Accelerating the transition to a circular economy is the current challenge for institutions, cities, production districts, organisations and individuals.
Alongside the many virtuous initiatives at the micro level, increasingly systemic and integrated circular models for sustainability must be developed and established.
The transition requires overcoming regulatory constraints, providing resources and raising awareness at all levels of society. The local urban dimension is the one where the transition process can be facilitated: built-up areas can interpenetrate with productive and commercial activities and services, public green spaces can alternate with areas devoted to urban agriculture. It is in this context that local decision-makers must promote policies of innovation, regeneration and cohesion.
What is Circular Economy?
For a local administrator it is mainly connected to waste management. For an entrepreneur it can represent the opportunity to recover and reuse by-products and materials for his production process. An urban planner can consider it as a model of recovery and reuse of an empty building.
Circular Economy does not mean only reduction of waste. on the contrary it means enhancing what is considered waste can be used in an innovative way as second raw material or for the production of energy. But it also means rethinking cities and our lifestyles, with the promotion of social cohesion.
Each step of a product’s life cycle, from the supply of raw materials and commodities to design, from manifacturing to distribution, must minimize the consumption of resources and at the same time the waste produced.
The Unit mainly operates in the following fields, click to know more:
Cities are the main drivers of economic development and the production districts introduce a bio-uniqueness principle among the urban and industrial dimension at a territorial level. The circular economy offers great opportunities for innovation and sustainability of cities and their production systems.
Each step of a product’s life cycle, from the provision of raw materials and commodities to design, from production to distribution, must minimise the amount of resources and at the same time the waste produced.
Organisations engaged in sustainable practices should create a storytelling on a product or service in order to explain how it relates to circularity.
Le città sono i principali motori dello sviluppo economico e i distretti produttivi introducono a livello territoriale un principio di biounivocità tra dimensione urbana e industriale. L’economia circolare offre grandi opportunità per l’innovazione e la sostenibilità delle città e del loro sistema produttivo.
Transizione circolare
a livello urbano
Ogni fase del ciclo di vita di un prodotto, dall’approvvigionamento di materie prime e commodity alla progettazione, dalla produzione alla distribuzione, deve avvenire minimizzando le risorse impiegate e al tempo stesso gli scarti prodotti.
Sostenibilità
filiere produttive
Le organizzazioni che implementano pratiche di sostenibilità, devono comunicare verso l’esterno il proprio impegno per la circolarità. Tra i metodi che le organizzazioni possono utilizzare nella comunicazione verso i principali stakeholder ci sono le certificazioni, le etichette e la tracciabilità.
Innovazione,
ambiente e qualità
Circular Economy of mountain areas
Adopting a circular approach in the mountains means integrating agriculture, tourism, catering and agri-food processing into a cohesive system, where food becomes the hub of ecological and cultural relationships. This vision strengthens social cohesion, facilitates the creation of networks between producers, restaurateurs, tour operators and institutions, and opens up new market opportunities for typical mountain products.
For further information please contact:
Leonardo Borsacchi
Unit Coordinator
leonardo.borsacchi[at]pin.unifi.it