Italian food consortia and universities launch sustainability initiatives

Several Italian agricultural and academic entities have launched initiatives focused on environmental protection and food circularity. The ‘Born Sustainable’ project, co-financed by the European Union, brings together three major northern Italian consortia: the Consorzio del Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco DOCG, the Consorzio Barbera d’Asti e Vini del Monferrato, and the Consorzio di Tutela del Formaggio Roccaverano DOP. This initiative aims to integrate environmental protection with social well-being and economic prosperity across diverse territories, ranging from vineyards to pastures.

In Turin, the University of Turin’s ‘Atlante del Cibo’ group is leading the CIRCLE-Food project under the European university alliance UNITA. The project focuses on helping small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the food sector manage surpluses and implement circular economy strategies. Through a comparative research study involving universities in Italy, Romania, Spain, and France, the project has developed an operational toolkit to help urban food systems reduce waste and improve circular branding.