The market’s president said report shows that it is possible to be profitable while investing increased resources for CSR
Mercabarna has published its 2025 Sustainability Report setting out the market’s key CSR achievements over the past year.
At a meeting of Mercabarna’s board of director to present the new report, the market’s president, Raquel Gil, who is also deputy mayor for social rights, economic development, labour, feminism, and democratic memory of Barcelona City Council, praised Mercabarna’s strong financial results, “demonstrating that it is possible to be profitable while simultaneously investing in increased resources for social and environmental improvement, as well as supporting businesses located within its premises”.
Mercabarna’s operating income grew 5.8 per cent to €37.2mn in 2025. Investment totalled €6mn and operating expenses €25.6mn, representing a 6.9 per cent increase compared to 2024. The market reported a net profit of €10.6mn, 9.3 per cent lower than in 2024.
Almost 2.59mn tonnes of products were sold by Mercabarna’s associated companies last year, 1.1 per cent more than in 2024. This included 179,676 tonnes of locally sourced products, 5 per cent more than in the previous year. Last year also saw the launch of Mercabarna’s ‘De Proximitat Mercabarna’ marketing campaign to promote the areas in the market where Catalan products can be found.
The report also shows that of the 24,669 tonnes of waste generated by wholesalers and retailers at the market, 76 per cent was recovered.
Foodback, Mercabarna’s Food Recovery Centre, recovered 869 tonnes of fruits and vegetables, 4 per cent more than in 2024. These products were donated by 88 wholesalers at the food market and distributed among 300 organisations and soup kitchens.
According to the report, Mercabarna organised 64 courses – a total of 4,926 hours of instruction – last year, including 44 continuing education courses for 26 agri-food companies and 20 occupational training courses. Dual vocational training was also promoted to strengthen the connection between training and the market’s business network.
A total of 9,483 children and educators from 187 schools in Catalonia and other educational institutions participated in the market’s healthy eating campaign for children during the 2024/25 school year and summer of 2025.
Other highlights set out in the report include a 14 per cent reduction in water consumption, thanks to the priority given to using groundwater for cleaning and increased monitoring and maintenance.
Total energy consumption, meanwhile, was 4 per cent lower than the previous year. Specifically, contracted electricity decreased by 15 per cent, while energy produced through Mercabarna’s own solar panel installations increased by 177 per cent.
