About us

We are a non-profit corporation that supervises the waste recycling put in the yellow and blue bins. We collaborate with citizens, public entities, and businesses to make recycling of domestic packaging a reality in Spain. Since 1996, we have worked to increase people's environmental consciousness and make recycling a daily habit in Spain, improving the quality of life for everyone.

Management at Ecoembes

Because of what it is, what it does, and what it stands for, Ecoembes believes that building trusting connections among all the players in the recycling ecosystem is crucial. And within this framework, good management turns into a crucial tenet and the foundation for creating a responsible business strategy that is in line with the suggestions and best practices of reference organisations and is overseen at the highest level.

There are significant issues to be resolved, and effective management is the only way to do it. Our steadfast dedication to ongoing progress in this area is expressed in a set of values, policies, and best practices.

Within this framework, since 1 December 2023, and resorting to the possibility offered by Article 50.3 of Act 7/2022, Ecoembes complies with its obligations through an administrative entity, Ecoembes Entidad Administradora S.L.U., a non-profit limited company that has its own legal personality, separate from that of the collective system, acting under the direction of the latter in order to achieve greater efficiency and transparency in the conduct of its activity.

All the governing bodies and governance structures comprise the spaces where active listening, dialogue and collaboration can be deployed, for the sake of a circular future. Finally, our corporate culture project is the driver of the values that allow us to project our comprehensive and purposeful way of doing things.

Estructura de gobernanza de Ecoembes

Our governing bodies, internal corporate governance policies, and internal control procedures are listed below.

Governing Bodies

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Corporate Governance Policies

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Internal Control Procedures

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Governing Bodies

 

The principal governing bodies of Ecoembes are the Shareholder Meeting and the Management Board. Both embrace best market practices, using the highest standards and the National Securities Market Commission’s (CNMV) Unified Code of Good Governance for listed firms as a reference, in addition to adhering to the obligations imposed by the statutes and current legislation.

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All shareholders are represented by the governing bodies. This is Ecoembes' highest management body, where all shareholders convene to discuss and make decisions on issues within their purview or to receive information on other issues that the Management Board considers pertinent.

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This group is in charge of managing Ecoembes. Its decisions must be made entirely in the best interests of the company, interpreted independently and with a focus on defending and protecting the interests of all shareholders, from whom it receives its authority and to whom it is answerable.

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Its duties include selecting and overseeing the removal/dismissal of Board Members and Senior Executives, assisting the Chairman in the function of ensuring that the Board's obligations are met; establishing control mechanisms for transactions involving shareholders and Board Members, and defining, with the help of the Management with people- and organisation-related competencies, the remuneration policy for the staff and executives.

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Risk management, internal and external auditing, reviewing the Annual Accounts, and advising the Management Board on the Company's internal control responsibilities are among its duties. In compliance with the guidelines of good corporate governance, its chairman is an independent director.

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Oversees the way in which the ethics and compliance model is put into action, encourages the use of the Code of Ethics, and develops the standards that will be used to interpret it.

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The CEO, who is in charge of carrying out the decisions made by the governing bodies, serves as the chair of the Management Committee.

Organs of Governance

The Ecoembes governance model is complemented by various governance structures proposed by the Board, which have a consultative nature. The objective of these structures is to achieve the maximum representativeness of the companies adhering to the system, since they are the ones that are affected by the decisions made in the system. The context of ambition associated with the imminent update of the regulations requires greater dialogue, listening, transparency and shared value.

                                                                      Governance Bodies

 

The goal of Ecoembes' CAPE, a new advisory governance body to the Ecoembes Board, is to guarantee compliance with the strategic plan and to align it with the interests of the organisation's many stakeholders (society, public administrations, and businesses).

By encouraging analysis and discussion about the strategic positioning of the company with a variety of high-level voices from outside the organisation, this advisory council hopes to increase the organisation's accessibility to experts and members of civil society and to the decision-making process of the Management Board.


The primary responsibilities of this body include:

  1. To evaluate the regulatory, social, economic, and corporate background, as well as its relevance to Ecoembes' Strategic Plan.
  2. To strategically evaluate the initiatives and projects carried out thus far in accordance with the Strategic Plan.
  3. Determine how closely the Strategic Plan adheres to the expectations of the various Ecoembes stakeholders. To offer suggestions on this.
  4. Within the context of the dimensions, central concepts, and projects, they provide lines of action and/or ideas for improvement in strategic topics that need to be activated or strengthened in order to respond to commitments, trends, milestones, or particular circumstances.

