Herambiente and Caviro together until 2035 for Enomondo: the joint venture sets an example in the recovery of agri-food waste

Herambiente and Caviro Extra - the circular company specialising in the recovery of agro-industrial waste from the Caviro Group, Italy's leading wine cooperative - have signed a renewal of the framework agreement extending the Enomondo joint venture until 2035. The company, based in Faenza (Ravenna), is active in the recovery of biomass for the production of renewable energy and natural fertilisers.

The agreement confirms the commitment of the two partners to strengthening an integrated industrial supply chain model that makes Enomondo one of the main Italian hubs of the circular economy applied to agri-food. New investments are planned over the next ten years to increase plant efficiency, technological innovation and environmental performance.

Shared commitment to the sustainable development of Emilia-Romagna 
The renewal of the partnership confirms Caviro Extra and Herambiente desire to contribute to the sustainable development of the Emilia-Romagna region by promoting local recovery supply chains, reducing emissions and ensuring maximum transparency in environmental management. Enomondo currently manages an integrated system that includes a 13.7 MWe biomass-fired thermoelectric power plant, composting plants for the production of three different types of soil improvers, two plants for shredding urban green waste and three photovoltaic plants (two under construction) with a total capacity of 1.45 MWe for the self-production of renewable energy. In addition, through an integrated district heating network, the heat produced is used in the Caviro plant and partly also in the Faenza industrial district, closing the circle between production, recovery and local use of energy.

Every year, the company recovers over 230,000 tonnes of biomass and organic materials and, through composting, obtains compost fertilisers that reduce the use of chemical fertilisers by up to 50% and improve soil health and crop sustainability. Even combustion residues are valorised: the ashes are almost entirely reused for the production of cement conglomerates and road sub-bases, while only a minimal part – just 0.1% – becomes non-recoverable waste.

Investments for lower emissions and purer fertilisers
In recent years, Enomondo has strengthened its role as a cutting-edge technological leader in circular biomass management: it has invested £10.5 million to build a new plant for the production of composted soil improver from the agri-food chain (ACFA) and a canopy for fertiliser storage, and has introduced new technologies for both the reduction of odorous emissions and the de-plasticisation and quality improvement of natural fertilisers. All these measures are aimed at reducing environmental impact. The 2026-2035 business plan provides for further investments, including £20 million for the modernisation of energy systems, which will save over 50 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per year.

A story of industrial symbiosis in Emilia-Romagna
The renewal until 2035 consolidates a partnership that has brought together two regional leaders: the environmental know-how of Herambiente, Italy's leading waste treatment operator, and the agri-food leadership of Caviro Extra, which valorises the by-products generated by over 14,000 associated winegrowers throughout Italy and beyond. The alliance, launched in 2009, has made it possible to build a replicable model of industrial symbiosis, where energy and soil fertility are derived from what would otherwise be waste.

According to Filippo Brandolini, President of Enomondo and Herambiente, “the renewal of the partnership between Herambiente and Caviro Extra confirms a shared vision: to transform waste into resources, generating economic and environmental value for the local area. Enomondo is a concrete example of applied circular economy, capable of combining innovation, sustainability and competitiveness. We do not just process by-products: we transform them into secondary raw materials and energy, creating shared value for the environment and for the production chains. A virtuous model that has strengthened our expertise and that we are replicating in other industrial sectors. With this agreement, we look ahead to the next ten years with the aim of continuing to invest in technologies and processes that reduce environmental impact and promote decarbonisation."

“We are consolidating a unique model of industrial symbiosis, which enhances the value of Caviro's agri-food and wine supply chain by-products and transforms them into energy, soil fertility and measurable environmental benefits,” explains Carlo Dalmonte, Chairman of the Caviro Group. The decision taken fifteen years ago to invest in a supply chain capable of generating environmental and economic value for the territory, through Enomondo, demonstrates the foresight of our cooperation and its ability to translate the culture of doing and collaboration between companies and supply chains into concrete action. We have been able to transform what would otherwise be waste into opportunities, building sustainable and shared industrial models."