AMONG THE GOALS STANDS OUT THE CREATION OF VALUE FOR COMMUNITY AND ENVIRONMENT

consumption that shows the way forward, so each company chooses the most convenient path, from mandatory standards that are expected to grow to voluntary paths. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in initiatives concerning sustainability in general, and environmental sustainability in particular, both for transformation processes and the entire supply chain. It is worth emphasising how sustainability is inevitably bound to affect companies and other players in the supply chain from an economic point of view. Productivity, ecological transition, tradition and innovation are words that must go hand in hand. Yet, how do innovation and Italian tradition meet? What can the circular economy mean for the milling industry? Well, it is worth looking at all those efficiency

Curved Flameless Venting

Flameless Venting systems, including the recovery and enhancement of waste from which biomolecules can be recovered, thus creating added value.

The Italian situation

Millers are well aware of the potential impact - positive or negative - that mills can have on the surrounding environment. This is why several milling plants have embarked on the sustainability journey for some years now. However different methods are, they are generally communicated through the sustainability report, which is a document that helps to bring out the social and environmental values of the business. Its purpose is to show the company’s non-financial impacts on those with whom it comes into contact. For years now, almost all companies have been meeting the requirements of the main national and international standards for sustainable management and traceability of the supply chain, which can lead to important certifications such as ISCC PLUS, ISO 22005 and Organic Agricultural Product. In order to obtain these certifications, relationships with trusted suppliers are valued, such as farmers’ cooperatives, agricultural and storage facilities consortia, or sometimes brokers operating on a national and global level. The development of real “protected” supply chains, i.e. virtuous lines of production that aim at creating value for the community and the environment, comes precisely from these relationships. A further path taken by several Italian companies is the implementation of actions to fight against climate change, such as the creation of wooded areas with high biodiversity and biomass accumulation capacity. While not all mills have been able to take such action, most have acted and are still acting on improving the energy efficiency of their mills, as well as on the production of renewable energy, for instance by installing small photovoltaic systems. CO2, of course, but companies are also aware that their environmental impact must also take into account another fundamental resource: water. How? Through a smart irrigation system, for instance. However, as it was previously mentioned, even waste can be reused: waste from production, weed seeds, straw and not threshed wheat grains flows into a special machine where, once ground and mixed, it is reused to produce animal feed.

Last, but only as a matter of positioning in the production phase, is the packaging; almost all companies have turned to sustainable packaging designed to reduce their ecological footprint and impact on the planet without giving up its main functions, from maintaining the healthiness of the product to the convenience of transport. Moreover, this issue is strongly emphasised by the European Union, which aims at reaching the ambitious goal of 100% eco-sustainable packaging by 2030. However, the use of sustainable packaging is not only a European goal, but also an important factor in the purchasing choices of Italian consumers.

However, in this quick presentation the human factor should be borne in mind. In fact, mills have always made every efforts to ensure the well-being and protection of their workers. They have provided workers with the best possible working environment, not only in terms of safety and respect for work ethics, but also in terms of involving people in company life, in order to reach sustainability not only in economic terms, but also in environmental and social terms.

Editorial Staff