On December 16, from 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM, at Social Fare, Via Maria Vittoria 38, Turin, the conference and round table “From Reception to Autonomy: Work and Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Integration” will take place.

The conference, organized as part of the Empower! project, aims to promote the integration and economic independence of non-EU citizens. It will provide an opportunity for dialogue and reflection with institutional and private stakeholders to assess orientation pathways and employment and entrepreneurial opportunities for foreign citizens in Turin.

During the first part of the afternoon, the results and best practices of the Empower! project will be presented. Following a coffee break, the round table “Building Bridges: Public-Private Collaborations for Integration” will begin.

Participation in the event is free, but seating is limited.

To attend, registration via the form at the provided link is required.

Program

Moderator
Diego Boerchi – Catholic University of the Sacred Heart

Schedule

2:30 PM
From Project to Person: Experiences That Make a Difference

• Presentation of the orientation activities of the EMPOWER project
• Testimony from a beneficiary: a success story

3:30 PM – Coffee Break

4:00 PM
Round Table: Building Bridges: Public-Private Collaborations for Integration

• Cinzia Bove, Head of Employment Desk, Progetto Tenda
• Emiliano Iannone, Chamber of Commerce of Turin, New Enterprises Sector
• Valentina Chiesa, Head of Development & Partnerships, Adecco
• Tessa Zaramella, Head of “Mettersi in Proprio” (Start Your Own Business), Regione Piemonte

On December 11 Social Impact Agenda for Italy (SIA) will present the findings of the research “Renewable Energy Communities with Impact: Models and Tools for Impact Investing in a Just Transition.” The study was conducted with the support of Amundi, Coopfond, CGM, and Intesa Sanpaolo, and developed in collaboration with BIP in partnership with AzzeroCO2, Bonelli Erede, ESTÀ, and Kyoto Club.

The research involved active participation from SIA’s member base, which represents Italy’s impact finance network, as well as engagement with key industry stakeholders. It identified and analyzed the most effective impact investment and financing solutions within the context of Renewable Energy Communities (CERs), starting with their technical-financial modeling.

What are the findings and issues that emerged from this research? How can they be implemented and developed within the current legislative, technical, and operational framework of CERs? Is it truly possible to use financial tools as leverage to enhance the social impact-generating potential of CERs in Italian territories?

These and other questions will be addressed on Wednesday, December 11, from 3:00 PM in Rome and online. Participants in the discussion will include policymakers, energy and impact evaluation experts, local administrators, public and private financiers, market actors, and third-sector representatives. The goal is to assess the conditions necessary to launch practical pilot projects across Italian territories.

The event is sponsored and hosted by Legacoop at their headquarters, Via Giuseppe Antonio Guattani, 9, Rome.

The event will also be streamed live.

To participate:

Program and registration available on the Social Impact Agenda for Italy website: CER WITH IMPACT: Tools for Impact Investing in a Just Transition. Presentation of SIA Research Findings.

For more information: c.buongiovanni@socialimpactagenda.it

What happens to our clothes once we throw them away?

Every year, European citizens purchase almost 26 kg of textile products and discard about 11 kg. However, once discarded, even when correctly placed in recycling bins, post-consumer clothes and textiles are often of low quality and very difficult to recycle, making it challenging to find the right destination for each item. Most of these items are shipped to Africa or South America, where they stifle local craftsmanship, and often end up burned, lost at sea, or in open landfills.

This situation must be addressed by making textile waste collection in our cities more sustainable, useful, and transparent, and, even before that, reducing the production of such waste.

The City of Turin has taken on this challenge as part of Climaborough, a project funded by CINEA and the European Union under the “100 Climate Neutral and Smart Cities” mission. This initiative involves twelve European cities experimenting with innovative urban planning solutions for the ecological and digital transition toward climate neutrality.

