16 Jan Fattoria della Piana, an oasis of sustainability fueled by Mecar Iveco
From Calabria to Expo 2015, a 100% eco-sustainable production model.
An ecosystem which replicates natural processes; producing more energy than it consumes. A 100% sustainable business model with economic results in constant growth. This is Fattoria della Piana, founded in 1936 and now grown to become one of Southern Italy’s most important producers in the food and agriculture sector.
From Calabria to Expo 2015, a 100% eco-sustainable production model.
An ecosystem which replicates natural processes; producing more energy than it consumes. A 100% sustainable business model with economic results in constant growth. This is Fattoria della Piana, founded in 1936 and now grown to become one of Southern Italy’s most important producers in the food and agriculture sector.
La Fattoria della Piana is a cooperative which collects and processes milk from farms in the local area.
The activities of the company cover the entire supply chain: the headquarters has a farm with over 900 cows and a modern milking room. The cheese factory processes about 20,000 litres of milk from sheep, cows and buffalo daily. The cooperative also farms food for the animals and has a citrus orchard in which it grows clementines to be sold on the Italian market.
“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children”: this quote perfectly summarises the philosophy of the cooperative.”
The Fattoria della Piana Ecosystem
Fattoria della Piana replicates natural sycles, producing more energy than it consumes; thus drastically reducing its impact on the environment and returning those nutrients used up in farming to the soil.
Fattoria has implemented various projects in order to create this ecosystem, including:
- Solar panels (circa 400 kW)which power the entire farm and reduce energy costs and pollution;
- The biogas production centre (1 MW), fueled by various processing by-products and allowing the production of bio-fuel.
- The largest phytodepuration plant in Southern Italy;
- A farming school which welcomes about 3.000 children every year;
Electrical energy produced by the Fattoria della Piana ecosystem is returned to the national grid and covers the energy needs of 2.650 families.
Numerous high profile partners have worked alongside the company and have contributed to the implementation of the ecosystem: Legambiante, Cib (Italian Biogas Consortium), the department of agricultural and environmental sciences of the University of Milan and Candidoni City Council.
PARTNERSHIP WITH MECAR-IVECO
In 2013, Fattoria began renewing its fleet (15 refrigerated vehicles); and thanks to the partnership with Mecar Iveco it has been possible for them to convert the fleet (previously diesel fueled) to natural gas (CH4). This allows the cooperative to fuel the fleet using the biogas that they produce.
This project has allowed Fattoria della Piana to reduce fleet costs dramatically and to cut the use of petrochemical fuels in favour of renewable and non polluting alternatives.
This choice, strategic in nature, has led to a reduction in fuel costs to nearly zero.
This is a system which not only has rendered the cooperative completely sustainable and autonomous, but has also led to recognition as an example of best practice in the Italian context.
AWARDS SHEET PRESENCE AT EXPO 2015
The cooperative has obtained numerous awards over the years:
- Premio Vendor Rating e acquisti sostenibili (Sustainable Purchasing) 2014, Forum Compraverde-Buygreen, Roma
- Premio Sviluppo Sostenibile (Sustainable Development) 2013, Fondazione Sviluppo Sostenibile, Rimini
- Premio Sodalitas social award 2013, Fondazione Sodalitas, Milano
- Premio Progetti Sostenibili e Acquisti Verdi (Sustainable Projects and Green Purchasing) 2012, Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico – Consip. Roma
- Premio Best Practices BioEnergy Italy 2012, CremonaFiere, Cremona
- Premio Innovazione Amica dell’Ambiente (Environmentally Friendly Innovation) 2010, Legambiente
Fattoria della Piana is present at Expo 2015 as a representative of the Calabria region, contributing significantly to the realisation of a show within Palazzo Italia.
Find out more at: http://www.fattoriadellapiana.it/