Innovation, Quality and Sustainability for a Resilient Circular Economy

The circular economy model applied to the wine industry is linked to the enhancement of waste from wine production, which is represented by grape leaves and grape pomace. Recent studies have described these waste products as rich in antioxidant and antimicrobial bioactive molecules, such as anthocyanins, flavonoids, procyanidins, and other polyphenolic derivatives. The presence of these molecules allows the recovery of waste from the wine chain to obtain semifinished and finished products applicable in different sectors. This work involved the development of an innovative soft and controlled drying technology, which was applied to grape skin and seeds through the use of a chamber characterized by the control of the process parameters, in particular temperature, humidity, ventilation, drying time, and sanitization with ozone and/or UVC radiation, to maintain the biological properties of the unaltered plant matrix. The ability of this process to preserve the content of active molecules of Vitis vinifera L. was indeed demonstrated by HPLC-DAD-MS characterizations and Folin-Ciocalteu spectrophotometric assays. The dried grape skin and seeds were subjected to controlled micronization to obtain innovative functional products for use in green agriculture, cosmetics, food, nutraceutical, and wine making, allowing them to respond to circular viticulture and industrial symbiosis models.

Efforts against food waste by reducing food surplus and increasing donations for humanitarian purposes are priorities in retail to achieve a sustainable food system from environmental, economic, and social points of view. The UN has adopted the 2030 Agenda with an SDG 12.3 target, which foresees that “by 2030, to halve the global food waste per capita at the retail level… .” The EU has adopted Target 12.3 as part of its transition to a circular economy and reinforced it in the “EU Farm to Fork.” Improving management procedures to reduce food surplus is now recognized as a priority in retail. There are operational and management barriers in finding qualitative and quantitative information. In fact, there is a widespread tendency among retailers not to make the data (quantitative and economic) and their operational/managerial procedures publicly available.In this paper, we aim to define a survey proposal aimed at measuring the degree of importance attributed by corporate management and store managers to the causes, situations, management practices, and critical factors to fight food waste by increasing the donations of surplus food. This is to overcome the barriers to obtaining qualitative improvement in future business strategies.

The largest Italian agri-food chains are represented by the production of extra virgin olive (EVO) oil and wine. Their production leads to a great amount of agri-food wastes that can represent an innovative and sustainable source of secondary raw materials that can be used as ingredients for functional foods. In this study, production chain wastes from EVO oil and wine, such as olive leaves, free oil olive pulp, grape skin, and grape seeds, were selected and characterized for the content of antioxidant compounds by HPLC-DAD-MS analysis. Using innovative technologies, micronized powders have been obtained from waste rich in antioxidant bioactive compounds, used as functional ingredients for the formulation of two bars based on EVO oil, rich in polyphenols, fruits, and vegetables. The bars were analyzed to evaluate their total antioxidant capacity and the antiradical activity. The formulated bars were tested for their functional action in a preliminary in vivo study on renal patients who took bars and performed adapted physical activity. The preliminary results show that the association of adapted physical activity with the consumption of functional bars rich in antioxidant and bioactive compounds leads to an improvement in body composition and other clinical parameters.

The new economic paradigm of the circular economy aims to recover, sustain, and increase the value of waste, supporting the concept of sustainability, a key point of the new blockchain models outlined by the 2030 Agenda. Our analysis proposes the study of variables that influence the implementation of a waste cycle tracking system. This type of research is relevant to several fields, both academic and professional, as the conceptual understanding of the narratives of traceability drives practical application through the study of strategies, monitoring tools, and technologies among which the blockchain emerges (Saberi et al, Resour Conserv Recycl 130:80–81, 2018; Steenmans and Taylor 2018). To date, this technology is an essential tool for the traceability of all economic resources, particularly in the context of the circular economy, which lays the foundation for the development of a model in which the entire life cycle of products is aimed at lasting as long as possible. The use of this technology in the waste sector represents an application of supply chain management on which much attention has been given in recent years (e.g., Kouhizadeh, Sarkis, Sustainability 10:3652; 2018; Saberi et al, Int J Prod Res 57:2117–2135, 2019). The methodological approach used is qualitative, as we proceed with a literature review that investigates the variables, in particular blockchain technology, which may influence the application of a traceability model whose purpose is to ensure the certainty and transparency of the individual processes involved. The review also outlines application gaps and future areas of research. The following article could enhance the use of this technology and offer insights into the study of other technological variables that are always applied within a yet unknown waste traceability model.

Methane fugitive emissions from landfills represent a significant source of climate-altering gases emitted into the atmosphere globally. The recent Communication COM (2020) 663 reports that in the EU, 53% of anthropogenic methane emissions come from agriculture, 26% from waste, and 19% from energy. Landfills therefore represent an important emission sector, on which it is necessary to continue investing in innovation and technology to limit fugitive emissions, especially of methane. In Italy, Legislative Decree 36/2003 has imposed an obligation on landfill operators to quantitatively characterize biogas but does not indicate which technique should or can be used for monitoring. Quantifying landfill biogas flow is a complex exercise with varying degrees of uncertainty. This paper illustrates the main methods currently developed to perform this difficult task. For each method, measurement characteristics, instrumentation needed, advantages, and limitations identified for each are reported. From the analysis of the results, it can be stated that at present, there is absolutely no quantification method that is preferable to others; it is necessary to proceed with further research also considering the new instruments that technology makes available.

