Conditions for receiving the goCircular Pass seal
GoCircular Pass holder
ECOEMBALAJES ESPAÑA, S.A. (hereinafter ECOEMBES), with registered office in Madrid, Calle de Cardenal Marcelo Spínola, 14, planta 2, 28016 and tax ID No. A-81601700, has launched the goCircular Pass initiative through TheCircularLab, ECOEMBES’s open innovation laboratory based in Logroño.
Purpose
The purpose of the goCircular Pass initiative is to create a seal that recognizes recently created innovative companies (hereinafter, the Startup(s)) that exhibit high growth potential, have sufficient capacities to help develop the circular economy, and comply with the requirements and procedure specified herein for receiving the goCircular Pass seal (hereinafter, the Conditions). The two configurations (horizontal and vertical) of the goCircular Pass seal (hereinafter the Seal) are shown below:
Participation requirements
The Seal can be requested by any Startup that meets the following requirements:
• Be listed in the goCircular Radar Registry launched by ECOEMBES (more information at https://radar.thecircularlab.com)
• Be chartered as a commercial entity or a Social Economy company (cooperatives, labor companies or special employment centers) and be no more than 10 years old.
• Not be more than 50% owned by a non-SME (as per the definition of SME contained in EU Regulation No. 651/2014).
• Employ a high level of innovation in its products, services or business model.
• Offer a portfolio of solutions or products that can contribute to the circular economy.
• Not be involved in bankruptcy proceedings and be up to date with its Social Security and tax obligations. This condition will not be verified, but the Startup will declare in the application form that it meets this requirement.
Receiving the Seal
Receiving the Seal does not entail any cost for the Startup. To receive it, the process is divided into the following phases:
• Completion of the online application form found at https://pass.thecircularlab.com/en/form
• Online interview with members of the TheCircularLab’s Startup Department. If the initial form from the company is approved by the management team of TheCircularLab, a work meeting will be held so the team can learn more about the activities and capabilities of the Startup
• Presentation of the technical form plus the corresponding attachments.
• Assessment by the Evaluation Committee of the form and any attachments
This Committee may decide to award the Seal. The Committee may also agree not to grant the Seal, justifying its decision. No response either way from ECOEMBES within three months after the technical form is submitted is to be interpreted as a denial of the application, although the Startup may apply for the seal again in the future.
Throughout any of these phases, TheCircularLab may request additional information from the Startup on certain relevant information.
ECOEMBES is the owner of the Seal; as a result, it can only be granted by this organization and through the procedure specified herein.
Composition of the Committee
The Evaluation Committee will consist of a minimum of three experts in the field with positions of responsibility in TheCircularLab/ECOEMBES or other entities with extensive experience in the field of circular economy. Its composition will be made known to the applicants.
The committee members shall have no conflict of interest or have any connection to the Startups that are assessed at each meeting of the Evaluation Committee.
Evaluation criteria
Once the Startups are verified to meet the requirements mentioned herein, the Evaluation Committee will assess and weigh the following criteria to award the Seal:
• Potential of the Startup to have a positive impact in the field of circular economy.
• Degree of innovation of the Startup
• Viability and scalability of its business model; acceptance by the present and future market, as well as growth potential.
• Training and commitment of its work team.
• Achievements, including:
- Awards, seals and recognitions from third parties.
- Successful completion of demanding acceleration programs.
- Receipt of significant sums in demanding venture capital programs.
- Involvement in regional, national and/or European R&D programs.
- References from clients and relevant projects.
- Service contracts already executed successfully with ECOEMBES.
- Receipt of business quality certificates.
The Evaluation Committee will weigh these criteria and make its decision objectively, with no discrimination and based on facts.
GoCircular Pass registration
ECOEMBES will inform each Startup of the reason for its decision, assigning a reference number to each case that can be used to track it through the different phases of the evaluation process.
ECOEMBES has set up the goCircular Pass Registry at the following address, https://pass.thecircularlab.com/en/list-of-companies/ which lists those Startups that have been issued the Seal. This Registry contains only those companies with a valid Seal, meaning one that has not expired. The information provided includes:
- Seal registration number
- Name of the Startup
- Tax ID number of the Startup
- Website of the Startup
- Seal validity date
- Description of the Startup’s activity
The goCircular Pass Registry will be available for any interested party and will contain the essential public and non-confidential information of the Startup.
Listing in the Registry is voluntary, meaning that the companies that are contained therein may request to be de-listed at any time. Those that do shall no longer be entitled to display the Seal.
Rules for using the Seal
After receiving the Seal and registering in the Registry, Startups may use the Seal in the manner and form specifically indicated herein and for the specifically authorized products. In particular, a Startup may:
- Display the Seal at its headquarters and locations.
- Include the Seal on its website.
- Include the Seal in its email communications with clients and all types of partners. These must be corporate messages sent from accounts with the same domain as the Startup’s main website, not from private email or unofficial company accounts.
The graphic form of the Seal is registered and owned by ECOEMBES. It officially represents having received the goCircular Pass, and it may not be altered in terms of its shapes, colors, proportions and spatial relationships. Startups must use the Seal in an ancillary fashion, meaning it may not be shown in a size that is equal to or larger than their own brand, nor be placed in a prominent location. The Seal may not be used as a substitute for the Startup’s own branding.
The Seal may not be used as part of the Startup’s name, trade name, domain name or branding, nor in any way that creates the impression that the Startup’s brand and the Seal are one and the same, or that the Seal belongs to the Startup.
On electronic and online media, a link must be provided on the Seal that directs to the goCircular Pass Registry website, which will provide relevant data on the Startup as well as the validity date of the Seal. If the Seal is shown on a non-electronic medium, its valid-until date must be included.
