The company Acciona has been recognized with a European Business Award for the Environment for its construction system used at ports based on caissons made from composite materials.

The construction system designed by Acciona reduces CO2 emissions and the impact on the marine ecosystem. It is based on using caissons made from composite materials in the construction of port installations.

The European Business Awards for the Environment are given out by the Directorate-General for the Environment of the European Commission. The Spanish section is coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment.

The awards panel that determined the winner was composed of ten experts in business and sustainability. About one hundred candidates were considered, but Acciona’s new construction system was chosen above the rest thanks to its innovation and the environmental protection it provides.

The Spanish system substitutes caissons made from composite materials for the concrete caissons which have traditionally been used to build breakwaters, wharves and mooring points. During the entire life cycle of the caissons (manufacture, assembly and maintenance) this reduces the use of natural resources, their impact on the environment and the release of waste products, emissions and pollutants. The system is already being utilized in the Puerto del Rosario port expansion in Spain’s Canary Islands, which will become a pioneering facility thanks to this construction technique.