Italy’s “greenest”: Industries, policies and sustainable progress

By Maria Vittoria Iaquinta

Since 2017, Italy has made large signs of progress in implementing eco-innovation to its industries. The eco-innovation plan which was first declared by the European Union Commission in 2011 has seen Italy playing a leading role in bringing changes in its circular economy and positioning this country on the 7th position on the Eco-innovation index in 2017.

The 2011 Eco-Innovation Plan: how well has Italy reacted?

The Eco-innovation plan aims to reduce harmful gas emission and develop greener technologies which and strategic green plans that European companies can adopt in order to prevent climate change and have a less of an impact to our beautiful natural habitat. Furthermore, this plan will provide more jobs shortly due to the growth of green industries, which already double up since 2000, which provide more sustainable job opportunities.

The 2020 European Union Country Report has reported that Italy has already reached its target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Initially, Italy declared that its goal was to reduce greenhouse emission by 11% by the end of 2017. However, the country managed to exceed its goal as Italian greenhouse emission fell by 20% by the end of 2017. Nevertheless, due to ongoing issue of economic and job-market instability, Italy still faces several issues in providing a more extensive range of sustainable works to the population in its greener economy. Consequently, our country struggles in investing in greener innovations and therefore, as we live in a circular economy, it does not encourage any further improvement. Much more investment is needed if the Bel Paese wants to keep his position in the Eco-innovation index.

Recipe for success: what’s needed to be green

Invest, invest, invest

As easy as that. Let it be time, money, or both, green companies know that in order to stay green all they need are responsible consumers that care about the heart and their own health. SO they are obsessed with educating the public and they would go a long way in order to ensure that their message is indeed heard.

They do so by as spending their resources in developing more sustainable products, using renewable energies, developing greener plans of mobility and electricity, recycling and saving energy. These companies rely most of their innovations on their costumers' expectations. Around 60% of the Italian public expects companies to be careful in its waste and recycling management, another 64% per cent is conscious regarding the greenhouse emission, and half of the population is worried regarding the impact to biodiversity and the use of energy as well as natural resources. As a consequence, these companies aim to reassures the consumers needs by implementing new sustainable strategic plans that match their new vision of sustainability,

A large number of Italian Companies have adopted renewable energy plans and started investing more in the production of stickers and logos, which certify the level of sustainability of a specific product. The aim of pf these stickers is to show to the producers that the European Union Commission has certified the products which they are using or purchasing as green.

The Italian public expects to see these stickers on the following products:

(Enel Green Power, 2019)

Italy’s “greenest” companies:

Intesa San Paolo

Assicurazioni Generali SpA

Eni SpA

Enel Green Power

Ducati Energia

Falck Renewables

The Greenest of them all: Enel Green Power

Enel Green Power has helped the industries mentioned above and other Italian industries to reach their target level of sustainability and reduce their emission of greenhouse gases. Enel Green power offers to companies strategic plans and agreements called PPA’s which aim to provide long term contacts of partnership with their companies in order to create an ongoing cycle of sustainability and teach them how to become greener under a more conscious perspective.

Since 2011, Italy’s improvements in sustainable progress are roaring. Italian companies still have much to learn in the sustainable sector; however, more and more companies are now collaborating in order to build green economies and provide a better future to their costumers. The future looks brighter and greener, indeed!