Coordinating beneficiary
Legambiente Onlus
Founded in 1980, Legambiente is the most widespread environmental organization in Italy, with its headquarters in Rome, 20 regional offices, more than 1,000 local groups throughout the country and more than 110,000 members. It is recognized as an "association of environmental interest" by the Ministry of the Environment and is one of the main members of the EEB (European Environmental Bureau) the Federation of European environmental organizations, and of the IUCN - the World Conservation Union. Legambiente is also a member of CIPRA (International Commission for the Protection of the Alps) and of Federparchi (Italian Federation of Parks and Nature Reserves).
The association's mission is to make environmental culture the center of a new type of development and widespread well-being. Important values for the association are the improvement of the quality of the environment, the fight against all forms of pollution, the wise use of natural resources, the construction of a more balanced relationship between human beings and nature. Continuing interest in educating people about environmental issues; original and innovative approach to the issue of the economy and employment. It promotes and enhances the great variety of productive activities (typical local products, cultural heritage, technical innovation and urban and territorial maintenance) which are able to improve the quality of the environment and give Italy more competitiveness.
Associated Beneficiaries
Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna
It is one of the best European universities for managing European funds. With the DIMEVET Department (Veterinary Medical Sciences including aquaculture) he has a validated experience in EU management projects (H2020 and Central Europe as Partner Leader) and has a central role in LIFE projects. Unibo-Dimevet has a specific aquaculture research unit called “University Center for Blue Growth” located on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. The Center is fully dedicated to aquaculture studies and activities for technological innovation and stakeholder awareness. The center provides farmers and retailers with services and support to improve and standardize farm management and evaluate the quality and safety of fish and shellfish products.
La Sapienza University of Rome - Department of Chemistry
The Department of Chemistry, founded in 1982, belongs to the Faculty of Mathematical, Physical and Natural Sciences of the Sapienza University of Rome. It promotes scientific research in the most significant areas of Chemical Sciences and Industrial Chemistry, with research activities of international impact and marked competitiveness in the public and private sectors. A large network of collaborations between sectors together with numerous interactions with international groups allow the Department to develop interdisciplinary topics of particular relevance for technological and scientific development, addressing issues of global interest such as those of health and sustainable development (chemistry green and food, chemistry for the environment and energy). In addition to promoting educational activities and scientific research, the Department of Chemistry is a cultural reference and experimental support for chemical research of industrial and applied interest: for this purpose, the Research Center for Applied Sciences for the Protection of the Environment and cultural heritage (CIABC) and High Tech Recycling Research (HTR).
University of Siena
It is one of the oldest universities in Europe (founded in 1240) and maintains a leading role on the national and international scene in terms of teaching and research. The Department of Physical, Earth and Environmental Sciences has a long experience in the monitoring, management and conservation of the terrestrial and marine environment. The research group “Biomarkers Laboratory Plastic Busters” has contributed over the past 30 years to developing the biomarker approach for environmental contaminants, marine litter, microplastics and plasticizers on Mediterranean biota. The research group has been involved for many years in international projects (EU projects, IT-MX bilateral projects, German GIZ, Interreg MED, ENI CBC MED, etc.) and national (Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policies, etc.) which concern the monitoring and conservation of the marine environment. The group has contributed to research on biodiversity conservation programs and leverages the experience gained from actively engaging stakeholders to develop assessment, mitigation and monitoring tools, working closely with NGOs, research institutes and government bodies.
For the last ten years, the group has been involved in the study of the fate and impact of plastics, in the development of innovative methods to evaluate the impact of microplastics and biopolymers on biodiversity. The group is involved in the monitoring program for the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (D10-marine litter) and in the UNE/MAP activities for marine litter in the Mediterranean Sea, being recognized as one of the MEDPOL laboratories.
Mediterranean Aquaculture Association (AMA)
The Mediterranean Aquaculture Association (AMA) was founded in 2002. It promotes the care, protection and coordination of associated companies, in support of aquaculture activities along the supply chain. AMA is also a research and development facility and presents projects at a national level in the field of technological development in various sectors of aquaculture.
It is recognized by the MIPAAF Ministry as a representative participant in consultative and deliberative bodies.
Novamont
Italian industrial company, world leader in the sector of bioplastics and biochemical products obtained through the integration of chemistry, environment and agriculture. Novamont promotes a bioeconomy model based on the efficient and sustainable use of renewable resources as a regeneration factor of local areas. Research is the engine of industrial development that provides eco-sustainable solutions to minimize the risk of dispersion of these products in the ecosystem. Novamont has a portfolio of approximately 1,800 patents and patent applications. MATER-BI is the innovative family of bioplastics developed from research. It is biodegradable and compostable according to the European standard EN 13432 and others international standards and has usage characteristics very similar to those of traditional plastics. The main fields of application are differentiated waste collection, agriculture, large-scale distribution, disposable food products disposable food and packaging. The company is based in Novara, has a production plant in Terni and research laboratories in Novara, Terni and Piana di Monte Verna (CE). It operates abroad with its offices in Germany, France, Spain and United States and with a representative office in Brussels (Belgium).
Rom Plastic
It is an ISO 9001-2015 certified company with over 40 years of experience in the design and manufacture of plastic netting used in a wide range of applications such as mussel and fish farming, food packaging, agriculture, gardening, mechanical engineering and many other. Export all over the world, mainly in EU countries.
The production department of the company consists of several dozen production lines based on extrusion process of different types of classical polymer materials (mainly polypropylene and polyethylene) and innovative bio-plastic products which meet the bio-degradability requirement.
Soc. Agricola Ittica Del Giudice – Gargano
Ittica Del Giudice Srl is one of the main Italian companies active in the production and breeding of fish products. The long family tradition in this sector - since 1954 - and the great attention to environmental sustainability of the entire production process are the main reasons for the company's success, making it one of the leaders in the mussel market nationwide. Mussel productions are found in Adriatic Sea in the Gargano area, in the municipality of Serracapriola (FG).
Coop. Associated Mussel Farmers – La Spezia
The Associated Mussel Farmers Cooperative brings together mussel and oyster breeder members from the Gulf of La Spezia. The main purpose of the Mussel Farmers Cooperative Associati is to breed, purify and package the mussels raised by the members, guaranteeing the hygienic-sanitary parameters and the cold chain. The shellfish hatcheries in the gulf of La Spezia, from where the whole chain, are located near the breakwater, Portovenere and the island of Palmaria. Every mussel farmer has his own “floating” nursery, i.e. a system of rows on the surface supported by buoys which allow the farmers to position their leashes, for the muscles, or “lanterns”, for the oysters, vertically with respect to the seabed.