The Catalan Water Partnership participates in a study to accelerate the Catalan industry towards a more sustainable, coordinated and European future

The Department of Business and Labour of the Government of Catalonia has promoted the study “What does the Catalan industry need?”, under the coordination of Pere Condom and Laia Castany. This study gathers the contributions of numerous accredited experts in their respective fields, who address a total of 60 topics to answer this big question. In addition, the study aims to serve as a basis and support tool for the future National Pact for Industry 2026-2030, providing a strategic vision of the challenges and opportunities of the Catalan industrial fabric.

Given its multifaceted nature, Catalan industry is analysed from a multidisciplinary perspective, with the 60 topics structured in seven main axes. Axis 2, “An industry with more sustainable products, processes and companies”, includes the chapter “Water as a factor of competitiveness”, written with the participation of Xavier Amores, director of the Catalan Water Partnership (CWP).

Amores highlights how the recent drought has highlighted the vulnerability of the Catalan productive fabric to the economic consequences of these episodes, and stresses the importance of investing in infrastructures that ensure the sustainability and competitiveness of the territory, not only to minimize risk but also to move towards more efficient, resilient and circular water management. In this sense, he argues that the water transition must be linked to digitalisation, investment in R+D, the promotion of the circular economy and innovation applied to the various uses of water.

The presentation day of the study, held on October 16, brought together the main collaborators and experts who have participated in its drafting. The event was welcomed by HC Miquel Samper, Josep Santacreu, president of the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and the Council of Chambers, and with the interventions of Xavier Roca (Director General of Industry), who presented the context of Catalan industrial policy, and Laia Castany (director of the Industry Observatory), who presented its objectives. Next, seven speakers explained the different axes of which the study is composed: Xavier Ferràs (ESADE), Ana Garcia (College of Economists), Carme Poveda (Barcelona Chamber of Commerce), Xavier López (Eurecat), Cristina Serradell (ACCIÓ), Xavier Testar (University of Barcelona) and Oriol Amat (Pompeu Fabra University)

In short, “What does the Catalan industry need?” It wants to draw up a roadmap to boost the country’s economy in a global context marked by change and technological transformation. Its implementation will require a firm commitment to innovation, investment in technology and public-private cooperation, as well as an overall vision that will position Catalonia as a European benchmark in industrial competitiveness and sustainability.