Low environmental impact of alternatively supplied cars. Results of an investigation carried out in the North-East of Italy

The transport of both goods and passengers notably influences air quality. If strong decisions by the governments will not be taken, oil consumption for transport will be nearly doubled in 2030 if compared with 2000, thus considerably increasing the atmospheric presence of greenhouse gases. To boost the purchase of alternatively supplied cars would avoid serious, if not catastrophic, climatic changes. Our investigation shows what the situation is concerning new cars sold by SINA, an official concessionary firm of ten brands in the province of Pordenone, in the North East of Italy, covering about 40% of the local market. The supply types and the brands of the new cars sold in the branch offices of the firm from 2011 to August 2015 have been taken into consideration. The most sold cars are still petrol and diesel supplied, whereas alternatively supplied cars (liquefied oil gases, methane and electric) represent nowadays only 7.51% of the total in this territory. Processing of the data that have been put at our disposal by the firm allowed to compare the situation of the province of Pordenone with the Italian one, and to put in light the critical aspects still hindering the purchase of alternatively supplied cars

Eco-innovation in Valcucine for a circular economy

Recently, more and more companies are implementing good environmental practices. Environmental certifications, besides being valuable management tools for companies, given the opportunity to strengthen their role on the market. An example of such virtuous behavior is the case of Valcucine, an enterprise of the Livenza furniture district in Northern Italy. Valcucine focuses its care in the production of furniture, in particular of kitchen units, characterized by sustainable production, eco-compatibility of materials and the lowest possible environmental impacts. Valcucine wishes to transfer its philosophy to customers by improving product quality, rationalizing the use of recyclable virgin raw materials, employing also recycled materials and reducing dangerous emissions into the environment. For this reason, Valcucine obtained several certifications, such as ISO 14001, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), F**** (4 stars) Japanese Standard and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). In particular, the LEED certification, obtained for the Invitrum and Meccanica production lines, allows the enterprise both to differentiate from the competitors and to enter new segments of the market, such as the Arab Countries, where the LEED certification is renowned and appreciated. This gives a strong competitive advantage to Valcucine, working in a production field which has been saturated for many years. This virtuous behavior of the enterprise fits well in the principles inspiring circular economy and perfectly embraces the Goals 6 (Clean and Water Sanitation), 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and 15 (Life on Land)

Assessment of the sustainability of wild rocket (Diplotaxis tenuifolia) production: Application of a multi-criteria method to different farming systems in the province of Udine

Evaluating the economic, social and environmental impacts of different cultivation systems is an essential issue for the introduction of management practices that aim at both achieving more sustainable forms of land use and improving social well-being. A number of studies compared and assessed organic and conventional farms in relation to their multifunctional effects. However, to our knowledge there is no literature which took into account at the same time the multifunctional role of a greater number of different farming methods. In this paper an attempt is made to employ the multi-criteria method in order to conduct quantitative assessment of the degree of multi-functionality on three different farming methods, namely, conventional, organic and biodynamic. A species of leaf vegetable was considered, that is, wild rocket. The three farms taken into examination are all located in the province of Udine, Italy, with a maximum distance of about 20 km one from another. In all the three farms, greenhouses equipped with the same type of roofing were employed. The research was carried on for two consecutive years, that is, 2012 and 2013; spring, summer and autumn productions were considered. In this way we minimized the influence of some parameters (climatic conditions, luminosity, growing period), but the specific techniques adopted in the three farms were not optimized. The producers continued to utilize the methods usually employed in their farms, in order to obtain results showing the productive situation of the territory. The obtained information was used as input data for the multi-attribute model. Attributes and utility functions were organized under three major groups: economic, social and environmental parameters. Findings may be regarded simply as the results of a pilot study, as they were obtained on a small sample of farms, but suggest that the degree of multi-functionality is the most explicit in the case of the biodynamic farm, that has a better property and social structure

The EMAS Recognition of the Livenza Furniture District in the Province of Pordenone (Italy)

The EC Regulation No 761/2001, known as EMAS II, provided the possibility of obtaining the EMAS recognition also by industrial districts. As a consequence, the Livenza furniture district obtained the EMAS recognition in 2006 as the first industrial district in Italy. The Livenza district includes several manufacturing enterprises which carry out their activity in 11 municipalities of the province of Pordenone, Italy. Industries of wood, wood and cork products, straw articles, weave materials and furniture take part in the district. A Territorial Environmental Analysis was drawn up to obtain the recognition, by collecting data and information from questionnaires compiled by more than 100 firms and by the 11 municipalities of the district. For the EMAS registration renewal, obtained by the district in 2016, the Territorial Environmental Analysis was updated by revising in particular the methodology of evaluation of environmental impacts. More specifically, Ecological Footprint (EF) (that is, the quantitative evaluation of consumption of raw materials and energy and of waste production) was compared with Carrying Capacity (CC) (that is, the quantitative evaluation of the area able to assure the availability of the resources required and to absorb waste produced). In this way, it was possible to put in light that the EF of the district is much greater than the corresponding CC. The main actions which might be chosen to reduce EF have been pinpointed, with the aim of warranting a better sustainability of the district activities

