What is Taranto Circolare?

What is Taranto Circolare? Taranto Circolare is a virtual platform that will promote circular and sustainable businesses, organizations and activities based in Taranto.


The platform serves multiple purposes: it provides online tools to organizations about the analysis of material, energy and emission flows; it connects the actors on the platform by potentially giving birth to new projects; it promotes Taranto’s sustainable and circular economy to external third-party actors who are interested in collaborating and fostering the birth of new projects; and finally it is able to raise awareness on circular economy issues, starting from citizens and reaching out to all stakeholders, including tourists.


The ultimate goal of the project is therefore to create a collector of all the virtuous cases of circularity of the realities present in the old city of Taranto and support the transformation of new ones. The platform concretely helps promote an image of Taranto that is attentive to circularity and environmental sustainability, which can attract interest and actions both locally and nationally and internationally.


Where did the idea for Taranto Circolare come from?

The project was born from the intuition that such a portal has not yet been implemented in Italy, and that its impact could be decisive in stimulating the various actors in the area to undertake circular transformation paths.


We have taken inspiration both from the impact of various circular economy reports applied to cities (examples: Groninger, Umea, Valladolid, Rotterdam and Bruxelles), and from the case of Rotterdam Circulair, a platform that focuses on the Rotterdam region in The Netherlands for the promotion, support and dissemination of circular economy and its principles in the same region, presenting local initiatives already practicing this new industrial model.


How to participate in the Taranto Circolare Project?

The initiative is free of charges and open to all organizations operating in Taranto that work according to the principles of circularity and sustainability: to be included in the platform please simply sign up at this link.


At the moment, already a good number of organizations have signed up and left their data. One example is the bed and breakfast B&B La Nassa, which puts sustainability first and wants to offer an alternative to the classic way of travel, to bring out the possibilities of tourism that is respectful of the environment, economy and local communities.


Another example is the Nasse Animation Studio, an animation studio that is also the first animation benefit company in Italy, and is producing the first 100% eco-friendly animated series.


Participants in the project also include the Jonian Dolphin Conservation, a scientific research association aimed at studying cetaceans in the Gulf of Taranto in the Northern Ionian Sea, specializing in marine project management with a particular focus on the study of environmental impact.


Another project is Bioenutra, an innovative company specializing in the production of natural active ingredients for nutraceutical, cosmetic and pharmaceutical use from the waste and by-products of agriculture and agroindustry.


Havana & CO is another reality that has joined the project. It is a line of clothing made in Puglia, made with organic fabrics subjected to reduced-waste processes following the line of sustainable development.


Our goal is to gather as many projects as possible that operate in the circular economy, are interesting for sustainability, incisiveness and beauty, and are inspired by the principles of the New European Bauhaus. In this way, we will be able to give birth to more and more synergies and connections, and the portal will become a point of reference, meeting and experimentation of new initiatives, research, projects and circular business strategies and coordination of the innovation ecosystem, towards industrial symbiosis.


If you are interested in what is Taranto Circolare, know that all of this will be carried out with ongoing initiatives that include, in addition to a communication campaign to promote and raise awareness, various platform promotion activities and public events. For example, some projects will be presented during the upcoming Re-think Circular Economy Forum Taranto 2023, which will be held in mid-October: on that occasion, the most innovative and circular reality will be awarded.

Francesco Castellano

Francesco Castellano is a seasoned business leader and strategist with over 20 years of experience spanning research, finance, consulting, and entrepreneurship. He has held impactful roles, including serving as a consultant at Bain & Company, launching Uber operations in Turin, and working as Managing Director of a Swiss start-up.In recent years, Francesco Castellano founded Tondo, a hub of... Read more

Francesco Castellano is a seasoned business leader and strategist with over 20 years of experience spanning research, finance, consulting, and entrepreneurship. He has held impactful roles, including serving as a consultant at Bain & Company, launching Uber operations in Turin, and working as Managing Director of a Swiss start-up.

In recent years, Francesco Castellano founded Tondo, a hub of organizations dedicated to promoting Circular Economy approaches and supporting companies in transitioning to sustainable and circular practices. He is also the ideator and coordinator of the Re-think Circular Economy Forum, a high-profile event held across Italy to showcase innovative Circular Economy solutions.

Francesco Castellano collaborates with European institutions, serving as an expert for the European Commission’s Circular Cities and Regions Initiative and mentoring startups in the European Institute of Innovation and Technology’s (EIT) New European Bauhaus Booster Program. Through these roles, he actively supports the development and scaling of circular economy ventures across Europe.

He is also a sought-after speaker and lecturer, sharing his expertise on Circular Economy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at universities and international events. Francesco holds executive education certificates from prestigious institutions such as MIT, Harvard, and the University of Virginia, further solidifying his credentials in strategy, sustainability, and innovation.

Fluent in Italian, English, and Spanish, Francesco Castellano combines his diverse skill set with a passion for Circular Economy, Cleantech Innovations, and Entrepreneurship. His strong background in Corporate Strategy, Sustainability, Innovation Development, and Finance enables him to drive impactful change in every initiative he undertakes.

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