See its regulations for further information about the Advisory Council's nature, capabilities, operating, etc.

Lluís Recoder - CAPE Chairman

  • Specialist in public, urban, and environmental law; Recoder Abogados partner since 2018. 
  • Former Of Counsel Attorney at KMPG Spain (2016-2018). 
  • Generalitat de Catalunya Minister of Territory and Sustainability (2010-2013). 

Begoña de Benito - CAPE Secretary

  • Ecoembes' director of external relations. 

Carlos Mataix - Innovation Academy

  • Director of the Polytechnic University of Madrid's Centre for Innovation in Technology for Human Development.
  • Professor at the Polytechnic University of Madrid's Department of Engineering Management.
  • Visiting Professor at the University of Sussex's Science Policy Research Unit. 

Silvina Bacigalupo - Transparency for Legal Governance

  • Professor of Criminal Law at the Autonomous University of Madrid.

Fernando Vallares - Enviromentalist

  • Complutense University of Madrid PhD in Biological Sciences.
  • CSIC Research Professor and Ecology and Global Change Group Leader.
  • Associate Professor at URJC.
  • In charge of eldiario.es "Ciencia Crítica" section. 

Fernando Móner - Consumer Social Agent

  • President of AVACU (Asociación Valenciana de Consumidores y Usuarios).
  • Advisor to the Economic and Social Council of Spain since 2017.
  • Member of the Advisory Board of the RTVE Group since 2012. 

Wilfredo Miró - Social Agent Trade Unionism Environment

  • In charge of UGT's Environment. Politician and trade unionist. 

Carmen Planas - Business

  • CEPYME Vice-president (Spanish Confederation of Small and Medium Enterprises).
  • President of the Confederation of Business Associations of the Balearic Island (CAEB).
  • President of the Corporate Social Responsibility Commission of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations (CEOE). 

Jose María Bonmatí - Business

  • General Director of AECOC, Association of Manufacturers and Distributors.

Elsa Arnaiz- Generational Profile

  • President and CEO of “Talento para el Futuro”.
  • Legal and International Relations degrees. Specialised in Business Analytics and data.
  • Member of Nova Talent. 

Vicente López - Social Agent Trade Unionism for Green Employment

  • Director of the Trade Union Institute of Work, Environment and Health (ISTAS-CCOO).
  • Associate Professor and researcher at Valencia and Oberta de Catalunya Universities.

Advisory Commission to the Council

The organisation has governance structures in the form of Advisory Committees to the Council, with the authority to analyse, advise, and make proposals to the Council, within the powers agreed upon in each case. This is done to help with the development of strategic issues or specific projects that call for it to ensure compliance with Ecoembes' mission.

The Advisory Committees' mission is to promote active listening and open communication with the business community through their most influential sectorial associations, fostering forums for discussion, active participation, debate, and consensus-building that support the deliberations of the Management Board.

  1. Advisory Committee on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): provides the Board with support and advice regarding the new obligations that the regulation will impose on producers, as well as working on specific and strategic issues. The committee formulates proposals on the issues that are brought to it.

  2. Recycling Advisory Committee: provides assistance and guidance to the Board about the operation of the RECYCLING system and develops proposals on issues that are brought to its attention.

  3. Advisory Committee for the Strategic Plastics Plan: provides assistance and guidance to the Board on Ecoembes' strategic plastics project.

  4. Advisory Committee for Green Dot Tariff Methodology: its technical work served as the foundation for the Green Dot tariff proposal that was to be presented to the Board. The Green Dot Tariff Methodology Advisory Committee provided assistance and recommendations to the Board about the Green Dot Tariff Methodology and its computation.

    Technical Materials Committee: Ascertain the Green Dot revenues required for the recovery and categorisation of the relevant material, for later approval, if necessary, by the Management Board, in order to:

    • Make sure there is the appropriate accounting openness so that each item is responsible for its own expenses.
    • Monitoring and managing the Strategic Plan (goals, initiatives and products).

  5. Advisory Committee for the Strategic Plan 2024-2026: support and advice to the Board regarding the organization's new Strategic Plan, developing, based on an in-depth internal and external active listening exercise, a proposal for the Plan and, once approved, ensuring its implementation by monitoring the strategic actions established and adapting them, if necessary, to new circumstances that may arise.

