Circular economy and industrial symbiosis: The role of the municipality of Prato within the EU Urban Agenda partnership

The City of Prato, in Italy, is famous worldwide for its textile district. Despite the economic difficulties and the major market transformations, the district is still active and vital. The policies of productive re-organization, based on the circular economy principles, are recognized at EU level as a model for urban economies improvement. Prato has been always a model of innovation in textile sector having historically based its industrial fortune on the reuse of second-hand clothing from all over the world. The recycling techniques and valorisation of these fractions - that would otherwise be land-filled or burned - started at mid of XIX century – led to consider Prato one of the most advanced and innovative industrial city in Italy. With this mindset, part of the DNA of the city, Prato anticipated by decades a behaviour that today is promoted by the “green economy” principles and the green management of productive chains in the logic of Circular Economy. The aim of this paper is to describe a real experience of industrial symbiosis, performed both by the Municipality of Prato together with local enterprises, organisation and the scientific community. At present, the Municipality of Prato is the Italian representative in the EU’s “Urban Agenda: Circular Economy Partnership” initiative. The Urban Agenda project would enhance EU policies, strengthen the EU’s understanding of urban issues, and would share best practice strategies. Thus, the Partnership aims to stimulate the re-use, repair, refurbishment, and recycling of existing materials and products, in order to promote growth and to create new job opportunities. Within the Partnership, the Municipality of Prato leads the debates regarding wastewater reuse and conducts the team discussing on sustainable buildings. About wastewater, Prato was one of the first industrial district, at European level, arranging a close water cycle. A system, which led to significant results in terms of green infrastructures and green economy and that has been studied, promoted and replied elsewhere (since the early 1980s the Prato district has been a case study in the investigation of innovative environmental recycling dynamics). Therefore, Circular Economy in Prato also means the reuse and the transformation of existing building, in particular the dismissed ones situated in industrial areas, with the logic to improve the environmental performance of buildings and infrastructures in their entire life cycle.