MWCapital joins the Barcelona Innova Lab Mobility to promote the application of technological solutions that improve mobility in the city 

• The initiative, led by Barcelona City Council, through the Mobility Area, together with the BIT Habitat Foundation and Fira de Barcelona, fosters public-private collaboration to solve mobility challenges. 
• Coinciding with MWCapital’s incorporation, Barcelona Innova Lab Mobility will launch a joint challenge to optimise professional mobility, especially in the hotel, restaurant and catering sector, thus contributing to the goal of reducing emissions from the distribution of goods in Barcelona by 50% by 2030. 
• Sustainable logistics plays a prominent role at MWCapital’s stand, with an interactive experience designed by EIT Urban Mobility, allowing real-time exploration of the impact of different distribution models and vehicles on Barcelona. 

04/March/2025

Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital) will be a new member of Barcelona Innova Lab Mobility (BILM), an initiative led by the Barcelona City Council through the Mobility Area, with the support of the municipal urban innovation agency, the BIT Habitat Foundation, and Fira de Barcelona. The aim is to enhance and facilitate pilot tests and new projects in the field of smart and sustainable urban mobility. With its entry, announced during MWC25, MWCapital will promote the participation of the city’s innovation ecosystem in addressing mobility challenges promoted by BILM. 

During the presentation event, MWCapital, the Barcelona City Council, and Fira de Barcelona announced the new challenge that BILM will launch in the coming weeks. This challenge aims to find technological solutions capable of transforming the current urban freight distribution model (DUM) in the city, particularly in the hospitality, restaurant, and catering (HORECA) sector. This initiative aligns with the City Council’s goal of reducing professional mobility emissions by 50% by 2030. 

The challenge aims to foster urban innovation projects to optimise HORECA distribution in Barcelona. Through research, knowledge, and innovation, it seeks to enhance or develop new products or services. 

The solutions presented by the innovation ecosystem must fall within four areas of action: freight distribution organisation, delivery mutualisation, scheduling, and modal shift. All proposals must include an innovative and distinctive component, have a high impact, be executable in the short term, and be replicable and scalable. The challenge’s goal is to establish a new organisation of freight flows that minimises their externalities, promoting a new way of operating that consolidates shipments and fosters collaboration between companies and distributors. 

The initiative is set against a backdrop of growing professional mobility in city centres. A study on DUM in Barcelona estimates that freight distribution accounts for 17% of the city’s mobility. This mobility results in externalities such as pollutant gas emissions (31% PM10 and 34% NOX), public space occupation, and operational inefficiencies, among others. 

Furthermore, according to a study by the Barcelona City Council conducted jointly with Barcelona Regional, B:SM, and AMB, the HORECA sector represents 22.2% of DUM deliveries, a higher proportion than its 17.3% share in the total number of establishments. 

The challenge fosters public-private collaboration to find efficient and sustainable innovations that improve mobility in Barcelona, involving companies, startups, and innovation centres. Additionally, it enables pilot testing in real urban environments. 

The challenge will have a maximum budget allocation of €100,000. The winning project will receive up to 80% of the total cost of its proposal, with a maximum limit of €100,000 and a minimum of €40,000. Projects must have a minimum budget of €50,000, with no upper limit. 

This will be the fourth challenge promoted by BILM with the support of Fira de Barcelona, following previous projects aimed at reducing motorcycle accident rates, optimising municipal bus fleet circulation by improving the flow of dedicated lanes, and the most recent one, which sought to minimise traffic noise impact while facilitating decision-making for urban mobility improvement. Through these initiatives, BILM strengthens a model of smart and sustainable urban mobility and consolidates Barcelona’s position as a mobility innovation hub in Southern Europe. 

Technology to advance towards more efficient and sustainable mobility 

During the initiative’s presentation, Barcelona’s First Deputy Mayor, Laia Bonet, emphasised the importance of the challenge in “reducing the externalities of freight logistics in the HORECA sector by identifying current issues and proposing efficient solutions.” 

In this regard, she highlighted that “the fragmentation of the current delivery model results in an inefficient operation, significantly impacting public space occupation, congestion, noise, and pollution, particularly in pedestrian areas.” 

For his part, MWCapital’s CEO, Francesc Fajula, underscored the potential of innovation in addressing major urban challenges. “Technology and innovative solutions are key tools in tackling issues with social and environmental impact, such as optimising urban freight distribution in Barcelona.” 

Among the possible solutions, he highlighted “the use of route optimisation technologies, real-time traffic analysis, and new delivery methods to minimise the carbon footprint.” 

Fira de Barcelona’s Corporate Director of Marketing and Strategic Projects, Joan Angulo, pointed out that “this challenge aligns with Fira de Barcelona’s commitment to innovation and sustainability to generate an impact on the region and people’s daily lives. Moreover, the developed solutions will have the potential to scale internationally through the showcase of two leading city-related events: Smart City Expo and Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress.” 

Interactive experience at MWC 

The connection between technology and urban mobility is one of the key themes at MWCapital’s stand at MWC25. It features an experience designed in collaboration with EIT Urban Mobility, allowing visitors to explore the effects of different last-mile logistics models on Barcelona using a city map projected on an interactive digital screen. 

By moving the screen over various urban areas, users can visualise in real-time how different distribution models affect key factors such as traffic, pollution, and logistical efficiency. Through dynamic graphics and animations, the experience illustrates the impact of diverse technological solutions, from urban logistics hubs and micro-platforms to the use of electric vehicles and cargo bikes for distribution in low-traffic zones. 

Additionally, visitors can interact with specific points of interest, such as Low Emission Zones (ZBE) and Urban Logistics Hubs, to gain a better understanding of sustainability strategies applied to the city. The platform also allows for comparisons of different delivery models, showcasing their advantages and disadvantages in terms of efficiency and sustainability. This experience aims to raise awareness about the importance of optimising urban logistics, highlight the potential of data computing technologies for advancing more efficient models, and promote a mobility approach that is more environmentally friendly and enhances Barcelona’s quality of life. 

 
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