Circular economy initiatives advance in Italy through funding and research

In Sicily, over 700 million euros in European, national, and private funds have been allocated for circular economy infrastructure. However, monitoring data presented at the 9th Regional EcoForum reveals that only 64.7% of funded interventions have met their objectives. The remaining 35.3% face challenges such as bureaucratic delays, the need for additional funding, or the risk of total defunding.

Nationally, the total resources for the circular economy within the Italian PNRR plan have decreased from 2.1 billion to 1.8 billion euros. To date, only 376.4 million euros—less than 21% of the total—has been effectively spent. This slow progress impacts the goal of recycling at least 65% of urban waste by 2035.

In Sesto San Giovanni, Gruppo CAP is hosting the Italian experimental site for the European Circular Biocarbon project. Managed by ZeroC, the BioPlatform is testing the integrated treatment of organic urban waste (FORSU) and sewage sludge. The project aims to produce PHA-rich biomass for bioplastics and recover phosphorus for fertilizers, seeking to reduce industrial dependence on fossil fuels.