Oscar Farinetti launches Green Pea: the new shopping center dedicated to sustainable shopping. The founder of the Eataly chain and former owner of Unieuro, embraces one of the biggest challenges of recent times with a new project that will involve food, fashion and lifestyle to raise awareness of respect for the environment and more aware consumption practices. The new space at Made in Italy Green will open in Turin on December 8th.
Green Pea is the first green retail park in the world that will combine fashion, interior design, education, automotive beauty and entertainment in a sustainable way. Located in the Lingotto district, right next to the first branch of Eataly, opened in 2007, the giant specialized in the sale and distribution of high quality Italian foodstuffs. Green Pea (“green pea”), studied for a decade by the Farinetti family, required an investment of about 50 million euros between the acquisition of the land and the construction. The project will involve the hiring of over 200 people.
Why “Green Pea"
The choice of the name is not accidental, in fact, this small legume stands as a symbol of respect for nature: round like the Earth and green as it should be again. A real turnaround starting from production and consumption, enhancing behaviors that protect the environment.
Why Turin
As pointed out by Farinetti himself, Turin is the city of inventions which have received numerous awards both nationally and internationally: from bread sticks to vermouth, from gianduiotto to the automobile. While there will be only one Green Pea in Italy, the ambition is to replicate a similar model in the future beyond national borders, starting with Dubai, to bring green Made in Italy to the whole world.
Structure of the Green Pea building
The building, developed by the architects Cristina Catino – Naturale Architettura and Carlo Grometto – Blue Shop, was designed with the characteristics of a natural organism, able to breathe and let it breathe and be in harmony with man and the natural elements. ITACA certified (with a score of 3.2), the building is built with recyclable materials (steel, iron and glass) and can be disassembled, thanks to the external wooden structure made with the remains of the forests destroyed by the terrible Vaia storm of October 2018. The roof is a hanging garden which reduces the building's environmental impact
Furthermore, it is powered by geothermal wells, photovoltaics and solar panels, ensuring a high reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. The use of Airlite paint makes it possible to transform the walls of the building into purifiers, thus reducing air pollution (by 88%) and killing 99,9% of bacteria.
For a total of 15 thousand square meters surrounded by greenery (over 2 thousand plants) and developed on 5 floors dedicated to Life, Home, Fashion, Beauty and Otium.
0 Plan
It will be dedicated to the theme Life with a dealership that only sells electric or biomethane-powered cars and scooters, 2 energy suppliers (wind and solar) and services, a bank, a laundry and a connectivity provider. A museum, the "Green Pea Discovery Museum", of about 100 square meters dedicated to environmental issues and green technology.
1 Plan
Instead, it will be dedicated to Home with over 40 partners including_ Whirlpool, Valcucine, Roda, Riva 1920, Pianca, Artemide, Rubelli and Gervasoni. Under the guidance of the Home Brand Director Pierangelo De Poli.
2 Plan
Dedicated to Fashion with the best Italian and international sustainable fashion brands. But there will also be a selection of major brands that will exclusively offer only sustainable products (Timberland, Patagonia, Brobonese, Esemplare, Dedicated, Ortigni, North Sales and many more). Then, the Igoodi avatar factory, the tailoring that unites the past and the future.
3 Plan
Dedicated to Beauty with the best Italian clothing brands that will offer concept stores dedicated to Green Pea. Ermenegildo Zegna, Herno, Brunello Cucinelli and Sease. At the same time, books, culture and food will also be on display. The Bistrot 100 Vini e Affini, focused on the nutritional importance of water, and the Stellato Casa Vicina restaurant.
4 Plan
The fourth will host a Rooftop club dedicated to Otium, or Creative Leisure (as sociologist Domenico De Masi defined it) with Spa, Cocktail Bar and the first swimming pool in Turin which overlooks the Alps on one side and the Turin hills on the other.
For a total of 72 places of beauty and respect, the green building offers the best of Made in Italy, all in a sustainable key: 66 shops, a museum, 3 restaurants, swimming pool, spa and club dedicated to Otium, that is, to Ozio Creative (as the sociologist Domenico De Masi had defined it) – “a modern Acropolis of enrichment and knowledge”.
Corporate scheme
Green Pea Srl is a newco, 90% of the Eatinvest Spa holding – of which the major shareholders are the Farinetti (60%) and Nocivelli (20%) families and the remaining 10% of the Orecchia family, historical entrepreneurs in the fashion sector in Turin, point of reference for three generations with their flagship Vestil. President and Chief Executive Officer is Francesco Farinetti, eldest son of the founder Oscar (born in 1980) former CEO of Eataly, where he now holds the position of Vice President.
Green Pea's Mission
A project that aims to reach as wide an audience as possible so as to spread the "green" message in several respects. Green Pea was created to demonstrate how it is possible to live well and in harmony with our planet, without renouncing respect for the environment. A necessary change, highlighted even more by the pandemic and its consequences, and with the intention of rediscovering the oldest relationship in the world: that between man and nature.
