CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Circular economy is based on waste reduction, reuse and the creation of new materials, aspiring towards enhanced environmental sustainability.  The Prosciutto di San Daniele Consortium adopts a circular approach to salt waste management generated by the prosciutto production process.

The prosciutto production process mainly generates salt waste, including solid salt and brine, which are collected by specialised companies and transformed into useful products, such as road antifreeze or preservatives for the tanning industry. 4,629 tons of solid salt and 3,499 tons of brine were recovered with this process in 2023.

In the last three years the Consortium has taken important steps towards circularity. The construction of a plant in close proximity to the San Daniele district is now under way, with the aim of further optimising the collection process. It is expected to be commissioned in the first few months of 2025. This result arises from a lengthy and complex pathway, requiring a preliminary project study, the involvement of and dialogue with local stakeholders (including the Trasaghis Municipality, where the plant is located, the Province of Udine and the Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia), an environmental, landscape and impact assessment, right up to the definitive approval of the salt recovery plant construction project. 

This one-of-a-kind plant is without precedent in Italy and will enable the optimisation of waste logistics flows (until now disposal has taken place in other northern Italian cities). In particular, roughly an 88% reduction of travelled kilometres has been recorded. In addition, the reduction of CO₂ eq in kg was proportionate to km travelled, with a calculated reduction of approximately 90% of CO2eq (314,517 kg in 2022 vs 32,903 kg with the new plant).