Organic waste or biowaste is the largest component in municipal solid waste and, therefore, one of the main landfilled waste fractions with the consequent issue of greenhouse gas emissions. On the other hand, it represents a valuable resource that can be harnessed and returned to productive use in the framework of a circular economy approach, according to the EU Waste Framework Directive. This paper presents the results of an environmental and economic life cycle assessment of specific organic waste management actions in two reference territories representative of “small communities”, paving the way for a deeper understanding of the benefits that can be gained by means of local composting. Life cycle evaluation results showed that improvement potentialities are high, especially in terms of environmental impacts and externalities, confirming life cycle-based evaluations as very valuable tools for decision-makers to better understand the benefits and costs of waste management policies. The results also confirmed that, both from an environmental and economic point of view, a “local” waste management system, in which transportation is reduced, is particularly strategic, as well as a “tailored” management system that affects other specific territorial hotspots, such as the temporary storage of waste.

Date palm was domesticated between 3000 and 4500 B.C. in Mesopotamia. In 2020, the global production of dates reached 9.45 million metric tons. Date fruit production and the linked processing industry generate a large volume of by-products and waste. The by-products and waste contain valuable amounts of bioactive compounds, but little attention has been given to understanding their chemical composition and properties. The aim of this study was to investigate, by HPLC-DAD-MS and 1H-NMR analyses, the chemical composition of polysaccharides and polyphenols of by-products and waste from the production process of bioethanol via fermentation of date palm fruits. Cinnamic acids, luteolin, and chrysoeriol derivatives were identified. The total phenolic content in the different samples ranged from 15.6 to 92 mg/g. Two main polysaccharide fractions (F1 and F2) were collected from each sample: F1 and F2 ranged from 4.5% to 9.2% and from 3.5% to 12.5% weight with respect to the date fruit by-products, respectively, and they contained 24–52% and 5.6–8.7% galacturonic acid, respectively. The different compositions of the two polysaccharide fractions were confirmed by the percentage composition of acetic acid and methanol linked to galacturonic acid.

In the current context of affirmation of the concept of the circular economy as a new paradigm of sustainability, the present research aimed to enhance and innovate the pomegranate supply chain. From the perspective of optimizing a multifunctional platform, two samples were studied obtained from pomegranate waste: a lyophilized aqueous extract from the pericarp and a micronized powder obtained by grinding the pericarp after freeze-drying. The HPLC-DAD-MS chemical characterization revealed a content of hydrolysable tannins of 23.1% by weight for the lyophilized extract and 20.8% for the micronized pericarp. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated on five fungi of agricultural and food interest (Alternaria sp., Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. radicis-lycopersici, Mucor sp., Penicillium digitatum, and Pythium ultimum). In all cases, we observed an inhibition of the fungal mycelium proportional to the sample concentrations, with average higher efficacy for the lyophilized extract compared to the micronized powder. These results will allow to assess the possible applications of waste and by-products from pomegranate processing to obtain, within integrated platforms for the recovery of active ingredients with functional properties, innovative semifinished and finished products for use in diversified commodity sectors.

According to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), by 2050, food losses and waste (FLW) could reach 2.1 billion tons, up +40% from the estimates by the FAO in 2011. Therefore, reducing FLW becomes important, not only because of the social and economic impacts they cause but also because when food is lost or wasted, many resources used in its production are also wasted, and large amounts of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) are also emitted. Therefore, linking the resource depletion and emissions generated to the production of food that will be lost or wasted could help frame the problem’s extent. In this study, therefore, an assessment of the environmental impacts related to fruit and vegetable losses in Italy was carried out through the carbon and water footprint and cumulative energy demand to link, based on available data and databases, resource depletion (water and energy) as well as GHGs to the production of food that was lost in Italy between 2019 and 2020, especially taking fruit and vegetable losses as a reference. The results show that horticultural losses decreased between 2019 and 2020, which reduced the CF by −24% and the WF and CED by −40%. This could save and avoid significant amounts of emissions, water, and energy and could thus fit into the context of achieving some national and international goals, such as the European Green Deal, SDGs, and Directive 2000/60/EC.

Wheat is the third most cultivated cereal in the world and is one of the most important cereals for production in the food industry. The FAO has estimated that its production worldwide is approximately 760 million tons, of which Europe produces approximately 33%. Wheat husk, which is the external leathery part of the grain, is one of the main by-products of the wheat supply chain. This low-cost by-product is unstudied and underutilized, although it is generated in abundance in wheat production (approximately 17–20% of grain yield). Therefore, it is important to extract residues of high nutritional value (e.g. polyphenols), thus valorizing agri-food by-products. For this purpose, the study will examine the possibility of recovering bioactive compounds (BCs) (e.g. polyphenols) from wheat by-products using green technologies (such as ultrasound-assisted extraction, natural deep eutectic solvents or NADES, water, etc.), which have been proposed to be greener replacements for conventional solvents (e.g. methanol, n-hexane, ethyl acetate). In particular, NADES will be applied for the extraction of BCs, as they are natural solvents compatible with food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics. Furthermore, the application of the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology would allow a sustainability assessment for the recovery of bioactive components compared to wheat by-products.

The tanning industry is not only a significant economic sector in Italy but also a source of high environmental impacts. Many studies have underlined the issues of each phase of the leather production cycle, looking for eco-friendlier solutions. This research was encouraged by the Sustainable Development Goals set by the 2030 Agenda, in particular goals 12 and 13, which promote responsible consumption and production and the fight against climate change, respectively. In support of these goals, the application of circular economy (CE) practices allows both a reduction of the environmental impact and economic savings. The tanning industry indeed produces a huge amount of liquid and solid waste, and the CE model allows both the prevention and recovery of such waste. This paper provides a review of the potential applications of the CE to the tanning sector through the design of eco-sustainable products and the reuse of waste as secondary raw materials within the same or other production processes. The use of biological, chemical, and thermal techniques allows for a high degree of reducing waste production and recycling of secondary materials with a significant decrease in environmental pollution.

