Which skills are necessary to boost the circular economy?

Encouraging, at a national level, more companies to implement circular economic strategies, starting from the experience of Varese’s industrial system where, according to the latest data from the Italian National Statistics Institute (ISTAT), 81.5% of companies have carried out at least one action in support of environmental sustainability or social responsibility in recent years. This is the objective of the project “Analysis of training needs and modelling of managerial skills for the circular economy” organised by Fondirigenti, in collaboration with Univa Servizi, the business services company of the Union of Industrialists of Varese Province (UNIVA).

The project, which has been organised in the middle of the pandemic, aims to support companies in their transition to a more ecological approach by developing new skills, raising awareness and training managers and top management to be involved in processes of innovation based on the logic of the circular economy.

In addition to the ISTAT data, more specific data has come from UNIVA’s research office, which is reported in the research. In particular, 66% of companies carried out at least one action to reduce the environmental impact of their activities. Of these, 1 out of 4 already uses “secondary raw materials”, that is, waste materials that they recover and reintroduce into the production process. This process of transitioning to a more ecological approach by Varese industry will accelerate during 2021.

The results of the analysis carried out on a number of companies in the Varese production system, with best practices, training and new skills needs, check-ups of the levels of circularity of production processes and logistics systems, and strategies for applying the circular economy in companies, will be illustrated during a conference, which is being organised as a webinar. “How do we integrate sustainability and the circular economy into business strategies?“, is scheduled for Tuesday, 27 April, at 10.00 a.m. (click here to register).

Costanza Patti, General Manager of Fondirigenti, and Marco De Battista, President of Univa Servizi, will be welcoming the participants.

The speakers are: Fabio Iraldo of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa and of GREEN – Bocconi University, on the topic “Analysis of training needs and modelling of managerial skills for the circular economy”; Michele Merola of Ergo Srl and of GREEN – Bocconi University, on the topic: the results of the “Circular economy” project, with the application of the Check-Up Tool, among the pilot companies in Varese Province.

A round table discussion with some of the companies involved in the project has also been scheduled.

 

Translated by Elisa Cairone and Giorgia Perinelli

Reviewed by Prof. Rolf Cook