Once the validity period expires, if the Seal has not been correctly renewed, it must be removed from the website, communications, headquarters and locations. If the Seal expires, this shall have the same effect as being denied the Seal, or de-listing from the goCircular Pass Registry.
Startups may not use the Seal in a way that could directly or indirectly damage their brand, image and/or reputation (or that of ECOEMBES) or that could mislead consumers as to the characteristics of the products to which the Seal applies.
Period of validity and renewal
The Seal shall remain valid for two years from the date it was issued by the Evaluation Committee. During this period, the Startup that is awarded the Seal may use it in accordance with the clauses relating to its use mentioned hereinabove and for the specified term.
The Startup must report any relevant change to the issuing entity, ECOEMBES, for its consideration.
Three months before the Seal expires, and with the prior approval of ECOEMBES, the Startup may request that the Seal be renewed, providing the corresponding updated information on the company.
ECOEMBES will write a report to update the data and, if necessary, online or in-person meetings will be scheduled to address any issues that need to be resolved in order to complete said report.
If the report is favorable, the update report will be presented to the Evaluation Committee for final validation. In this case, the certification website will be updated to extend the seal for an additional two years.
If the report is unfavorable, the details of the decision will be made known to the applicant.
ECOEMBES may likewise officially de-list a company that no longer meets the conditions that justified its registration in the goCircular Pass Registry.
GoCircular Pass timeline and deadlines
This initiative will go into effect on April 15, 2021.
Startups may submit applications at any time. In order to improve the efficiency of the selection process, calls may be published on the website https://pass.thecircularlab.com with deadlines for receiving applications, which will be evaluated in meetings of the Evaluation Committee already scheduled. If a Startup is not in time to submit its application on a certain date, its application will be assessed at the next Evaluation Committee meeting.
Authorization of the name and transfer of image and trademark rights
Startups that have been awarded the Seal authorize ECOEMBES to reproduce and use their name, description and images in any advertising or promotional activity in any communication medium (TV, Internet, social media or other) related to this initiative, worldwide and for a time period equal to the validity of the Seal and/or any other analogous right, without this conferring the right to remuneration or any benefit to said Startups.
Any communication materials related to goCircular Pass, regardless of their format, that ECOEMBES may create for the aforementioned purposes shall be the property of ECOEMBES.
Startups may, at any time, exercise their right to access, portability, rectification, deletion, limitation and objection for any information stored by ECOEMBES, as per the privacy policy in place for the website https://pass.thecircularlab.com/politica-privacidad.
Likewise, Startups may withdraw the consent given at any time. To exercise the aforementioned rights, please send an email to oficinadeprivacidad@ecoembes.com or write to Calle de Cardenal Marcelo Spínola 14, 2ª Planta 28016 Madrid. Be sure to include a copy of your DNI/NIE or an official identification document.
Liability disclaimer
ECOEMBES accepts no responsibility for any kind for damage or claim that may arise from this initiative, or any responsibility for damages resulting from the use of the Seal by any entity.
ECOEMBES is not liable to third parties or persons who purchase services or products from the Startups to which the Seal is awarded. Therefore, the trust generated by this Seal cannot lead to liability for ECOEMBES if any problems exist between the startup and third parties.
ECOEMBES does not guarantee that the information provided by the Startups during the application or renewal process is true.
Inappropriate use
If ECOEMBES identifies any anomaly or suspects that a participant is impeding the normal goCircular Pass process, damaging the purposes thereof, or engaging in any inappropriate activities that threaten said process, ECOEMBES reserves the right to unregister the participant(s) involved, without prejudice to any other legal measures that it deems appropriate to undertake.
The data provided by the Startups, as well as any supplementary information tendered, must be true and current. If said information is found to be false after the Seal is issued, the award will be canceled.
Updated Conditions
These Conditions herein can be found on the website https://pass.thecircularlab.com/condiciones-de-participacion/
ECOEMBES reserves the right to modify, suspend, limit or expand these Conditions for legitimate reasons, as allowed by the applicable legislation, or in accordance with new situations and relevant circumstances, which it shall duly report on the same Website. To this end, it recommends that users review them periodically to stay apprised thereof.
Applicable law and jurisdiction
These Conditions on the goCircular Pass initiative are governed by the laws of Spain. To settle any dispute or discrepancy that may arise regarding the interpretation or application of these Vonditions, both ECOEMBES and the participating startups expressly submit to the jurisdiction and competence of the Courts of Madrid, and expressly renounce any other jurisdiction to which they may have recourse.
Notifications
Notifications and communications with the Startups will be made electronically or online. The information exchanged and the content of the communications shall be private and confidential.
Confidentiality
None of the individuals involved in the communications made within the framework of this initiative may make the conversations or messages exchanged public. Similarly, the information or documentation exchanged is private and confidential and may not be shared with third parties or entities. For such purposes, “Confidential Information” shall be defined as any information, in oral, written, electronic, digital and/or any other type of format, that is provided by ECOEMBES to the Startups within the framework of this initiative, whether or not it has been classified as private or confidential.
Startups shall keep the information confidential, as well as the information inherent to the services provided pursuant to this initiative. For these purposes, the Startups undertake to use the Confidential Information solely and exclusively for the purposes related to this initiative, and not to reveal, communicate, disclose, distribute and/or reproduce said Confidential Information to any third party.
Startups must adopt the appropriate legal, technical and organizational measures needed to guarantee the secrecy of the Confidential Information, such that it does not become public knowledge or is known by third parties.
This confidentiality requirement shall apply even after the validity period of the Seal expires, for the maximum time allowed by law.
Acceptance of the Conditions
All the Startups involved in goCircular Pass accept these Conditions and fully agree to their content when submitting their application to participate in the selection process.