The raw materials crisis has put a strain on the paper market, leading to a real supply race forcing recycled paper suppliers to decrease their production capacity. In recent years, the paper recovery market has undergone significant changes: just think how wastepaper from the recycling cycle in Italy had a cost of zero euros in February 2020, at the Milan Chamber of Commerce, compared to 68 euros in February 2022. These figures drive home the importance of rethinking production cycles from the perspective of the circular economy. In this study, the authors have studied the paper value chain to analyse the sustainability of the paper sector in Italy with a focus on the Apulian region using the Material Flow Analysis (MFA) tool to identify critical points in the regional system. The authors’ goal is to identify critical aspects of the current system as a starting point for future improvement scenarios aimed at greater circularity while responding to the logistical and economic needs of the sector.

This study analyses the waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) management system of the Campania region, assessing the input and output material flows to and from the system and the environmental impacts of the recovery of the materials and components of WEEE after their first-step separation in a treatment plant located outside the region. The LCA midpoint and endpoint preliminary results demonstrate the environmental impacts of the collection and treatment of the R1 and R2 WEEE categories. The comparison of the environmental impacts for the recovered materials with the highest share (e.g. iron in R1 and mixed iron and steel in R2) shows that the recovery of secondary materials from WEEE generates lower environmental impacts than the production of the primary materials. This study confirms the importance of evaluating the environmental impacts of the European WEEE management system to better understand the social and just implications of the circular economy model.

Circular economy policies in the management of water, especially at the urban level, are relevant to overcome water scarcity issues and to accelerate the transition to more sustainable practices. To stimulate the transition to a circular economy, in 2015, the European Commission adopted a “Circular Economy Package”, which includes priorities for legislative revision. More recently, by launching the European Green Deal, the European Commission aimed to boost the efficient use of resources by moving to a circular economy and stopping climate change. Water issues were included in the European debate, involving cities in processes of legislative revision. At the European level, the Urban Agenda for the EU was established with the aim of favouring the discussion on the circular economy at the city level. The Municipality of Prato represented Italy in the EU partnership on circular economy. Prato is one of the largest Italian industrial districts and one of the most important textile production centres in the world. The local centralized water treatment plant also plays one role as the best circular practice within the textile district. This paper describes the role of the Municipality of Prato at the European level in the process of legislative revision in terms of wastewater reuse.

The work analyses Italy’s current strategies for gas supply to guarantee the energy security of the national market and its potential capacity for diversification. In the first part, having examined the Italian situation relative to domestic production and the quantity of imported gas, the work focuses on the countries from which Italy imports natural gas through pipelines: Russia, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Libya, Norway and Holland, and LNG through LNG carriers, also analysing the reserves, production and infrastructures present there. In the second part, in light of the current situation characterized by strong instability, the prospects of diversification of natural gas supply routes in the Mediterranean context are analysed. The exploitation of natural gas reserves in the eastern Mediterranean area and the development of regasifiers to accommodate LNG can make a valuable contribution to the diversification of energy supplies.

The energy transition represents a crucial topic for achieving the objectives of the 2030 Agenda, which aims to promote sustainable development and is strongly incentivized by numerous European and national interventions, like the Recovery and Resilience Plan and several others. The goal of this research is to highlight the great potential of the photovoltaic sector, showing how its versatility and adaptability constitute an important strength compared to other renewable sources. In particular, the paper investigates the process of integration between photovoltaics and agriculture that is occurring in the Sicily region, giving rise to agro-photovoltaics. After presenting the strategies proposed by the Environmental Energy Plan of the Sicily Region to address the green revolution and the energy transition of the island, the paper shows the main features of this system and some projects for the construction of agricultural parks and agro-photovoltaic plants. Furthermore, despite the current social debate that creates friction between the various stakeholders regarding the exploitation of the soil, the integration between the two sectors could trigger a virtuous circle that puts agricultural and livestock farms as the main beneficiaries of the economic and environmental advantages derived from agro-photovoltaics and drives the island towards an effective energy transition.

Human activity continues to have innumerable impacts on the environment and hence on the territory, creating potential environmental and social damage in increasingly vast areas that now affect the entire planet and which, in the long term, may lead to the impoverishment of natural resources and the eco-systemic functions connected with them, with consequent significant economic damage. From this perspective, the redevelopment of industrial brownfields represents an opportunity: i) to relaunch the territorial system from the economic point of view, ii) to accelerate the transformation of the business community, iii) to raise the level of architectural and landscape quality of urban spaces, iv) to favour the settlement of highly innovative activities in terms of the specificity of production, and v) to reduce the socio-environmental impacts on the surrounding community both now and in the future. In Italy, the current PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan) is also urging the country’s regions and autonomous provinces to identify and therefore redevelop their industrial brownfield lands to convert them into centres for the production and distribution of hydrogen from renewable energy sources (green hydrogen). Hydrogen is increasingly being considered an energy vector that can promote environmental protection, social welfare, and the consequent improvement of the economic performance of production organizations. At the same time, in 2019, the European Commission, with the European Green Deal, indicated green hydrogen to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Therefore, this paper aims to recall the main benefits of green hydrogen and its critical points within the sustainable development of a territory.

The unitized regenerative fuel cell (URFC) with a polymeric electrolyte membrane (PEM) is an emerging energy storage system that could play an essential role in decarbonizing Europe. Considering that the sustainability of PEM-URFC devices has not been studied in depth, further analyses are needed. In this context, this paper focuses on the central main component of a PEM-URFC, the stack, by assessing its potential environmental and economic impacts. Thus, using primary and secondary data, the life cycle assessment (LCA) and environmental life cycle costing (ELCC) methods are applied, following a cradle-to-gate approach. The analysis shows that the main hotspots of the stack are linked to the membrane electrode assembled (MEAs), which contribute to approximately 68% of the total cost and more than 76% of all the environmental impact categories. These results are connected to the presence of materials characterized by high or medium critical supplies (e.g. platinum for catalysts, etc.) and high costs due to the early stage of market development. Furthermore, the study highlights the need to have more reliable data on crucial and critical elements used in this type of device and more life cycle thinking studies on URFC to update the current knowledge on hydrogen technologies.

