Across Spain, young founders and cooperative members are building businesses that cut emissions and create fair work at the same time. Their organisations measure what matters: parcels delivered without tailpipes, villages supplied without extra car trips, and e-waste turned into training and jobs. The result is a just transition that is visible in neighbourhoods, villages and pay slips.
Delivering decarbonisation on the doorstep
In Spanish cities, Koiki, a social enterprise for inclusive last-mile delivery, turns the final stretch of logistics into a climate and community service. Parcels are delivered on foot, by bicycle or with electric vehicles, and local micro-hubs bring services closer to residents. The company’s model prioritises short routes, efficient consolidation and decent jobs for people who face barriers to employment. Impact is not a slogan but part of the service, from delivery methods to neighbourhood logistics.
Keeping rural life alive
Far from the big hubs, La Exclusiva, a rural social enterprise based in the province of Soria, ensures that small villages and older residents can access essential goods without travelling long distances. One consolidated route replaces dozens of car trips, while purchases support local commerce and care networks. For young staff and volunteers, the work blends community service with resource efficiency, showing how social logistics can lower emissions while tackling depopulation.
From waste streams to decent work
In Extremadura, La Hormiga Verde, a Special Employment Centre focused on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment, combines collection and recycling with accredited training. The centre turns discarded devices into components, materials and technical skills that open doors to employment.
In Catalonia, Solidança, a non-profit social enterprise for reuse and repair, pairs second-hand operations with vocational courses and job placement, publishing tonnes prepared for reuse and hours of training each year.
Barcelona’s migrant-led cooperative Alencop, which provides bulky-waste collection, small repairs and a community second-hand shop, uses electric vehicles and outreach to keep usable items in circulation. Together, these initiatives show how the circular economy can be locally owned and measured in social as well as environmental terms.
Policy that meets people
Spain’s policy framework recognises that climate action must deliver jobs, skills and cohesion. The Just Transition Institute within the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITERD) coordinates support for regions in transition, linking closures and industrial change with investment and training. Contests for “just transition” grid nodes, such as Meirama in Galicia, prioritise projects that prove socio-economic benefits alongside clean energy and storage, turning national policy into local opportunity.
What credibility looks like
These organisations share habits that cut through green marketing. They publish methods and numbers. They design roles for people who usually face barriers to work. They connect climate goals with local needs, whether that is a quiet street without vans, a village with weekly deliveries, a warehouse that turns e-waste into training, or a cooperative that reuses what would have been landfill. For young people deciding where to put their time, this is the practical meaning of a just transition: climate action you can join, govern and measure.
Sources
Koiki — social last-mile logistics and neighbourhood micro-hubs: https://koiki.es/en/home-koiki-english/
La Exclusiva — rural social logistics in Soria: https://laexclusiva.org/
La Hormiga Verde — Special Employment Centre for recycling and training: https://lahormigaverde.org/
Solidança — reuse, training and job placement in Catalonia: https://solidanca.cat/
Alencop — cooperative bulky-waste collection, repairs and second-hand shop: https://alencop.cat/
Just Transition Institute (ITJ) — policy framework and programmes: https://www.transicionjusta.gob.es/es.html
MITECO page: https://www.miteco.gob.es/es/ministerio/organizacion/organismos-publicos/instituto-transicion-justa.html
Meirama Just Transition node — contest information and criteria: https://www.transicionjusta.gob.es/en/boletines/concursos-nudos-tj.html
