"For the past two years it has been manufacturing that has kept the country on its feet. In the first week of July, the Italian electricity price increased eightfold compared to January 2021. In addition, the reduction of gas flows from Russia and the risk of possible interruptions in the coming months is of great concern to us. From our point of view, a balance must be found between the needs of families and businesses, and an emergency plan must be put in place to minimise the impact on production activities'. Thus Katia Da Ros, Vice President for Environment, Sustainability and Culture in an interview with Nordest Economia.

Italian companies are doing very well on the circular economy and process energy efficiency fronts, in fact, according to the European Commission's efficiency indices, Italy is among the top EU rankings. In the ten-year period from 2005 to 2015, Italy reduced CO2 emissions by about 20% and is at the top of the ranking of the world's manufacturing systems for the lowest environmental impact. "These data confirm that companies are widely investing to contribute to the decarbonisation and social inclusion goals that underpin European and international transition policies," said da Ros.

But in the Hard To Abate sectors, where energy constitutes one of the main production cost items and is second only to the cost of raw materials, the decarbonisation process is much more complex, so according to the Vice President it will be necessary to improve the technological maturity and availability of renewable energy sources, decrease costs, and facilitate access to infrastructure. "A trade-off will be necessary to define the combination of technological solutions and energy carriers that will be most effective for decarbonisation," Da Ros explained.

Many sustainability reports drawn up by the Associations of the System show an extremely virtuous cross-section: in the paper industry, which is one of the most important components of the bio-economy, CO2 emissions, direct and indirect, have been steadily reduced over the last decade and energy consumption has been progressively improved. In the steel sector, more than 35% of the companies' investments are aimed at improving environmental performance, human health and occupational safety. In 2020, direct CO2 emissions decreased by 21% compared to 2019. The chemical industry has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 62% compared to 1990 and improved energy efficiency by 46% compared to 2000, and are already in line with the EU's 2030 targets. "Our production system already guarantees high performance in relation to the main drivers of environmental sustainability. The shortage of raw materials, in fact, has prompted our companies to make efficiency and the circularity of resources an essential feature,' noted Katia Da Ros, who indicated the measures that can no longer be postponed for sustainable transformation: 'the development of cutting-edge technologies, provided they are implemented directly in our country and by our industry with endogenous supply chains, and the introduction of ad hoc facilitation measures for important projects of national interest. In fact, according to Da Ros, 'finding a way to promote initiatives right from the first industrialisation would not only make us more competitive and efficient, but would also help us on the path to self-sufficiency and independence'.