The French would say: ça va sans dire. We can reiterate with: it’s obvious, there is no alternative. When we talk about circularity, we talk about tanning, as demonstrated yesterday – Thursday, November 6 – in Rimini during Ecomondo (November 4-7). In other words, “the international benchmark for ecological transition and the circular economy”, now in its 28th edition. UNIC – Italian Tanneries (together with the Tanners’ Association and the Ponte a Egola Tanners’ Consortium) brought the virtuous model of Italian tanning to Ecomondo. The subject: a lively debate on the topic of EMAS certification, which saw the participation of universities, institutions, and businesses.
When we talk about circularity, we are talking about tanning
Among the speakers, Enrico Cancila (chairman of the EMAS section of the Ecolabel Ecoaudit Committee – ISPRA) spoke on behalf of the Ministry of the Environment, emphasizing the value of this certification for an industrial district. In recent months, Cancila has participated in the work of the EMAS promotion committee for the Tuscan tanning district. He met with trade associations and visited companies involved in the verification process for maintaining certification.
“The sharing of best practices by the public and private sectors around an industry such as tanning, which is so significant for a district”, says Cancila, “is a virtuous experience. It encourages the entire local community to take responsibility for the environment. The district’s EMAS certification demonstrates the commitment of tanneries to maintaining high standards in respect of the ecosystem and in constant dialogue with public institutions. It’s a result that cannot be taken for granted and that comes to us from the tanning industry”.
A model of circular economy
Fabio Iraldo (Professor of Management at the Sant’Anna School of Pisa, where he directs the PhD program in Innovation Sustainability) spoke after. “In the process of consolidating tanning as a circular economy model”, he said, “the role of trade associations has been and continues to be central. Especially when a sector is not performing at its best, associations can facilitate the synthesis of entrepreneurs’ demands”. In other words, they can “identify the best solutions, starting with sustainability and innovation policies”.
The other speakers
The conference held at Ecomondo was also attended by Marco Cavallini (Tanners’ Association) and Martina Giglioli (Ponte a Egola Tanners’ Consortium), respectively president and vice president of the EMAS promotion committee of the Tuscan tanning district. They were joined by the mayor of Santa Croce sull’Arno, Roberto Giannoni, the mayor of Castelfranco di Sotto, Fabio Mini, and the councilor for the environment of the municipality of San Miniato, Marco Greco. The matter of the EMAS certification and the circularity of the Italian tanning industry was also in the spotlight at Ecomondo, and will be further discussed during an event in which the ISPRA section of the Ministry of the Environment will once again talk about the virtuous model of the Tuscan tanning district.
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