The EMAS Registration of the Livenza Furniture District in the Province of Pordenone (Italy)

Abstract: One of the most important manufacturing areas of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region is the territory close to Pordenone, the Livenza furniture district. This industrial district, consisting of industries of wood, wood and cork products, furniture, straw articles, and weave materials, located in 11 municipalities of that area, was the \ufb01rst Italian district to obtain the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) Registration in 2006. Data and information from a questionnaire compiled by more than 100 \ufb01rms and 11 municipalities of the district were used to draw up the territorial environmental analysis (TEA). For the EMAS registration renewal, obtained in 2016, the TEA was updated by reviewing the methodology of the environmental impact evaluation: the ecological footprint(EF)wascomparedwiththecarryingcapacity(CC)ofthatarea. Theresultsputinlightthat theEFwasgreaterthantheCC.Severalactionsforreducingtheenvironmentalimpactsofthedistrict activities were highlighted

The Circular Economy Potential of Spent Hens’ Co-Products and By-Products in Italy by Material Flow Analysis.

Eggs represent one of the most consumed animal products worldwide. In Europe, over 366 million laying hens and 6.1 Mt of derived eggs have been estimated in 2020, and Italy represents the fourth largest producer (41 million hens and 0.79 Mt of eggs). Egg production has been identified as relatively environmental-friendly, but several environmental concerns have been recently raised considering the inefficient spent hens’ management. Spent hens are generally euthanized and composted or incinerated, producing greenhouse gases while at the same time significant nutrients are lost. First, the research reviews the egg supply chain characteristics and the alternative spent hens’ valorization pathways. Then, using the material flow analysis, the research quantifies and qualifies the consistencies of laying hens and protein content included in spent hens across Italy, providing a comprehensive assessment of the national scenario under an environmental and circular perspective. Furthermore, the research develops an inventory of the spent hens’ co-products and by-products in Italy, focusing on the flows of proteins for further environmental studies. The research has highlighted that over 13,948 t of proteins could be extracted, distinguishing between those embedded within offal, feathers and blood. In addition, spent hens can be used for human consumption, as well as for material or energy recovery through anaerobic digestion or microbial fermentation. Results are addressed to farmers, who are required to boost their environmental performances, and public authorities, who must implement sustainable strategies to collect spent hens

Indagine conoscitiva sulla presenza di diossine in matrici ambientali ed alimentari in Italia

The aim of our investigation is to \u201cphotograph\u201d the Italian status about dioxin presence in environmental matrices with the contribute of the Regional and Provincial Agencies for Environmental Protection, as well as in food produsts with the data available from the Ministry of Labor, Sanity and Social Policy

STEEL PRODUCTION AND SUSTAINABILITY

The iron and steel industry is considered one of the most ancient activity of the human history, occupying a strategic and fundamental role for the development of the world economy. Its productive processes allow possible industrial synergies because of an efficient use of the resources, materials and energy, through the exploitation of scraps coming from other productive cycles, of by-products produced and energy/heat recovery. Even if multiple recycling is an important aspect of steel production, it generates pollution; it requires a high consume of energy; furthermore, it constitutes a serious problem adversely affecting public health. The goal of this paper is to evaluate the sustainability of the steel production of a plant located in the province of Udine (Italy). According to the Directive 2010/75/EC, related to the industrial emissions of the \u201ccast iron and steel production\u201d, and by the adoption of best practices, the plant is able to take care of the environment reducing the pollution

From Regulatory Requirements to Voluntary Certifications in the Agricultural and Food Industry: the Case of Da Re

Safety, quality of products and attention for nutritional needs, requested by a healthy diet, are substantial features and at the same time aspects of great interest for companies working in the agricultural and food industry. This paper presents the case of the Da Re company, that makes bakery products for national and international markets. Beyond the application of the HACCP system, required by law, Da Re obtained also some voluntary certifications: ISO 9001:2000 (since 2002 to 2008), IFS (since 2009) and BRC (since 2012). The last ones, in particular, are functional to the strategic choice to launch a development plan in the UK and American markets. Da Re, by employing suitable indicators, is able to accurately monitor compliance of internal processes, suppliers' reliability and quality perceived by markets

The Quality Management System Adopted by SCM Zanussi

The purpose of this paper is to present the case study of SCM Zanussi, an enterprise that is located at Cordenons, in the province of Pordenone, Italy, and works in the metal sector. The enterprise activity consists of the planning, development, production and final check of dies for the casting under pressure of light alloys to be employed in the automotive field. The enterprise activity has always been based on collaboration relationships with customers during the steps of design and engineering of the dies. As a consequence, the quality management system adopted has allowed to obtain very good results as far as all the main parameters taken into account (customers\u2019 satisfaction, non compliances, production control) are concerned