Currently, companies experience a very competitive scenario: innovations, changes in consumer behaviour, competitiveness and dynamic markets put firms in a position to rethink and improve their organization and processes to increase efficiency and performance. Companies, in order to adapt to this context, can gain insight from Lean management. In this work, the principles of Lean thinking were applied to the case of an Italian company operating in the textile and apparel sector in designing a new warehouse functional to its business; the actual constraints given by the structure of the building to be used as a warehouse were respected, but the economic aspect, the costs to be incurred and the detailed quantity of goods that the company intended to store inside were not reported (for privacy reasons). Through typical Lean thinking processes and tools, such as value stream mapping, 5S and kaizen, several benefits can be achieved.

In Italy, the textile industry represents one of the most important and strategic manufacturing sectors, characterized by new policies related to sustainable transition and digital innovation. The Italian textile industry is also associated with the workmanship, tradition, and ancient knowledge that has characterized Italian history. According to the 2020 ISTISAN report, Italy ranks not only as a country that produces the best fashion in the world but also as the only Western nation that still has production chains that start from raw materials and arrive at finished clothing. Indeed, the Italian textile industry is composed of companies that meet sustainability requirements more than their competitors. This peculiar situation is determined by several factors stemming from historicity, traditions, and existing legislation regarding environmental protection and respect for employees’ health. The new Museum of Commodity Science, in Italian “Museo di Merceologia (MuMe)”, at Sapienza University of Rome, currently undergoing major renovations, preserves numerous textile artefacts: animal and vegetable fibres, such as cotton, wool, linen, hemp, jute, kapok, silk, byssus, ramie, straw, and so on; man-made fibres such as viscose, rayon, cupro, acetate, etc.; and synthetic fibres, such as nylon, polyester, Kevlar, Lycra, and Gore-Tex. The new museum displays, which will characterize the new MuMe, will provide the public with the tools to understand the mechanisms of the entire production chain that characterizes the textile industry sector but also the possibility of becoming a more aware public, educating it to perform conscious actions on matters of sustainability and reduction of the environmental impact, based on one’s own choices. MuMe would act as an educational medium, fielding inclusive hands-on paths and laboratory experiences based both on the weaving of natural fibres with traditional looms and on the design and printing of fabrics through 3D printers. In these regards, the MuMe enriches the visit and knowledge of the public through its website with in-depth texts dedicated to both the general public and school students of all levels.

The textile industry is ranked among the top four sectors that use raw materials and water the most, producing a wide variety of items, from apparel to household and technical textiles. In 2015, clothing production, which is responsible for most of the environmental impacts of the textile industry, doubled, with over 100 billion units sold globally. Recent research has estimated that the life cycle of garments does not last even a year due to a linear economic model exasperated by the phenomenon of fast fashion, which involves the launch of collections lasting a few weeks and characterized by very low prices and quality. The European Union will strengthen the competitiveness, sustainability, and resilience of this sector, promoting circular economy actions and more sustainable production processes. Furthermore, Member States will have to guarantee the separate collection of textile waste by 2025. This article aims to trace the current production and consumption trends of the textile sector in Europe and discuss the main challenges to improving its sustainability and circularity. The main results highlight the relevant role of man-made fibres, yarns, and fabrics compared to natural ones. Common European recommendations should be much more incisive to tackle the open loop that characterizes the textile supply chain.

The war in Ukraine—and its disturbing long-term prospects—risks further exacerbating the historic need for raw materials (raw and semifinished) of Italian tanneries, already plagued by years of competition, sometimes unfair, made up of customs barriers and limitations of various types that have stolen, especially in recent years, a lot of raw materials from the free market. Given the greater availability of raw hides, the tanneries of non-European countries (Asian and South American) could take advantage of this to reduce our competitiveness on international markets. The foreign procurement of raw hides accounts for over 90% of the needs of Italian tanneries, and the conflict area accounts for approximately 3.5% of total purchases from abroad. Ukraine is one of the main suppliers of semifinished leathers, including Russia and Belarus, and the Italian purchase of raw and semifinished leathers is equal to 70% of the total, while the export of Italian finished leathers to these incident countries alone accounts for 1% of the total. The situation is so worrying that the most important Italian association of the tanning industry, the Unione Nazionale Industria Conciaria (UNIC), in accordance with the European trade confederation, proposed asking the European Commission to limit the export of raw hides/European semifinished products outside the EU borders. Faced with such a disturbing scenario, it is clear that the problem of raw leather supply must be addressed at the EU level with management that takes into account the different production capacities of individual member countries, providing for adequate investment and increasingly implementing the principles of circular economy and technological innovation to the leather industry.

The use of chemicals in tanning companies represents a relevant risk for the health and safety (HS) of workers, and risk assessment (RA) is essential for companies to adopt preventive and protective measures to reduce the risks. At the same time, from a market perspective, companies are increasingly interested in demonstrating their sustainability through environmental impact reduction: the life cycle (LC) approach permits the consistent quantification of the environmental footprint of products. Generally, RA and LC are not integrated by companies. The research aims to define an ad hoc methodology that integrates LC and RA for the quantification of HS risks related to processes and products. The methodology is tested in assessing the performances of two leather products realized by an Italian company through identification and evaluation of HS risks associated with LC steps of production. The results demonstrate that the integrated use of RA and LC is effective both to punctually know the HS risks associated with production activities and to compare the performances of different products in terms of the dangerousness of substances and processes used.