From waste to resource

The RiVestiTO project, created by Atelier Riforma, Mercato Circolare, and Huulke, was introduced to the citizens of Turin during the Circular Days, Green Pea’s circularity festival, and launched during Circular Monday, the international movement promoting reuse and responsible consumption. The project aims to make the collection of discarded textile products in Turin more transparent and efficient, directing them toward the most suitable valorization methods, supporting reuse practices, and encouraging a local virtuous circle of circular economy.

“In a world with limited resources, it is absolutely urgent to implement strategies that make the best use of existing textile products through virtuous circular economy practices,” say Elena Ferrero and Nadia Lambiase, administrators of Atelier Riforma and Mercato Circolare. “RiVestiTO is an ambitious experiment aimed at bringing substantial change to the current management of used textiles, which suffers from waste, pollution, lack of transparency towards citizens, and a regulatory framework with many gray areas.”

Technology at the service of people

The project stands out for its use of innovative technological tools:

• Re4Circular, developed by Atelier Riforma, is an application that uses artificial intelligence to help organizations collecting used clothing classify and digitize them, directing them to professionals and companies practicing reuse, upcycling, and textile recycling.
• The Mercato Circolare App connects users with businesses and organizations operating according to circular economy principles, fostering a virtuous network where supply and demand meet.

Making the collection of discarded textile products more transparent and efficient

The project will map and identify local organizations collecting used clothes and textiles, providing them with the Re4Circular tool to direct each textile material to the most suitable valorization method. Re4Circular is connected to a B2B marketplace that links textile collectors with businesses, artisans, and craftswomen willing to use and valorize the material. A perfect garment will be directed to vintage and second-hand stores. A slightly damaged item or leftover fabric from textile companies can be upcycled by artisans and tailoring shops. Severely damaged textiles suitable for recycling will be used to create new yarns and fabrics, while non-recoverable materials can be directed to companies specializing in producing insulating products for construction and other uses. All of this will be done with full transparency, tracking the destination of each material.

Encouraging a local virtuous circle of circular economy

Textile products discarded by citizens and companies in the city will enter this circular economy system. However, a circular economy can only exist if it is jointly participated in by businesses, citizens, and public administration. Therefore, thanks to the Mercato Circolare app, the RiVestiTO project will connect citizens, schools, public administrations, collection entities, second-hand shops, artisans, tailoring shops, and all local businesses that give a second life to textile materials. The goal is to promote a local virtuous circle capable of connecting the supply of circular products with the demand from citizens and institutions through the app.

Encouraging reuse before waste

In collaboration with the City of Turin, the project will launch an experimental corridor to treat tailor waste and pre- and post-consumer textiles as goods rather than waste. Currently, regulations do not allow these materials to be handed over to businesses and artisans who could give them a second life (they can only be donated to charitable organizations). Thanks to the experimental corridor, these materials will be valorized as resources, helping to save the use of virgin materials.

Citizens will be actively involved through city-wide events aimed at raising awareness and educating on waste prevention, promoting reuse practices, and circular economy.

Additionally, a survey will be conducted to investigate current textile consumption behaviors, inviting people to reflect on their habits and adopt more sustainable practices.

The project will also produce a book, a podcast, and a photo exhibition by photographer Chiara Agostinetto.

In one year, 20 initiatives including employment contracts, internships, and training courses (such as driving school courses for B licenses) have benefited individuals serving their sentences outside prison through alternative measures or who have already completed their sentences. During the same period, 67 people were assisted, including 55 adults and 12 young adults, along with 19 companies and cooperatives that agreed to offer work opportunities to those with a history of legal issues. Additionally, 24 job interviews were conducted, 3 individuals were introduced to volunteering as a form of social restitution, and 8 people, with or without support, independently secured employment. These are some of the results achieved by the Impresa Accogliente Project—promoted by the Turin-based volunteer organization La Goccia di Lube ETS—as it nears the end of 2024, moving towards a safe harbor after an initial experimental phase from January to May and an official phase that began in June. This journey into the world of job opportunities, undertaken by the volunteers of La Goccia di Lube, was made possible thanks to significant support from the Piedmont Region, whose funding allowed the project promoters to engage two professionals to coordinate activities within a network of over 35 volunteers.

