Seminar: Making the economic case

for environmental integration

23 February 2006

Attracting and retaining skills, business and investment

Attracting and retaining skills, business and investment

How do we attract/keep skills, businesses and investment

in La Rioja?1. Regional tax incentives for companies

2. Good infrastructures and services

3. Good office spaces

4. Traditional social peace

5. Diversified economy

6. Geographic place

7. High quality of life

8. Strategic bet for the quality: “La Rioja Calidad”

Does environment play a role in attracting skills, business…in La Rioja?

• The quality of life linked to the environment quality is considered as an important factor in attracting people, businesses to a region… ‘

• Develop new business sector exploiting opportunities that your environment offers you : specifically wine and by-products, rural tourism, heritage, golf, ski, gastronomy, do economical mycological useful, thermal tourism, adventure tourism, etc.

Overview of submitted case-studies

• 6 case-studies (total 60), 1 ES + 5 UK• Projects:

– development of new business sector in the region (use of grape tannins)

– construction of new sustainable working space to attract businesses

– one-stop service for businesses to promote a positive image of the area as a place to do business

– providing loans to finance small and medium sized businesses (focus on ‘environmental’ businesses)

– developing markets for recycled goods

– helping to grow businesses and create new jobs in the wood-

producing/wood-using sector • 3 (last) projects focus on specifically attracting environmental businesses

To avoid the exploitation of forests by obtaining tannin extracts from wine industry

by-products.

• Demonstrate viability of substitution.

• Selection of the optimal available by-products sources, defining the process and assembly of a pilot installation for obtaining the tannin extract, validating it industrially in the leather production.

• Extensive publicity of results.

•To avoid the tree felling of some species used in the tannin industry (mimosa, chestnut and other species) .•Get maximum value from wine industry by-product, that at the moment is being used like compost and for energy generation. •To replace a dust product by a liquid one, making manipulation easier and reducing the necessary consumption of energy for the tannin concentration.

•Spanish Tanning Technological center.•Two tanneries, final users of the replaced product, who will evaluate the technical results and quality of the product obtained. (cattle and goat leather) •Two distilleries from the main regions producing wine tannins. •Dirección General de Calidad Ambiental del Gobierno de La Rioja, wine-producing zone of world-wide reputation. •Expert Italian company in nanofiltration technology.

• 500 Million kg of grape are yearly produced in Rioja. • Obtained by-products:

•Wine: 70 - 72% •“Orujo”: 10 -12% (solid grape waste)

•“Lías”: 3-4%. (liquid grape waste)

• 20% of “orujo” turn out to be seeds . This amount is equivalent to 10,5 million kg of seed of which the Distillery of Rioja produces something more than a half.

Other by-productsOther by-products generated from seeds:generated from seeds:• Drinkable alcohol (spirits). Drinkable alcohol (spirits). • Vegetal seed oil. Vegetal seed oil. • Bio-Ethanol fuel (green energy).Bio-Ethanol fuel (green energy).• NaturalNatural tartaric acid. artaric acid. • Energy, by combustion of the vegetal mass with high Energy, by combustion of the vegetal mass with high calorific power, worthy to complement other remainders calorific power, worthy to complement other remainders with a lower calorific power like EDAR mudwith a lower calorific power like EDAR mud or or mushroommushroom waste. waste. •Ecological and vegetal organic manure.Ecological and vegetal organic manure.

•Design of the extraction process, analytical characterization of the grape with the support of the distilleries. • Design of the extraction process, concentration, and analytical characterization of the tannin extract. •Selection of the optimal fractions. •Study on possible applications of the grape seed oil. •Experimental test with new tannins and comparative report with the traditional method, reporting to the leather quality.

• Design of the whole industrial process, construction of the prototype and start-up of the device together with Commercial Godó and distilleries. •Collection of raw materials and adjustment for every material origin. Storage and keeping research. Quality report of the obtained products.• Collaboration in the industrial validation of the tanneries in Sarco (Zaragoza) and Lancina (Igualada).• Environmental and economical impact assessment.

• Assessment in possibilities of energetic and composting use of grape tannin process wastes.•Publicity plan with the collaboration of all the partners. •Management and organization of all actions and partners task, reviewing the economic information, documents and forms for communication to the European Commission.

Start: 01/09/04End: 31/09/07

TOTAL: 36 months

LIFE04 ENV/ES/000237LIFE04 ENV/ES/000237LIFE04 ENV/ES/000237LIFE04 ENV/ES/000237

TOTAL: 964.608 €TOTAL: 964.608 €TOTAL: 964.608 €TOTAL: 964.608 €