In Ibiza, according to data from 2022, 600 kilos of waste are produced per inhabitant per year. This is the highest volume in the Balearic Islands and is well above the national average. These statistics have led IbizaPreservation to focus on the circular economy: a model based on reduction, reuse, repair and recycling.
-What untapped opportunities do you see in Ibiza in relation to the circular economy?
-Reducing food waste in the hospitality industry is an area with great potential. In addition, it is necessary to deepen in the field of clean energies since according to the latest data of the Observatory Report, only 35% of the energy demanded was generated here and only 1% came from renewable sources. The rest, or 65%, was supplied through the submarine link with Majorca. What has been the impact of Ibiza Produce?
-Thisprogram has strengthened the connection between local producers and consumers, and has helped to improve the island’s food resilience. Among other things, our work has served to boost the creation of the regenerative agriculture group, which now has more than 250 people. In addition, over the years, hundreds of people have attended the workshops we have promoted on regenerative agriculture and the use of local produce. During these years we have also supported cooperatives such as EcoFeixes to increase their distribution capacity, and we have acted as a link between restaurants and farmers to increase the use of local produce. I believe that the work done so far has had a very positive impact on the overall context of increasing organic production on the island of Ibiza. Based on the success in the largest of the Pitiusas, IbizaPreservation now plans to replicate the model, with adjustments, in Formentera. In turn, within the framework of Formentera produces will be carried out this year the project ‘Eivissa & Formentera Sembren Futur’, which will facilitate the planting of 1,000 native trees on farms to regenerate soils and landscapes.
-What lessons have you learned from the circular economy program in Ibiza to take it now to Formentera?
-In Formentera we need to adapt the strategy to the smaller scale of production and its geographical particularities, but we hope that with the work done so far in Ibiza and the accumulated experience we can generate measurable impact activities in the South Pitiusa, such as planting fruit trees of native varieties resistant to climate change.
-Food waste is a problem in many parts of the world. What impact are you making in Ibiza? How do you plan to go further in that area?
–We arepromoting the integral use of food in the restaurant industry and training both individuals and chefs in techniques for making the best use of food, through the workshops we carry out as part of our Gastronomic Activists project. We want to expand these awareness campaigns this year. At the same time, we seek to continue training new generations of chefs in the context of the Zero Waste Chefs EU project, carried out with funds from the European Erasmus Plus program.