Industry is proven to be one of the most contributing sectors in terms of soil and water degradation, water and energy consumption, emission of greenhouse gases, and other polluting compounds. Hence, sustainability issues of industrial products are gaining the increasing attention of practitioners, scientists, academia, company owners, policy and decision-makers, and other stakeholders, so much so that those issues are increasingly being placed at the centre of policy agendas and research projects, both on the local and the global scale. In a recent project, attention was focused by the authors of this paper on waterproof agents, with the aim of replacing highly environmentally damaging substances such as perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAs), which, in fact, have been included on the list of persistent organic chemicals by the Stockholm Convention. In this context, the goal of this paper was to analyse the relevant environmental and economic issues associated with an innovative silica-based formulation through application of life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle costing (LCC) according to the specialized standards and technical guidelines. This study is conducted in the field of those projects to contribute to enhancing the literature and the knowledge on the important need for implementing sustainable, innovative paths of producing chemical compounds and products for usage in the leather manufacturing industry. Through their study, the authors highlighted that the major environmental and economic hotspots stay in the production of the raw-material requirements for waterproof formulations, which demands priority in the identification of the improvement potentials. Doing so can make it possible for the company to understand, already on the lab-scale dimension, where and how innovation solutions can be effective in enhancing the economic and environmental sustainability of its chemical products. This paper also represents the first step towards sustainable material solutions to replace PFAs, thereby favouring greening not only of the chemical industry but also of the leather manufacturing industry.

Scientific conferences can be significant for knowledge sharing, networking, debates, and the development of new ideas/projects and solutions for scientific research. However, the resource demands of such activities and the environmental impacts connected to them are usually neglected. One of the major environmental aspects in conferences is related to the participants’ transport, with life cycle assessment (LCA) being one of the methodologies used to assess them. This study considered the European research project “CRESTING” and the participation of early-stage researchers (ESRs) in conferences/workshops in the countries involved in the project. The analysis assessed the travels made by the ESRs by means of LCA software. The results obtained for one of the impact categories (climate change) were then compared for one of the participants to the ones provided by four travel carbon emission calculation tools to assess their robustness. The results demonstrated that the main contributor to the overall climate change-related impact was air transport (mainly intercontinental). Furthermore, the impact categories of Marine Ecotoxicity and Human Carcinogenic Toxicity were also found to be mostly influenced (due to air transport). Finally, not all simplified tools provided similar results to those calculated by the full LCA software.

This chapter outlines urban mobility as one of the most current challenges to sustainable metropolitan mobility. In this context, university students play a central role in the issue of mobility because commuters reach their campus to attend didactic-training activities. Therefore, constant pressures are generated on the environment in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, particulate matter, consumption of natural resources, and fossil fuels. The methodological path addresses three objectives: first, to map the current university students’ mobility; second, to quantify the impacts associated with their mobility in terms of greenhouse gas emissions; and third, to provide more sustainable alternatives to be implemented for the student community by stakeholders. The administration of a questionnaire survey to a sample of students that attending the Campus of Economics in Bari and the elaboration of data through statistical tools allowed the building of a database to address the objectives of the paper and to develop the basis of identification of some more sustainable alternatives for the students’ mobility. The outcomes of this analysis aim to stimulate efforts towards priority areas of sustainable transformation and to expand the scientific literature.

Among the different activities involved in maritime transport, maintenance plays an important role in the life cycle of a ship in terms of security and quality, as well as economic relevance. Thus, the evaluation of maintenance costs is fundamental for companies that want to optimize economic sustainability needs in addition to quality and security requirements. Life cycle costing (LCC) represents a valid method to assess the costs involved along the whole life cycle of a product, process, or service. In this context, this study aims to assess the potential economic impacts connected to the extraordinary maintenance activities of a roll-on/roll-off ferry by also including the costs associated with the environmental externalities, thus applying the environmental LCC method. The functional unit (FU) is referred to as “the extraordinary maintenance of the investigated Ro-Ro ferry implemented for 47 days,” while system boundaries are defined following a “cradle-to-gate” approach. The main findings highlight that the LCC of the investigated ship maintenance accounts for €506,324.20 per FU. In addition, a negligible contribution of the environmental externalities in terms of economic impacts is noted. The study also underscores a trade-off between environmental and economic performance concerning the steel used in maintenance activities.

More consumers shop online through their favorite channels, and e-commerce sales are growing rapidly. Most Italian digital shoppers make, on average, at least one online purchase per month. Companies are called to face new challenges, one of which is the greater complexity of logistics activities, considering delivery options to be one of the most important aspects of online shopping. Pick up points, drop off mode, parcel lockers, and door-to-door delivery mode will become the most important last-mile delivery solutions to serve the final customers. However, this phenomenon also generates environmental burdens related to emissions, traffic congestion, and air quality. The objective of this study is to explore what solutions can reduce the impacts associated with the last-mile delivery process from a life cycle perspective. This study presents a review based on 20 articles. A descriptive analysis is carried out to evaluate the main features of the articles; then, the articles are classified considering the solutions analyzed. This study highlights that the last-mile process is still underexplored from a life cycle perspective and presents the factors that can help direct towards its decarbonization.

Among the different types of mining, the extraction of sand for buildings is one of the largest industries, not only in volume but also in value. Sand grabbing is also occurring at unprecedented rates in particular locations. Sand is a widely used construction material and is one of the most traded commodities in the world. Large amounts of sand are extracted from ancient glacial deposits, alluvial fans, ancient marine terraces, ancient and modern river and stream terraces, floodplains, and channels. The aim of this study is to check if the use of sand within the construction sector is a sustainable option or if potential substitutes are more adequate. The impacts of sand and gravel mining from various depositional environments, including river ecosystems, have been reported from many parts of the world. One of the principal causes of environmental impacts from in-stream mining is the removal of more sediment than the system can replenish. Much research has also been carried out on the environmental effects due to the mining of marine sand and gravel as well as the dumping of harbor dredging into the open sea for the construction of artificial islands. To increase sustainability in the building sector, many sand substitutes have been tested, such as recycled aggregates and industrial wastes, as alternatives with lower environmental impacts. River sand, which is the natural choice of the construction industry, has become scarce due to its overexploitation and increasing environmental concerns. There is a strong need for research on river sand substitutes for concrete production and cement sand mortar production.

