Compared to other sectors, waste management (collection, treatment, recovery and disposal) has been considered an \u2019ugly duckling\u2019 by customers, investors and even citizens. Why? Historically, waste has been perceived as a problem that must be solved using the lowest costs possible. Also, the questionable management and operational practices of certain operators have damaged the sector\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n
However, the current governmental, corporate and societal focus on climate change, resilience and a circular economy is turning this ugly duckling into a beautiful swan. Environmental services (waste management falls short of adequately describing the activity in this new context) are part of the solution, and a key pillar of a more sustainable economy and society.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first visible sign of this change of perception occurred during the most difficult times of the covid-19 pandemic. The delivery of environmental services remained fully operational and proved to be essential for community wellbeing. This in turn improved citizens\u2019 emotional attachment to this activity.<\/p>\n
The transition towards a circular economy is accelerating the transformation of the environmental sector, which can leverage its experience and capability to develop new business opportunities in collaboration with other stakeholders. By way of illustration, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation\u2019s three circular economy principles (design out waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use and regenerate natural systems) include many activities that are already being performed or sponsored, fully or partially, by environmental service providers.<\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This new vision for the sector is starting to drive significant transactions and partnerships. Two good examples of this are the combination of Veolia and Suez to become \u201cthe benchmark company for ecological transformation\u201d and Platinum Equity\u2019s acquisition of Urbaser, \u201cboth a vital service provider and an important caretaker of the environment\u201d.<\/p>\n
Sizable environmental companies indeed enjoy a favorable position for addressing this new context. They manage the primary resource, waste, through stable commercial agreements with public and private customers. They also have extensive know-how in deploying the most effective technical solutions in waste collection and treatment. Finally, their scale and footprint enable efficient logistic and operating costs and innovation investment.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, these companies cannot afford to be complacent if they do not want to be positioned as mere logistic operators. New competitors from other sectors are also growing in the circular economy sphere. Energy utilities, materials manufacturers, consumer goods companies and cutting-edge startups are implementing projects and technologies to produce, for example, biodegradable plastics from food waste.<\/p>\n
Forward-thinking environmental players are aware of the strategic implications of this transformational stage and are shaping their business and operational models to become sustainability champions by:<\/p>\n
Sustainability is transforming many sectors, and environmental services is not an exception. Linear strategies are no longer effective and instead adaptative business models that anticipate future challenges will be the ones to make the difference. The competitive landscape is no longer stable and there will be winners and losers. Very few ducklings will become swans.<\/p><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
En comparaci\u00f3n con otros sectores, la gesti\u00f3n de residuos (recogida, tratamiento, valorizaci\u00f3n y eliminaci\u00f3n) ha sido considerada un \u00abpatito feo\u00bb por clientes, inversores e incluso ciudadanos. \u00bfPor qu\u00e9? Hist\u00f3ricamente, los residuos se han percibido como un problema que debe resolverse con el menor coste posible. Adem\u00e1s, las cuestionables pr\u00e1cticas de gesti\u00f3n de algunos operadores han da\u00f1ado la reputaci\u00f3n del sector. Sin embargo, el foco actual de gobiernos, empresas y la sociedad en la acci\u00f3n clim\u00e1tica y la econom\u00eda circular est\u00e1 convirtiendo a este patito en un hermoso cisne. Los servicios medioambientales (el t\u00e9rmino gesti\u00f3n de residuos se queda corto para describir esta actividad en el nuevo