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# 72 •nOvemBER 16 , 2015
recycling waste
Italy has had notable firsts at European level in
terms of environment.
At constant value produced, our companies use
less raw materials and
energy and produce less
waste and emissions. Eurostat certifies that Italian
companies, with 337 kg
of raw material per million Euros product, not
only do much better than
the EU average (497 kg),
but are placed second
among the major economies of the EU after the
UK (293 kg), ahead of
France (369), Spain (373)
and well ahead of Germany (461).
A similar trend is also
recorded as for energy used. We are second
among the big players in
Europe, behind the UK
alone. From 17 tons of
oil equivalent per million
euro in 2008 we switched
to 15: Britain burns 12,
France 16, Spain and Germany 18. Italy does well
also in waste reduction.
With 39 tonnes per million euro product (5 less
than in 2008) we are the
most efficient in Europe,
again much better than
Germany (65 tons).
Regarding the emission
reduction in the atmosphere, we are second
among the five major
EU economies (113 tons
CO2, latest data available
in 2012), only behind
France (91 t, in this case
favored by nuclear) and,
once again, ahead of
Germany. And we are
European leader in the
recycling industry: with
the industrial recovery
of more than 163 million
tonnes of recyclable waste on a European scale,
Italy has been recovered
25 million tonnes, the absolute highest of all European countries (in Germany 23). The recycling
in production processes
allowed us to save prim '