The combined action of the pandemic first and geopolitical tensions later has highlighted the fragility of many global supply chains. An unexpected event in an interconnected world requires companies to react quickly to respond to change. This chapter analyzes critical issues emerging in the Italian ceramic industry supply chain, which is characterized by a high intensity of natural and energy resource use and a sourcing system with high geopolitical risk. Using the transdisciplinary methodological approach as a perspective for solving complex problems in manufacturing, alternative supply chain scenarios are outlined to identify nearshoring and reshoring strategies for a more resilient and sustainable supply for the Italian ceramic industry.

Among the main criticalities that the ceramic supply chain has to address in the logic of industrial symbiosis is the difficulty of finding primary data relating to the processes of supplying raw materials and the distribution and use of the final product. As part of the Mise REDuce REuse Ceramic Tiles (REDiRECT) project ( https://www.redirect.gresmalt.it/ ), which aims to design and validate a Circular Industry 4.0 model, the environmental sustainability of the extraction processes of raw materials used in ceramic production was evaluated using the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. The study was based on the definition of new indicators related to the depletion of the mineral Eurite in the IMPACT 2002+ calculation method, which allow the environmental damage due to the extraction of the mineral resource to be attributed dynamically. Finally, through an environmental impact assessment using the life cycle assessment methodology, it was shown that the damage categories obtained from the new indicators affect the total damage related to the extraction and processing of the resource by a value within the range [0.20%; 1.96%].

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, global personal protective equipment (PPE) volume demand increased by 300–400% between 2019 and 2021. In Italy, in 2021, an average quantity of 473 tons of masks and 958 tons of gloves were disposed of in landfills or incinerated daily. This study aims to propose and validate an innovative circular-economy-based supply chain for PPE waste, reusing waste polymeric textile fiber derived from PPE to produce reinforced bituminous conglomerates. Several studies have confirmed the value of plastic in the mixture for asphalt production to extend its useful life. Despite that, none of these studies investigated the potential of the PPE; therefore, the scenario of this study is unique in the scientific panorama. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed scenario. Using end-of-life masks and gloves in the mix, improvements were observed in the asphalt in terms of indirect tensile strength, stiffness, and ductility. From an environmental point of view, a longer lifespan and less material usage lead to a reduction in long-term impacts. At the same time, the reduction in the disposal of PPE in landfills and incinerators means a significant reduction in the environmental impact of masks.

Semiconductor manufacturing has followed the fate of a large part of industrial production: many companies, around the world, have maintained higher functions (design and engineering) and outsourced other production stages to third-party manufacturers, located mostly in Asia. Chip companies have thus become “fabless” firms, commissioning their product “fabrication” to wafer “foundries” or “fabs.” The aim of this chapter is to investigate, by elaborating the most important key environmental performance indicators (KEPIs) of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports, the environmental performance and efficiency of the world’s leading semiconductor foundries. The result is that, unlike what happens in many other sectors, in the semiconductor industry, larger company size and advanced products are not always related to lower quantities, per unit of production, of energy, waste and GHG emissions. It is hoped that, for the future, those foundry firms with the most advanced technologies will invest much more to optimize their energy use and to adopt efficient recovery and recycling systems to further reduce the amount of their GHG emissions and waste, especially of hazardous ones.

The recovery of end-of-life ship components and materials requires a complete demolition process as well as the realization processes of reuse that can guarantee the circularity of raw materials from the perspective of economic and environmental sustainability. Since the introduction of the Ship Recycling Regulation, the European Union legislative framework has moved toward opening green markets related to the dismantling of ships. The objective is to value the critical materials and to change the design techniques in shipbuilding aiming at the total recyclability of ships. The rationale of the research is to develop a systemic model of the market for the circularity of materials from the recovery of medium-large ships. The objective of the study focuses on the potential valorization of the members and the materials of the ships in light of the tightening European legislation. The results take interesting considerations, especially for what concerns recognize opportunities for green business and markets in the field of ship recycling.

The world has become enchanted with the idea of the circular economy, as it is seen as a remedy to solve most ecological problems. Reintroduction processes, such as recycling or refurbishment, undoubtedly support the objectives of a circular economy but inevitably result in material waste or the production of undesirable byproducts. Initially, the circular economy descriptions completely ignored the relationship between natural and economic systems, which are the most important problem in ecological economics. The circular economy is criticized, inter alia, for not considering the physical limits of recycling. In each recycling cycle, some materials are lost or degraded (downcycling), which leads to an increase in entropy. When recycling on an industrial scale, increasingly more materials are scattered and lost with each cycle, leading to waste and emissions. The present paper aims to provide an overview of the approach used to evaluate such entropy increase by conducting a systematic literature review using the indexed databases of Web of Science and Scopus. The expected results show that the application of statistical entropy analysis to complex products is useful for minimizing waste production and making people aware that the zero-waste strategy is a utopia.

The necessary transition from a linear to a circular system based on second raw material, biomass, and renewable energy sources has paved the way for new, more stable, resilient, and sustainable production models. Circular economy (CE) strategies have defined closed economic cycles, where the use of biomass to produce materials is preferred, promoting ad hoc bioeconomy strategies. In these economic cycles, waste ceases to be called such to acquire added value for reuse in the same or new productions, becoming a secondary raw material. Over time, the synergies between the two concepts led to the concept of circular bioeconomy (CBE). In this context, although there is particular interest in the scientific field, there is still no clear definition of the concept, much less how to apply it. Therefore, the purpose of the paper is to provide a first analysis of the circular bioeconomy (CBE) concept, outlining its basic characteristics and defining the operational principles through which it operates and its limits.

