There are 441 thousand companies that have decided to invest in the last five years green economy, a choice also made during the pandemic and the economic crisis it caused, with 31,9% of companies active in industry and services and 36,3% of manufacturing focusing on green products and technologies. We are talking about companies that show great dynamism on foreign markets, which innovate more and produce more jobs. But above all that, thanks to their attitude and their sustainability, they expect a 14% increase in turnover in 2021, 5 points more than the other realities of the Italian production system.
These are some of the data contained in the twelfth edition of the GreenItaly report, produced by the Symbola Foundation and Unioncamere and presented in Rome.
OCCUPATION
In terms of employment, 2020 was a year of consolidation despite the difficulties of the pandemic. The contracts relating to green jobs represent 35,7% of the new contracts expected during the year. Among the figures most sought after by companies, the report explains, there are more qualified and experienced professionals in relative terms than other figures, a trend that is reflected in a demand for green jobs predominant in business areas with high added value. At the end of 2020 there were 3.141,4 thousand workers who carried out a green job profession, of which 33,8% in the North-West, 23,6% in the North-East, 21,4 in the Center and 21,3% in the North-East, 2020% in the South. “The pandemic has had an asymmetrical effect on the various sectors and sectors of the economy: if many lost income and employment shares in XNUMX, for others there was, however, growth or consolidation. The green sector is one of them”, underlines the report.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
The GreenItaly report highlights how Italy has become one of the leading countries in the circular economy, with a recycling of 79,4% of all urban and special waste (2018). A result well above the European average (49%) and that of other large countries such as Germany (69%), France (66%) and the United Kingdom (57%) with an annual saving of 23 million tonnes of oil equivalent and 63 million tons of CO2 equivalent in emissions (2018) thanks to the substitution of secondary materials in the economy. Symbola and Unioncamere also confirm the Italian leadership in the reduction of raw materials per product unit (-44,1% of material per product unit between 2008 and 2019). "However, for some sectors - steel and aluminum - the waste produced is not sufficient to support production, therefore our country still has to rely on the importation of secondary materials from abroad". Also worth noting is the fourth place in the world after Germany, China and the United States, as a nation producing biogas, from organic fraction, sewage sludge and the agricultural sector.
SUSTAINABILITY IN THE INDUSTRY
Sustainability is present in the industrial strategies of all sectors. The wood furniture supply chain recycles 95% of the wood to produce panels for furniture, with savings in CO2 consumption of almost 2 million tons/year. "Even the complex world of construction is moving in this direction, favored by state incentives for building efficiency", reads the report, which then highlights how even sectors with a high environmental impact such as textiles and fashion are trying to focus on solutions related to the elimination of toxic and/or polluting substances from fabrics. Progress also in mechanics which, thanks to digitization, has long supported the efficiency of production chains and the reduction of environmental impacts.
Going forward, the report underlines that “the Italian automotive sector is historically one of the most advanced in terms of emissions. But it is in the production of electric vehicles and in the production chain that the game of reorganizing one of the most important automotive systems in the world is being played, with a turnover of over 106 billion, equal to 6,2% of GDP". Progress is beginning to be seen with the production of electric and hybrid cars growing from 0,1% in 2019 to 39,5% in the first quarter of 2021, with one company out of three positioning itself in the electrified vehicle market, developing its components . Finally, the agricultural sector "where much can be done, with a 32% cut in the use of plant protection products between 2011 and 2019 and a share of emissions per unit of product significantly lower than that of the main European economies, is confirmed as the most green of Europe”. Italy is also first in the organic sector, with over 80 companies involved and an area cultivated with organic farming increased by 79% in the last ten years, and is among the world leaders in active bio-based biochemistry for increasingly used biodegradable and compostable products from agriculture to cosmetics.
RENEWABLE
As far as renewables are concerned, new records for installed renewable electrical power were set in 2020, equal to 83% of the growth in the entire electricity sector. In Italy, 37% of consumption was covered by renewable sources, with a production of around 116 TWh. “However, the installed capacity is still far from the climate neutrality targets foreseen for 2030”, explains the report. At the end of last year, around 950.000 plants were in operation in our country for a total power of over 56 GW. Of these, almost 936.000 are photovoltaic, about 5.700 wind and the rest powered by other sources (hydraulic, geothermal, bioenergy). However, we are still far from the climate neutrality targets set for 2030. But the rise in bills is pushing us to accelerate in this direction.
“We have lived through a decade that can be defined as the decade of renewables which have become the backbone of the energy paradigm of the future. They are now the heart of electricity generation and will also be so in the next decade which will be the decade of electrification. Electrification growth continues to double the pace of global demand. A trend that is becoming fundamental because it is technologically and economically convenient. All of this has positive implications for Italy”, said Francesco Starace, CEO of Enel, speaking at the presentation of the Greenitaly report. Starace highlighted the progress and underlined that "the only vulnerability is digitization on which, however, we have made a good recovery". Italy has only to gain from this transition, for the future it is necessary to strengthen the strengths and address the weaknesses", continued the manager, highlighting that "with the resources of the Pnrr and investments on the ground we will need 15 thousand additional technicians which we don't have. We have started centers, we are training them, to have a pool from which we can draw when the flow of investments arrives. You don't have to be afraid of the transition."
“Covid hasn't stopped green investments, because more and more entrepreneurs are aware of the competitive advantages deriving from the ecological transition. But still more than half of the manufacturing companies perceive this passage as more of a constraint than an opportunity", underlined the president of Unioncamere, Andrea Prete, adding that "to give further impetus to the ecological transition, action must be taken: on the lack of skills through training courses adequate; on the diffusion of a more sustainable corporate culture; on access to bank credit to facilitate the procurement of resources for environmental investments; on regulations and taxation, simplifying administrative procedures as well as incentives and concessions; on the creation of markets for sustainability (Green Public Procurement, etc.); on the support by institutions to companies, both in technical and technological problems, and in assistance in accessing resources and services."
