Aragón accelerates the Ribawood recycling plant in San Mateo de Gállego

The Government of Aragon has declared the “Recovery of non-hazardous plastic waste” project in San Mateo de Gállego (Zaragoza), promoted by Ribawood, SA, as an investment of regional interest. The agreement was adopted during the Executive meeting on October 21, 2026, and is now published via ORDER ECE/1625/2026, of October 26, in the Official Gazette of Aragon number 217, of November 10, 2026 (reference BOA20261110019). This declaration grants the file preferential and urgent processing, reducing ordinary processing times by half.

A procedure with halved deadlines

This figure is regulated in Article 6 of Decree-law 1/2008, of October 30, on urgent administrative measures to facilitate economic activity in Aragon, which reserves this qualification for investments declared by the Government of Aragon due to their special relevance for the economic, social, and territorial development of the community.

According to the agreement, all procedures linked to the authorization, execution, and development of the project will be preferential and urgent, with a 50% reduction in the deadlines provided for in Aragonese regulations, except for those relating to the submission of applications and appeals. The order specifies that the declaration does not exempt the promoter from complying with legal requirements nor does it bind the Administration; it was signed by the Minister of Economy, Competitiveness, and Employment, Eva Valle Maestro.

The application had been submitted on November 12, 2025, and the file accumulated three favorable reports:

• February 24, 2026: report from the then Directorate General for Industrial Promotion and Innovation, which concluded favorably due to the industrial, technological, and employment impact.
• July 30, 2026: report from the Aragonese Development Institute (IAF) on economic-financial viability, showing a favorable evolution of the projected magnitudes.
• October 8, 2026: report-proposal from the Directorate General for Economic Policy.

2.9 million to multiply capacity by fourteen

The project corresponds to phase 2 of the expansion of the Ribawood 3 center, in the Río Gállego industrial estate of San Mateo de Gállego, covering 13 plots totaling 26,163 square meters. The investment amounts to 2,946,426 euros, with the following breakdown:

• Warehouse and civil works: 1,190,116 euros.
• Recycling line: 480,500 euros.
• Press line: 492,500 euros.
• Granulation line: 424,000 euros.
• Purification system: 198,500 euros.

The action allows for an increase from the 2,982 annual tons currently authorized to nearly 42,000 annual tons, more than fourteen times the installed capacity. The promoter also plans to raise the authorized maximum to 85,000 annual tons for operations R0305 (circular economy), R0307 (end-of-waste status), and R1203 (mechanical treatment). The schedule concentrates civil works in 2025 and the implementation of the lines in 2026, the year in which phase 2 must be fully operational.

Employment and driving effect on the territory

The group declares an average workforce of 111 workers in 2024, with a net growth of 9 jobs between 2024 and 2025. Phase 2 will generate 7 direct positions in the new lines (recycling, pelletizing, presses, and environmental control), and the company estimates a global increase of approximately 8 additional jobs in the coming years, in addition to indirect employment in industrial maintenance, logistics, transport, and supplies.

The agreement emphasizes the weight of the project in a municipality of about 3,400 inhabitants, of whom around 1,400 are registered with Social Security and about 900 are in the industrial sector. The company, established in May 1975 and headquartered in Villanueva de Gállego, bills nearly 24 million euros, has over a hundred workers, and has accumulated nearly 200 million euros in turnover over the last decade.

The Executive frames the operation within the Aragón Circular Strategy and the Girapec Plan 2024-2030. The circular economy represents around 2% of the gross value added and 2.7% of total employment in Aragón, according to the Aragonese Institute of Statistics (IAEST).

The declaration turns San Mateo de Gállego into an industrial node for advanced polymer recycling in Aragón: the plant will multiply its recovery capacity by fourteen and will provide a supply of high-quality recycled pellets to the community’s manufacturing and logistics fabric, with a ripple effect that exceeds the municipal scope.

Source: Official Gazette of Aragón, no. 217, November 10, 2026, section III (Other Provisions and Agreements) (official reference: BOA20261110019).