Noteworthy issues encountered by the business world have been nailed through corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate social innovation (CSI). Nevertheless, several issues remain to be addressed through comparative studies and the integration of both concepts. However, research comparing both concepts has not been comprehensively examined. This article explores how CSR and CSI are executed in integrating diverse key components of an organization and how they vary in practice. A systematic literature review was conducted to provide a comprehensive comparison. Thirty articles were systematically selected and thematically analyzed. The significance of CSR and CSI practices shows that CSR is business-oriented with organizational goals; in contrast, CSI collaborates with various social aspects. This article contributes to a true historical account of CSR and CSI visions from evolution to organizational implementation with comparison and contrast based on the literature.

Social Organizational Life Cycle Assessment (SO-LCA) is a methodology that assesses the social and socioeconomic aspects of a company, or a part of it, from a life cycle perspective. According to the Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment and Organizations 2020, which describe its methodological framework, SO-LCA can be applied moving from a company’s previous experience with management, assessment, and certification tools following three pathways. The first one (Pathway 1) is based on previous applications of tools to verify and certify the company’s compliance with social responsibility requirements. This study provides an overview of the links between the social issues assessed in social management and certification tools and the subcategories foreseen by the Guidelines. The aim is to highlight how and to what extent these tools, already used by a company, can support SO-LCA implementation. This study shows that the social themes addressed by the considered tools partly correspond to those foreseen by the Guidelines. Further development will focus on which data acquired in relation to these themes can also be used for SO-LCA.

When preparing an emissions assessment report, life cycle assessment, originally defined for products, can be extended to organizations under the name O-LCA. This is a methodology for identifying the environmental impacts of activities associated with an organization using a life cycle approach, and compared to LCA, which is generally seen as an isolated assessment at the product level, it has greater transferability to the company because it considers the company’s entire production range rather than just one product. However, assessing the impact of organizations can be complex because it considers a network of relationships with partners and suppliers related to the organization whose data are not always available. Thus, a detailed understanding of GHG-emitting activities is essential for the development of an effective corporate sustainable strategy, as value chain emissions can be used to guide overall policy, implement sectoral allocation, or initiate engagement with companies. Therefore, O-LCA could be a useful tool for investigating emissions at the organizational level and thus aid in the pursuit of corporate objectives. In light of this, this paper aims to present an overview of O-LCA and how it could serve as a sustainability tool to meet different interests between companies and stakeholders.

On April 21, 2021, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) to amend Directive 2014/95/EU, known as the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD), transposed in Italy in 2016. It aims to make the relevant provisions more consistent with the European Green Deal and The Action Plan on Sustainable Finance. The proposed directive provides for new features, including the development of new mandatory European reporting standards and the improvement of data quality. In the new mandatory standards released over the next 2 years, there will be a reference to a comprehensive environmental footprint, and new environmental aspects to detect and communicate are introduced. The concept of the life cycle and the use of impact categories related to life cycle assessment are becoming increasingly popular within sustainability reports. Therefore, it might be interesting to understand the role of life cycle-based tools in non-financial reporting concerning environmental performance. This study aims to analyze the innovations expected in the CSRD and to understand how the new reporting standards can improve the quality of environmental data, their comparability, and what role life cycle-based tools will play in sustainability reporting.

The transparency of corporate disclosure represents one of the fundamental pillars of corporate governance. Sustainability reporting is a corporate practice of public reporting of company economic, environmental, and social impacts and of its contributions towards sustainable development. Sustainability reporting helps internal and external stakeholders to make informed decisions and to be aware of how the company approaches sustainable development. Alongside mandatory information, companies provide voluntary information with the aim of differentiating themselves from competitors and making themselves better known by investors. However, this practice is still uncommon for SMEs. This is understandable given the complexity of existing information frameworks – which combined offer more than 5000 KPIs – and competing data requests from customers and financial institutions. All of this makes the collection of sustainability data extremely difficult and costly for SMEs, which have limited financial and human resources for such spending. In this context, the need emerges for ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) rating methodologies to be adapted to SMEs. In fact, although the main nonfinancial rating agencies are now focused on large companies, ESG criteria are entering the investment decisions of an increasing number of funds, and an increasing number of investors are called upon to apply these parameters to companies of smaller size. Small and medium-capitalization companies have peculiarities that require an ad hoc approach to be correctly represented by an ESG assessment. This work, therefore, aims to analyze the state of the art through a review of the scientific and grey literature on ESG criteria and their applicability to SMEs and to develop a conceptual model for identifying sustainability KPIs and ESG criteria for SMEs.

Aloe vera L. is a vegetal matrix of great interest. The gel obtained from its leaves is useful for the production of numerous items, even in different sectors, such as phytotherapy and cosmetics, thanks to its healthy and beneficial properties. This action research took place within the project “Promozione della filiera agribusiness dell’Aloe vera attraverso l’implementazione di un progetto pilota a sostegno delle cooperative di piccoli produttori nell’area di Karak in Giordania” (AID 11481), implemented by Jean Paul II Foundation and funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation. The main objective of the project is to promote the A. vera chain in the Jordan Valley in Fifa, Karak region (Jordan). The project involved microenterprises owned by women with the purpose of providing training, materials, and equipment and designing a business model based on the cultivation, transformation, and sale of A. vera. This paper is structured in three parts: first, the methodology applied during the research is explained, then the core part focuses on some contextual factors and some common features observed among the target enterprises, and then the results regarding the definition of the business model and quality procedures.

