Circular economy: partnership between Fincantieri and Hera Group

To achieve environmental sustainability goals and create value, this leading operator in the shipbuilding industry has signed an agreement with the Hera Group, Italy’s foremost company in the waste management sector, to establish a newco aimed at managing almost 100,000 tonnes per year of industrial waste produced in its shipyards, and creating a new integrated waste management system, intended to reduce waste and enhance recovery with a view to the circular economy. The first area of intervention will be in Monfalcone (Gorizia), and the objective is to subsequently extend the partnership to other Fincantieri shipyards in Italy and potentially abroad.

Fincantieri, one of the world’s leading groups in the highly complex shipbuilding industry, and the Hera Group, one of Italy’s largest multi-utilities operating in the waste management, energy and water sectors, have signed a memorandum of understanding to launch a partnership aimed at optimising waste cycle management and creating value in Fincantieri’s shipyards throughout Italy, in accordance with the principles and objectives of the circular economy.

The agreement calls for the establishment of a newco – owned by Fincantieri and the Hera Group, through its subsidiaries Herambiente Servizi Industriali (HASI) and ACR di Reggiani Albertino S.p.A. (ACR), part of the Herambiente Group, Italy’s foremost operator in the waste management sector and among the largest in Europe – charged with implementing an integrated and efficient waste management
system at Fincantieri’s shipyards, starting with the Monfalcone site, identified as the first area for intervention in the implementation of the project. The new company will also be responsible for the operational administration of the plant, the management of waste disposal and the valorisation of residues and recoverable waste.

With this partnership, Fincantieri aims to reduce its waste production, maximise waste recovery by applying advanced technologies for industrial waste treatment and valorisation, create sorted waste collections for the reuse of materials in production cycles, and optimise logistics and waste handling to increase safety on construction sites. The agreement also represents an important opportunity to create value, both economically and in terms of sustainability.

The Hera Group’s extensive experience in industrial waste management and in implementing sustainable solutions, shared with its subsidiaries HASI and ACR, who will be responsible for managing operations, will thus enable Fincantieri to accelerate the achievement of ESG goals in its shipyards. This will involve concrete circular economy initiatives in all areas: from reducing waste production to increasing the amount of solid waste sent for recycling, valorising residues, recovering water and reducing CO₂ emissions.

The project will be developed over several stages, starting with the establishment of the newco and the beginning of activities in Monfalcone within 2024, with the aim of managing nearly 100 thousand tons per year of industrial waste produced at the shipyards and increasing the portions from which value can be obtained – particularly iron, wood and paper – by 15% as of the first year. Subsequently, this model will
be completed thanks to the construction of advanced treatment plants and an optimized waste management. All this will be made possible by a series of structural initiatives, once again with a view to the circular economy, such as the construction and management of a new sorting line, a new water treatment plant for subsequent reuse, and a revamping of the temporary storage facility.

Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO and General Manager of Fincantieri: “To meet the challenges of environmental sustainability in our shipyards, we have chosen to collaborate with the most qualified partners who can guarantee innovative and effective technological solutions with a diversified geographic presence and the ability to pursue economies of scale and scope. In this sense, our agreement with the Hera Group, an outstanding Italian company and the leader in its sector, represents a further step that reinforces our commitment to adopting circular economy practices directly in our production sites, fully consistent with our business plan. The combination of our skills and those of the Hera Group will improve waste management at our sites, contributing to environmental protection, optimizing production processes and increasing safety and thus creating value. This partnership is in line with our business plan and above all demonstrates the Group’s all-round commitment to sustainability and the circular economy.”

Orazio Iacono, CEO of the Hera Group: “Our partnership with Fincantieri confirms the Hera Group’s role as a strategic partner for the green transition of Italy’s industrial sector. Thanks to our strategy, that leverages a portfolio of global waste services and our leadership in the waste management sector in Italy, we intend to support even large companies in achieving their ESG targets, thus generating benefits that are not only environmental, but also economic and social. Strengthened by decades of experience and the results we have already achieved in the waste management, energy and water sectors, through circular projects such as the ones included in the agreement signed with Fincantieri, we want to increase our presence at the side of the industrial sector in reducing and recycling waste and regenerating resources.”