A year of growth, of demanding challenges, of great news, of recognition of the role played in caring for the environment. This was the year 2023 of the Erion System and the Collective Schemes that are part of it. Three hundred and sixty-five days that have marked the action of an organization that has shed its start-up skin to definitively establish itself as a leading voice in Europe in the dynamic and strategic context of Extended Producer Responsibility.
This is what the figures tell us about a year that, despite a slight decrease compared to the previous year, continues to be solid and represents an important contribution by our System to the Italian and European environmental and energy transition. In 2023, we managed more than 250,000 tonnes of waste, the proper management of which generated significant environmental benefits, allowing us to avoid the emission of more than 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent (equivalent to that produced by a car driving around the equator 177,000 times), to save more than 335 million kWh of energy (equivalent to the average annual electricity consumption of about 124,000 Italian households) and to recycle more than 210,000 tonnes of Secondary Raw Materials into production cycles.
As you will read in the following pages, there has been a new decrease in the amount of waste managed, the causes of which are multiple. On the one hand, Italy is still struggling to adopt virtuous behaviour in the management of urban waste, in particular WEEE and Waste Batteries, and on the other hand, there have been accidental events such as the fires that broke out in some WEEE and battery treatment plants in 2023, which affected the operations of Erion WEEE and Erion Energy for several weeks. In addition, there are operational aspects affecting the Italian WEEE sector that are common to all the collective systems operating within the WEEE Clearing House, such as the existence of significant parallel streams that systematically intercept large quantities of electronic waste each year, preventing it from being properly treated due to a lack of controls.
However, figures do not tell the whole story and it is necessary to look further afield to understand the future prospects, both in terms of opportunities and areas for improvement. We try to do this in an original way, through the ‘erasures’ that you will find on the cover of this Sustainability Report. Erasures to reveal, not to eliminate, a reference to the idea behind the work of the great artist Emilio Isgrò. In this context, an erasure becomes an element of reflection on some of the words that make up a text. Thanks to this technique, we too want to go beyond the numbers to grasp the deeper meaning of the tireless and inspired commitment with which Erion wants to promote a real change in the Italian and European approach to the circular economy.
With this in mind, let’s look back together at the main events of 2023, which was marked by important legislative changes, such as the entry into force of the new European Battery Regulation, the Regulation on the responsibility for preparing WEEE for re-use and the obligation for tobacco product companies to participate in an Extended Producer Responsibility scheme. 2023 was also the year of the long-awaited revision of the Waste Framework Directive and the proposed Regulation on Packaging and Packaging Waste. Regulatory steps that have been taken or are still underway, which Erion has followed closely, helping to keep its stakeholders fully informed through studies, events, debates and training and information programmes.
Erion WEEE was the promoter of the amendment to Article 8 of Legislative Decree 49/2014, which requires all Italian collective systems to publish their lists of environmental contributions. The Collective Scheme also launched the maxi-communication programme ‘DireFareRAEE‘, a series of initiatives aimed at raising consumer awareness of the environmental, economic and social importance of the separate collection and recycling of electronic waste. In particular, we would like to mention the production of the docufilm Materia Viva, a work involving 29 talents from the world of sport, television, social media and culture, which was premiered on 10 May 2023 at the Ambra Jovinelli Theatre in Rome in front of 500 guests, before embarking on a tour throughout Italy. This is a unique project in Europe, under the patronage of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Universities and Research.
Thanks to Erion Energy, a new tool has been created, the first of its kind, to calculate the environmental benefits of battery recycling and based on an LCA study of the final stages of the product life cycle. The Collective Scheme also confirmed and strengthened the ‘Energia al Cubo’ project, which celebrated its second anniversary in 2023, involving dozens of schools and thousands of young students throughout Italy in theoretical lessons and practical tests on the separate collection of batteries and the benefits it can bring to the environment and the economy of raw materials. Finally, Erion Energy participated in the technical round table coordinated by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) to define a regulatory framework for the world of e-commerce.
Important news also for Erion Professional, which collected 2,736 tonnes of WEEE thanks to its Exceed programme (compared to 1,307 tonnes in 2022). This is a strong and convincing signal of the voluntary commitment of the Collective Scheme’s member Producers to organize effective collection and recycling systems for Professional WEEE, actively involving their networks of retailers and installers.
In November 2023, Erion Packaging filled the Innovation Arena at Ecomondo with the event ‘Packaging of technological products: between sustainable innovation and the new European Regulation’. The Collective Scheme also finalized the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2022 with AIRES (Italian Association of Household Appliance Specialized Retailers) to develop a closed-loop collection system.
Finally, Erion Care has made a major commitment both to the definition of the Memorandum of Intent with MASE, ANCI, Assoambiente and Utilitalia to contribute to the economic support of municipalities that carry out street cleaning, and to consumer awareness projects against littering, thanks to the launch of the ‘Senza Filtri’ information campaign published in the main Italian weekly magazines.
In 2023, all our Collective Schemes grew and created value. But the Erion System did not stop there: it used its expertise to create a new collective system, thanks to the initiative of six major companies in the textile and clothing sector. This is Erion Textiles, the Collective Scheme for Textiles which, in anticipation of the European legislation currently being defined, has initiated a constructive dialogue with the national and European institutions and with the stakeholders of this important sector in order to promote the emergence of a robust and effective Extended Responsibility system.
Overall, in 2023, Erion expanded its portfolio of services for its member Producers, also thanks to the strengthening of its staff, which increased from 59 to 67 people (44 of whom are women). Erion’s employees are one of the secrets of our success, which is why in 2023 we provided 2,806 hours of training, while at the same time striving for a better work-life balance thanks to the ‘Agile Future’ contract model, which offers all employees greater flexibility in terms of time and workspace. In addition to the organizational models and strategies adopted, we are guided in our daily efforts by Erion’s five core values: Quality, Transparency, Efficiency, Innovation and Social Responsibility.
It is good to remember them every year, because they give us the direction to follow in order to continuously improve as a system, as professionals and as people.
In particular, during the course of 2023, we have often had face-to-face discussions with the citizens we have met at the numerous events we have organized, in the knowledge that sustainability must also and above all be sought in the actions of individuals, who can make important changes from the bottom up. Without proper waste management by consumers, the goals cannot be achieved. There can be no circular economy without awareness of resource waste. There can be no sustainable future without a present of concrete commitment and participation.
These are concepts that make climate change and unsustainable resource use increasingly tangible and urgent. They are propositions that our leaders and experts have repeated hundreds, perhaps thousands of times in so many places and to so many different audiences over the course of 2023. Knowing that we have made a positive difference to even one of the many people we have met along the way is proof that we are doing the right thing.
Walking this journey together, with passion and dedication, is a core value for us at Erion, as it constantly reminds us that we are fortunate ‘to be doing a job that, if done well, can do good for the world’.