Globally, the ever-increasing incidence of chronic diseases due to the current aging rates of the world population and the effects of climate change have made it necessary to develop a healthcare sector capable of holistically integrating the social, economic, and environmental aspects of sustainability. Indeed, it is increasingly oriented toward the principles of sustainability within the delivery processes and operations. Furthermore, the standardized use of indicators capable of measuring and evaluating the social, economic, and environmental performances of the health sector is a crucial strategic component for policymakers, managers, and planners. Despite this, the sustainability indicators capable of monitoring such social, economic, and environmental performances in a standardized manner are undertreated in the literature. For this reason, through a literature review of different international and national standards and certifications, the proposed study aims to fill this gap by exploring and analyzing a wide range of social, economic, and environmental indicators that characterize the healthcare sector. In terms of results, this analysis not only provides an innovative but also a clarifying perspective on the role of standardization and certification in healthcare sustainability.

The project for the implementation and certification of Quality Management Systems of the Specialization Schools of the health area of the University of Padova was conceived, as a first hypothesis, at the end of 2016, anticipating the legislative provisions for the organization of the training and assistance activities of the schools of specialization in the health area. After the approval of the University’s board of directors, in October 2017, the project was launched and extended to all the Specialization Schools of the health area of the University of Padua with access reserved for medical graduates (a total of 46 active schools) in which the final goal of obtaining ISO 9001 certification of the schools by December 2020 was achieved. The unitary approach and the participation of the medical residents in the implementation of quality management systems are distinctive elements of the project that allowed the achievement of the objectives on time with a progressive increase in efficiency also with reference to the compliance of the systems.

In Europe, the higher education scenario is changing towards the structuring of alliances of institutions, sharing resources, skills, and long-term strategies. This vision aims to foster the emergence of supranational universities that promote the ideals and characteristics of the European Union (EU), revolutionize the approach and competitiveness and give students a degree as a result of a combination of studies from different EU countries. Currently, the 41 Alliances of European Universities involve approximately 280 higher education institutions. This contribution aims to identify the best practices in place among the Alliances that specifically involve Italian universities through the research and examination of some pilot projects. The experience of the Alliance partners in cross-border, intra-European, and international cooperation has in many cases encouraged a collaborative environment useful for the creation of a supranational university, characterized by joint education and virtual campuses. The real challenges, however, are the construction of effective new governance characterized by existing resources and structures, the legal and financial autonomy of the virtual university, and operational and bureaucratic constraints that will have to be able in a limited time to define the central role of the EU in the near future.

The policies for gender integration represent one of the most important on the European social agenda in the awareness that the promotion of equal opportunities is a necessary and priority condition for the achievement of the objectives of the European Union in terms of growth, employment, and social cohesion. Gender permeates all aspects of our individual and collective, private and public life, defines opportunities, and shapes identities. In Italy, gender inequalities, exacerbated by the COVID-19 emergency, can be multiple ambitious processes, such as the labor market, women’s participation in decision-making, education, and access to health. The same National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) has identified measures that can act directly or directly to the elimination of gender inequalities. The purpose of the work is to analyze the issue of gender equality in Italian universities in light of the initiatives undertaken in recent decades and of the changes that have also occurred following the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the management of daily lifetimes regarding family commitments and all professional responsibilities. In particular, the innovative tools at the University of Salerno see wellness devices as a fundamental element for the affirmation of a model of human resources, culture, and business processes, with a view to equal opportunities. The University of Salerno has recently adopted a plan for gender equality, which outlines a series of concrete actions aimed at ensuring the full participation of men and women in scientific research and the organizational life of the university. An initiative that ensures equal opportunities improves people’s well-being and, finally, yet importantly, makes the University of Salerno a model of “best practices” on a national and European level.

The patent box is a tool for tax reduction for companies that own trademarks and industrial patents but also apps and software and that allow third parties to exploit the economy. It is therefore an optional scheme that facilitates, by partially discounting them, income from the exploitation of assets, known as “intangible assets.” The aim of this tool is to encourage investment in Research and Development, which, in line with the Recovery and Resilience Plan, will focus on the creation of tools and intangible assets aimed at reducing the environmental impact, both during and at the end of the operating processes of Italian companies. Fiscal Decree 146/2021, linked to budget law 2022, contains important innovations in the field of patent boxes; the rule has established the elimination of the eligibility of know-how as an intangible asset. The considered case study shows the implementation of this innovative tool in a company located in Gela, Sicily, which produces items designed with particular attention to quality, functionality, durability, and aesthetics; these supplies use plastics derived from recycling in the framework of the circular economy. In addition to the significant direct economic advantages deriving from the implementation of patent boxes, there are also several indirect advantages linked to the introduction of R&D projects that allow the production of economically exploitable intangible assets. Actually, this tool allows the inventing company to achieve tax benefits and, through their exploitation by third parties, better efficiency of production processes and reduction of environmental impacts and waste.

The principles of the circular economy present a production and consumption model that involves sharing, reuse, repair, reconditioning, and recycling of materials and resources. They are closely related to the phenomenon of industrial symbiosis, a process in which a company’s waste products and byproducts become raw materials for another company or for another production process, which in turn creates interdependence between companies in which energy and waste circulate uninterruptedly without refusing products. This study is based on the assessment of the degree of circularity of the economy, inspired by the new UNI 1608856 standard and on the analysis of Sicilian good practices, according to the provisions of UNI 1608977, by the definition and measurement of appropriate indicators. The paper aims to analyze and collect data relating to the Sicilian eco-industrial framework, analyzing the critical issues and opportunities of the industrial symbiosis system within Sicilian companies. To achieve this goal, a questionnaire developed in collaboration with ENEA was administered. The questionnaire investigates the successes and failures of causes related to the implementation of a path of industrial symbiosis within companies. By processing the results, it was possible to observe how Sicilian companies relate to the system of industrial symbiosis.