EU has pledged to go carbon-neutral by 2050. EU’s ambitious Green Deal initiative really comes into play. Its goal is to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. It also aims to transform Europe’s economy into a sustainable one, across the board from production to consumption. One of its key missions is to boost the efficient use of resources, minimize waste and cut greenhouse gas net emissions to zero. This move towards a low-carbon society is likely to put more of a burden on regions, countries and industries that rely heavily on fossil fuels. Over the next seven years, the European Social Fund, which is now called the European Social Fund PLUS (ESF+), is investing over €88 billion. Its job is to fund projects across the EU, essentially promoting employment and social inclusion. This investment is designed to help create new eco-friendly jobs, support educational opportunities and train people in new skills. With tens of thousands of projects across Europe, the ESF+ aims to give a helping hand to the EU’s green goals and facilitating Europe’s transition to a green and digital economy.
Empleaverde is a public programme that supports the creation of green jobs and entrepreneurship. It is co-financed by the European Social Fund and gives training and project guidance to sustainable companies. They mix it with equal amounts of their specially formulated product, souji, to convert it into soap. The soap can then be used to clean the frying pan where the oil came from, wash clothes or even clean floors. It’s a perfect example of the circular economy at its best. Recircular is another start-up benefitting from Empleaverde’s support. It was created by Patricia. Recircular offers solutions to companies who want to give a new lease of life to all kinds of waste, including leather, plastic and even leftover grains from beer breweries. Recircular effectively connects companies with one another and that is where Empleaverde’s network of green businesses has been helpful to them. Unemployment was already high in Spain. With the pandemic, it rose to 16% at the end of 2020. And for young people, unemployment now stands at 40%. Elena explains how they have boosted the help they offer to recruitment.