Working Groups

Due to the complexity and specificity of Ecoembes' operations, a number of working groups have been established to share and examine pertinent information that might be of interest to the organisation, businesses, and associations:

  • Legislation Working Group. Monitoring all rules that have an impact on Ecoembes' operations and the recycling methodology for light household packaging. Working group whose goal is to come to an agreement on Ecoembes' stance on new legislation (European, national, or regional) or on a particular topic of interest. Members: Shareholders, businesses, and associations.

  • Packagers Working Group and Distribution Working Group. Enlightening working groups that meet every three months to talk about current challenges affecting Ecoembes' activities (regulatory developments, new projects, new services). Members: Businesses and associations.

  • Communication Director Working Group. Working group where the communication plan for Ecoembes is shared.  Members: Directors of communications for businesses and organisations.

  • Public Affairs Working Group. An informative working group that meets quarterly to reflect on different current issues related to Public Affairs and Ecoembes' activities. Composition: companies

  • Transparency and Active Listening with Public Administrations Working Group.  This group's goal is to keep an open line of communication amongst members of the public sector in order to discuss matters of shared concern regarding the disposal of household packaging waste. This enables the exchange of opinions on the difficulties associated with recycling as well as other pertinent problems that are occasionally put up for debate by the administrations themselves in two sessions each year.

  • PARECO Working Group: The purpose of the PARECO Working Group is to provide a new forum for communication and the exchange of useful knowledge on the management of household packaging and associated waste with the firms that make up PARECO's ownership. Discussing Ecoembes' 2019 plan while concentrating on the evolution of Green Dot Tariff.

You may get additional details about each of the governing bodies on our transparency site, which is accessible here:

Transparency site

Corporate Governance Policies

Ecoembes has a set of internal guidelines that control how the company operates. To enhance pledges and align interests between the company and its stakeholders, these are continuously modified to include the best practices of good governance and achieve more information openness.

Statutes

All of the member´s rights and duties, as well as the regulations defining the Company, are outlined in the statutes.

 

Regulations

 The regulations´ aim is to specify the capabilities, makeup, and operation of the entify they control, and they were created in accordance with, to the extent applicable to he Company, good governance guidelines

 

  • Regulation of the General Shareholders’ Meeting

  • Regulation of the Management Board

  • Regulation of the Appointments and Remuneration Committee

  • Regulation of the Audit Committee

  • Regulation of the Integrity Committee

  • Regulation of the Technical Materials Committee

  • Regulation of the Advisory Committee for the Follow-up and Proposals to Ecoembes Strategic Plan (CAPE)

  • Regulation of the Recycling Advisory Committee

  • Regulation of the Advisory Committee on Extended Producer Responsibility

  • Regulation of the Advisory Committee for Green Dot Tariff Methodology

  • Regulation of the Advisory Committee for the Strategic Plastics Plan

  • Regulation of the Advisory Committee for Strategic Plan 2024-2026

Ethics

  • Code of Ethics

  • Policy for ethics, compliance, and crime prevention

Enviromental Awareness 

We have an enviromental mission. In order to ensure the long-term survival of the environment, our management and operational procedures protect the enviroment while aiming for economic and environmental efficiency.

 

  • Policy for Integrated Quality and the Environment

  • Code of Practice for the Environment

We have created an Integrated Environmental and Quality Management System in accordance with UNE-EN ISO 9001:2015 and UNE-EN ISO 14001:2015 standards across all of our facilities and operations to help us accomplish our environmental goals.

  • Environment - The International Certification Network (IONET)

  • Quality - The International Certification Network (IONET)

  • Certificate for an Environmental Management System (AENOR)

  • Certificate for a Quality Management System (AENOR)

Internal Control Procedures

Ethics Management System

Lays the foundation for the organisation's ethics and compliance model and creates the roles, paperwork, procedures, and controls required to avoid risks and establish an ethical and compliant culture.

Ethics Channel

The ethics channel is a private communication channel that is overseen by an impartial, external third party. It is used for reporting unethical behaviour and consulting on ethical concerns. The organisation's stakeholders and all of its members are welcome to use this channel.

Contact the Ecoembes Ethics Channel to report non-compliance

 

 

Ethical Manager

Assists the Integrity Committee in assessing any issue pertaining to the Code of Ethics. This person also reviews the Code's effective implementation, documentation, and associated controls. Finally, they examine communications and inquiries received through the Ethics Channel and report their findings to the Management Board’s Audit Committee.