contexto) son parte de la soluci\u00f3n y un pilar clave de una econom\u00eda y una sociedad m\u00e1s sostenibles. El primer signo visible de este cambio de percepci\u00f3n se produjo durante los momentos m\u00e1s dif\u00edciles de la pandemia de covid-19. La prestaci\u00f3n de servicios medioambientales se mantuvo plenamente operativa y demostr\u00f3 ser esencial para el bienestar social. Esto, a su vez, mejor\u00f3 el v\u00ednculo emocional de los ciudadanos con esta actividad. La transici\u00f3n hacia una econom\u00eda circular est\u00e1 acelerando la transformaci\u00f3n del sector medioambiental, que puede aprovechar su experiencia y capacidad para desarrollar nuevas oportunidades de negocio en colaboraci\u00f3n con otros agentes. A modo de ejemplo, los tres principios de la econom\u00eda circular de la Fundaci\u00f3n Ellen MacArthur (eliminar los residuos y la contaminaci\u00f3n, mantener los productos y materiales en uso y regenerar los sistemas naturales) incluyen muchas actividades que ya est\u00e1n realizando o facilitando, total o parcialmente, los proveedores de servicios medioambientales. Esta nueva visi\u00f3n del sector est\u00e1 empezando a impulsar importantes transacciones y alianzas. Dos buenos ejemplos de ello son la combinaci\u00f3n de Veolia y Suez para convertirse en \u00abla empresa de referencia de la transformaci\u00f3n ecol\u00f3gica\u00bb y la adquisici\u00f3n de Urbaser por Platinum Equity, \u00abproveedor de servicios esenciales y relevante protector del medioambiente\u00bb. Las grandes empresas medioambientales gozan sin duda de una posici\u00f3n favorable para abordar este nuevo contexto. Gestionan el recurso primario, el residuo, mediante acuerdos comerciales con clientes p\u00fablicos y privados. Adem\u00e1s, tienen amplios conocimientos t\u00e9cnicos para desplegar las soluciones t\u00e9cnicas m\u00e1s eficaces en materia de recogida y tratamiento de residuos. Por \u00faltimo, su escala y ubicaci\u00f3n de instalaciones facilitan la optimizaci\u00f3n de sus costes operativos y la inversi\u00f3n en innovaci\u00f3n. Sin embargo, estas empresas no pueden permitirse la autocomplacencia si no quieren convertirse en meros operadores log\u00edsticos. En el \u00e1mbito de la econom\u00eda circular tambi\u00e9n est\u00e1n surgiendo nuevos competidores de otros sectores. Empresas de servicios energ\u00e9ticos, fabricantes de materiales, empresas de bienes de consumo y startups est\u00e1n poniendo en marcha proyectos y tecnolog\u00edas para producir, por ejemplo, pl\u00e1sticos biodegradables a partir de residuos alimentarios. Las empresas medioambientales con visi\u00f3n de futuro son conscientes de las implicaciones estrat\u00e9gicas de esta etapa de transformaci\u00f3n y est\u00e1n configurando sus modelos empresariales y operativos para convertirse en l\u00edderes de la sostenibilidad: Optimizando su cartera de negocios, asumiendo un papel activo en la reutilizaci\u00f3n, el reciclaje y la valorizaci\u00f3n para mantener una posici\u00f3n de liderazgo a lo largo de la cadena de valor. Desarrollando capacidades de innovaci\u00f3n para abordar oportunidades de negocio disruptivas en colaboraci\u00f3n con el ecosistema de econom\u00eda circular. Asoci\u00e1ndose con clientes p\u00fablicos y privados para ayudarles a alcanzar sus objetivos ESG. Captando oportunidades de financiaci\u00f3n atractivas vinculadas a iniciativas respetuosas con el medioambiente. Potenciando la implicaci\u00f3n de los agentes internos y externos, integrando el nuevo escenario en el prop\u00f3sito y el marco de sostenibilidad de la empresa. La sostenibilidad est\u00e1 transformando muchos sectores, y los servicios medioambientales no son una excepci\u00f3n. Las estrategias lineales ya no son eficaces y, en su lugar, los modelos de negocio que anticipen y mejor se adapten a los retos futuros ser\u00e1n los que marquen la diferencia. El panorama competitivo ya no es estable; habr\u00e1 ganadores y perdedores. Pocos patitos se convertir\u00e1n en cisnes.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3898,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medioambiente"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3897"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3897\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4739,"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3897\/revisions\/4739"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3898"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/esggia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}