These results highlight the existence of another world—a world rooted in trust and willingness to offer a second chance to those who have wronged others and society. It stands in stark contrast to the narratives often seen in crime news. This world is populated by volunteers who dedicate their free time to the well-being and human redemption of others, and by entrepreneurs, leading trade associations, and renowned training agencies that contribute to the rebirth, personal, and professional growth of adults and young people. By doing so, they often, perhaps unknowingly, fulfill the innate desire to help those worse off return to an honest and responsible life. It is also a way to bring to life the principles enshrined in the Constitution, which speaks of the “rehabilitation of offenders.”

This comprehensive picture emerged during a webinar—moderated by Alessandra Giannino—organized by the Turin Industrial Union on November 12 for Confindustria-affiliated companies involved in the so-called DE&I (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Roundtable on corporate social responsibility. During the webinar, the project, its objectives, and its initial results were presented through reports by the project coordinators Bianca Eula (responsible for user management and volunteer liaison) and Silvia Lessona (in charge of relations with cooperatives and companies), as well as the Vice President of La Goccia di Lube, Dario Valenzano.

It was just the first step in the involvement of the Confindustria entity in the Impresa Accogliente Project, of which it is a partner alongside a wide group of collaborators, with further developments planned in the coming months. Among the collaborators of the Impresa Accogliente Project are notable names such as Api Torino and Api Formazione, Confcooperative Piemonte Nord, Confesercenti Torino, Collegio Costruttori Ance Torino and its construction school, FSC, the Agenzia Piemonte Lavoro with its employment centers in the Turin metropolitan area, Compagnia delle Opere, Unione Cristiana Imprenditori e Dirigenti, the training agencies Immaginazione e Lavoro and Casa di Carità Arti e Mestieri, and the employment agency Adecco with its Diversity and Inclusion division. The project also receives support through services and consultations from Volontariato Torino, creative professional Massimiliano Manera, and the communication agency Master Communication.

During the webinar, Manera described the creation of the Impresa Accogliente brand, while Marianna Carlini from Master Communication presented the project’s communication strategies, including its initial publications and media appearances, thanks to contributions from Serena Ravazzotti. Discussions are also underway with external entities like Unimpiego Torino, the Cnos-Fap Salesian training center, Confagricoltura Torino, and Confartigianato Torino to expand the search for job and training opportunities for individuals under alternative measures to incarceration. These individuals are referred to La Goccia di Lube by the UIEPE (Interdistrict Office for External Penal Execution) in Turin and the USSM (Social Service Office for Minors), which is under the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Justice Center.

The main role of the employer associations in the project is to identify companies willing to join the network of “available enterprises” and become “welcoming enterprises” by offering employment opportunities.

For the volunteers of La Goccia di Lube, it is crucial to secure job positions, whether through internships or employment contracts, for those under house arrest, probationary social services, or supervised release—the three main legal situations addressed by the project. These opportunities allow individuals to sustain themselves as they reintegrate into society and resist the temptations of reoffending, which had initially led to their conviction and incarceration.

The first company to earn the title of “Welcoming Enterprise” (Impresa Accogliente) was Market Service in Givoletto, a company specializing in setting up department stores and supermarkets across Italy. During the end-of-year conference scheduled for December 12 in Turin, additional “Welcoming Enterprise” plaques will be awarded to recognize the commitment to providing jobs already shown by The Promoland of Volpiano, the Raggio cooperative of Turin, the Frassati cooperative, and the Barbara B. social cooperative. During the webinar, Luca Ordazzo from Market Service shared the reasons behind his company’s decision to offer work opportunities to three individuals referred by La Goccia di Lube. The Turin entrepreneur concluded his testimonial by “thanking everyone involved in the Impresa Accogliente Project for their efforts, hoping to establish a direct channel with companies and institutions, streamlining and facilitating placement processes wherever possible, and creating many opportunities for work and… life.”