides, they weave alliances with other organizations, such as universities and schools, to explain what they do and their work model.

Target 2035

Vidal also spoke about the importance of the circular model in the current global context. “In Europe, 2.5 billion tons of waste are dumped every year”, data that highlights the problems of the linear model, a model of wasting primary materials that are never reincorporated into production processes. He also explained the objectives set by the European Community, “by 2035 we must have a recycling capacity of 65% of selective collection of products”. Currently, in Catalonia, we are at 45%, a long way from the targets set by the European Community.

Vidal emphasized inclusiveness within this circularity. He explained that the abandonment of the linear economy will result in many changes in production and consumption models, which will affect jobs. Therefore, this transition must be made by accompanying the current workers so that they adapt their knowledge and qualifications to the new economic pattern.

If you are interested in the circular economy, find out more about our Bachelor in Management, our Master in Management, and our MSc programs.