The green economy has conquered Italy. In our country, more and more companies decide to focus on eco-investments. In 2019, almost 300 companies made or will make green investments by the end of the year. In percentage terms we are talking about 21,5% of the total, 7,2% more than in 2011. And this could be just the beginning.
The data contained in the tenth edition of the GreenItaly Report, drawn up by the Symbola Foundation and Unioncamere and presented today in Rome, show how a green new deal is approaching in our country, with interesting repercussions also on the world of work, with the so-called green jobs which currently employ 3,1 million people, 13,4% of the total.
According to the report, in the last 5 years over 432 companies in industry and services have invested in green products and technologies in order to reduce their environmental impact, save energy and contain CO emissions2. In practice, almost one out of three Italian companies, 31,2% of all non-agricultural entrepreneurship. And in manufacturing it rises to more than one out of three companies (35,8%).
A big boost, over the last decade, has come from renewables. Suffice it to say that in 2009 in Italy there were 71 thousand photovoltaic plants for a total power of 1000 MW. Ten years later we have reached 820 plants and 20 MW of power, with Italy becoming the seventh country in the world by value of investments.
"The Greta generation needs answers more than caresses. Much is changing even if too slowly. When 10 years ago we published the first GreenItaly - says the president of the Symbola Foundation Ermete Realacci - there were 25 GW of photovoltaic installed in the world: today the GW has become 660. Technology has made enormous progress and in these 10 years the cost of electricity from photovoltaics, says Unep, has fallen by 81%, and that from wind by 46%”
"Already today Italy is the European superpower in the circular economy – continues Realacci with 79% of total waste sent for recycling and has a much higher incidence than all the other large European countries: France is at 55%, the United Kingdom at 49%, Germany at 43%. The Italian green economy is the most advanced frontier to seize these opportunities.”
The green economy in Italy is also radically changing the labor market. Just think of the so-called green jobs which in 2018 grew by more than 2017 thousand units compared to 100, with an increase of +3,4% compared to the +0,5% of the other professional figures. In absolute terms we have reached 3,1 million "green workers", 13,4% of the total employed.
The Unioncamere-Symbola study then confirms that it is above all young people who are concerned about the environment. According to the report in fact almost one company out of two (47%) among those led by under 35s has made eco-investments, against 23% of over 35s.
“The data speak for themselves – underlined the general secretary of Unioncamere, Giuseppe Tripoli. One company out of three has taken the path of sustainability, 90 more than last year. And this choice translates into greater productivity and competitiveness and more capacity for innovation and exports. An interesting fact is that the businesses of young people under 35 are also contributing a lot to this acceleration, which, in half of the cases, have focused on the green economy. Over the next 5 years, the circular and sustainable economy will offer one in 5 job opportunities in both the private and public sectors. In short, the turn of the Italian economy towards sustainability and the environment is in full swing and Italy is ahead of other European economies”.
