INEM Member and Affiliated Organisations from Spain

Ingurumen Jarduketarako Sozietate Publikoa
Sociedad Pública de Gestión Ambiental

IHOBE, the Environmental Performance Agency of the Basque Government

Year of establishment: 1983
Member of INEM since: 2000
Type of membership: Affiliated Member

Main goals:

IHOBE are a publicly owned company, which, based on the Basque Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2002-2020, strives to activate all the actors of the Basque Country in order to improve the environmental performance and at the same time tries to satisfy its clients, employees and alliances as well as the society.

Main activities:

Initiating Environmental and Sustainable Strategic Planning

• Follow-up of the Basque Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2002-2020 Responsible person: A. Boto
• Initiating Sustainable Consumption Strategy for the Basque Country  (2003/2004) A. Rebate (Spanish)
• Initiating the "Sustainable Building Strategy for the Basque Country" (2003/2004) J.M. Fernandez
• Measuring the Environmental Indicators of the Basque Country, derived from the Basque Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2002-2020 Responsible person: A. Boto

Activating Governments environmental driving forces

• Sectorial Environmental Voluntary Agreements: signed or to be signed in following IPPC sectors (cement, June 2003; chemistry, July 2003; steel, October 2003, ...) A. Mezo
• Establishment of a list of Environmental Technologies for the accelerated depreciation scheme (2003) B. Gonzalez
• Incorporation of Sustainability criteria in the Subsidies Policy of the Basque Government (2003/2004) S. Cenaogaindia
• Green public procurement: Pilot projects of implementation in different areas (2003/2004) M. Arrizabalaga

Promoting Sustainability in Municipalities - Local Agenda 21

• Managements of Local Agenda 21 Basque Network on excellence - Local Agenda 21 M. Alonso (Spanish)
• Implementing Local Agenda 21 in regional groups X. Gonzalez (Spanish)
• Sustainability training for the municipality staff X. Gonzalez

Promoting Innovation in Companies

• Environmental Management Accounting Project (2003) M.L. Gomez
• Initiating "Companies Club for Sustainability - Club de Empresas por la Sostenibilidad (2002)" M.L. Gomez
• Eco-design - Aula, involving the University in the calculation of eco-indicators needed (2003) J.M. Fernandez (Spanish)
• Creation of the Spanish UNE 150301 standard on Eco-design management (2002, First certification 2003) A. Rebate (Spanish)
• Creation of the IHOBE standard Eko-scan on Environmental Performance for companies (2003) S. Cenagonaindia (Spanish)
• Establishment of emission factor to easily calculate EPER data for IPPC companies (2002/2003) C. Castillo
• Establishment of a system of Environmental Performance Indicator Bank to compare companies (2002/2003) A. Rebate

Fostering Environmental Performance in companies

• Annual Eko-scan Programme (similar to Ökoprofit^®) with 530 companies participating (approx 150 yearly) S. Cenagonaindia (Spanish)
• Annual environmental workshop Training Programme with yearly 200 companies participating M.L. Gomez (Spanish)
• Annual Environmental on site Orientation Visit in 250 companies K. Zaballa (Spanish)
• Helpline via phone, where 2500 companies calls to IHOBE-Line annually. K. Zaballa (Spanish)
• Every year approx 1 million technical guidelines in the form of PDF are downloaded from IHOBE's website, being the most visited website on environment in Spanish. A. Saez de Cortazar (Spanish)
• Yearly events involving approx 1000 company representatives. J. Lanborena (Spanish)

Number of members: not a membership organisation

Coordinator CP/EMS and Ecodesign:

Mr. Ander Elgorriaga

Address:

Ingurumen Jarduketarako Sozietate Publikoa (IHOBE)
Ibánez de Bilbao 28-8° planta
48009 Bilbao
Spain