The Italian Government has published a strategic paper that sets out a new vision for adopting a national circular business model that could change the practices of many of the country’s textile and apparel brands and manufacturers.
Recently presented in Rome and put forward by Italy’s Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Economic Development, ‘Towards a Circular Economy for Italy’ promotes collaboration and knowledge sharing with the aim of encouraging the implementation of sustainable production and the more efficient use of resources.
In line with Italy’s commitments taken under the Paris Agreement, the document states that transitioning the country to a circular economy will require structural and innovation change and a re-think in the way goods are produced and consumed.
“The great challenge Italy will face in the next decade is to respond adequately and effectively to complex environmental and social dynamics, maintaining at the same time the competitiveness of the production system,” the document explains.
To achieve this requires a change of paradigm: a new industrial policy aimed at promoting sustainability and innovation capable of increasing the competitiveness of Italian manufacturing, the Government states. New business models will need to be developed, with thought on how to transform waste into value-added resources, and investment will need to be made in new technologies in order to take on Industry 4.0.
“Over the past 40 years, the analysis of the circular economic model it has evolved very much. Currently topics such as the procurement of sustainable raw materials, production processes and ecological design, the adoption of more sustainable distribution and consumption models, and the development of secondary commodity markets have become key elements of the circular economy,” the document explains.
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By GlobalData“Switching from the current model of a linear economy to a circular one requires a re-thinking of market strategies and models to safeguard the competitiveness of industrial sectors. In the near future it will be necessary to devise and develop more efficient systems to reuse and repair goods, facilitating the maintenance of products and increasing their life span.
“Operators, therefore, will have to design and manufacture their products with the awareness that these, once used, are destined to be repaired and reused. Italy has the characteristics and capabilities to do it and must seize this opportunity to develop new business models that they know make the most of ‘Made in Italy’ and the role of Small and Medium Businesses (SMEs).”
Support for research and innovation will be a factor in determining this transition, the Government says, which ultimately will help Italy strengthen its competitiveness and modernise its manufacturing and retail industry.
The paper offers some guidelines for companies looking to make the transition:
- Production processes: Minimise the production of waste by processing or making sure these are managed as by-products. Industrial symbiosis processes are an excellent solution to enhancing the waste of production processes by reducing cost. Use energy supplies from renewable sources.
- Recyclability: Promote the recovery and recycling of components and related materials, avoiding the sub-assembly of multi-material components that cannot be recycled.
- Modularity: Favour the design of products following the principle of modularity to allow the replacement of parts, recovery and re-use of assemblies and sub-assemblies.
- Repair and maintenance: Allow the replacement of parts technologically obsolete or damaged and favour maintenance that allows a lengthening of the lifecycle of the product.
- Substitution of dangerous substances: Look for materials that do not contain dangerous substances to make the products more easily recyclable, also taking reference from European legislation on chemicals.
- Re-use: Allow the re-use of the product for the same function.
- Collection: A fundamental phase for the closing of the circle.
- Quality of recycling: During the recycling process, do not alter the characteristics of materials so that it cannot be used again. A reduction in the quality of the material inevitably leads to a lower economic value of the same.
