The Tuscan tanning district present at Ecomondo, an international event of reference for all that concerns the circular economy and sustainable industrial development, from 6th to 9th November in Rimini.
Thursday, 8th November, as part of the workshop on environmentally friendly activities in the industrial districts of the Mediterranean area, the presentation of the EMAS path in the Tuscan tanning district, proof of a responsible approach to the environmental issues. Among the interventions forseen, that of the Associazione Conciatori, in the context of "Sustainability approaches for clusters in the Mediterranean", comparing experiences from different countries and sectors, from Manufactory to Eco-design, from energy consumption to purification, from Spain to Italy.
Today the Tuscan district is the only Italian tanning district that has been certificated as "EMAS promoter", an instrument promoted at European Community level to exploit practices based on environmental responsibility.
In the Tuscan district, there is also the first Italian tannery that has obtained the EMAS registration (Incas tannery in Castelfranco di Sotto) and the management of environmental issues is an added value for the companies in the sector.
From the reuse of waste materials to the study of industrial processes with less impact, passing through a so efficient water purification system the Tuscan tanning district has become the centre of water rearrangement of an entire area of Tuscany. It synthesizes in full the model of the circular economy able to best rationalise the use of resources.
An added value for the tanning sector, which was considered a saturated market 20 years ago, on the contrary today it represents a vital resource for the Tuscan economy, with an average annual turnover of 2bn and 400 million euros and with the merit of having made an impact activity of integration between industry and ecosystem.