A hundred stories of virtuous companies represent the starting nucleus of the first Italian Atlas of Circular Economy (www.economiacircolare.com), which collects experiences based on reuse, reduction of waste, re-introduction into the production cycle of secondary raw materials. The project is promoted by Ecodom (Italian consortium for the WEEE management) and CDCA (Documentation Centre on Environmental Conflicts). It is a geo-referenced and interactive web platform, an archive that shows economic and associative realities able to apply the principles of the circular economy. At the same time, a competition was also launched for journalists, videomakers, photographers, writers and storytellers to tell stories of circular economy, already present in the Atlas or new. The competition is patronized by the Ministry of the Environment and the Protection of the Territory and Sea. Poliedra (consortium of the Polytechnic in Milan that carries out researches in the areas of environmental assessment and sustainability), A Sud (independent association engaged in the environmental protection), Ecosistemi (foundation specialized in strategies for the sustainable development), Banca Popolare Etica (bank inspired by the principles of transparency and equity) and Zona (association of internationally renowned reporters and photo editors) also contributed to the creation of the Italian Atlas of Circular Economy.
Among the mapped experiences, Lombardy is at first place with 23% of the total and then Lazio (15.9%), Tuscany (12.7%), Emilia Romagna (7%) and Veneto (7%). Liguria, Trentino Alto-Adige, Piedmont (4%), Puglia and Marche (3%) follow. Rome is at the top of the ranking with 15 virtuous examples, Milan is second with 12. According to the European Commission, thanks to the circular economy it’s possible to create 2 million new jobs and record annual savings of about 72 billion euro for the European companies. The experiences regard very different sectors: 19% are companies that deal with waste recycling and material recovery, such as Junker who has created a smartphone app that recognizes wastes and indicates in which bins they have to be thrown away.
