Herambiente and Vatican City State sign agreement to transform waste into resources

Herambiente and the Governorate of Vatican City State have signed a new agreement for the provision of environmental services within Vatican territory and in buildings and areas over which, according to the Lateran Pacts (Articles 15 and 16 of the Treaty), the Holy See has legal sovereignty.

The contract covers the management of urban waste collection services, transport, recovery and disposal, as well as the transport, disposal and recovery of special waste (from production activities), including ancillary services in support of environmental activities in Vatican City State.

The agreement is part of the collaboration between the parties that began in July 2024 with a contract for the treatment and energy recovery of unsorted urban waste from the Vatican City State in the multi-utility's plants, which has already made it possible - in the last year and a half - to significantly reduce landfill waste. This process was consolidated in July 2025 with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for the development of joint projects in the field of environmental sustainability and the circular economy.

This framework also includes the operational agreement for the separate collection and recycling of plastic bottles collected during jubilee events in St. Peter's Square, such as the ceremony on 7 September for the canonisation of Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati, which brought together over 80,000 people.

The new contract leverages Herambiente’s industrial capabilities in waste management and recovery, based on plant and technology that is unique in Italy in terms of size and diversification, ensuring not only the traceability of waste but also the effectiveness of the entire supply chain, from collection to disposal and energy recovery. The agreement also provides for the Group to make its expertise in the field of the circular economy available to the Vatican, including through technical consulting and training activities for the Governorate's staff and economic operators in the area.

This collaboration is also in line with the principles expressed in the encyclical Laudato Si', promoting a model of sustainable waste management that combines environmental protection, operational efficiency and a culture of recovery.

"The collaboration with the Governorate of Vatican City State on a strategic axis such as the environmental supply chain testifies to our leadership role in Italy and represents a unique opportunity: not only to apply concrete circular economy solutions in a context of great symbolic as well as operational value, but also to accompany with continuity and consistency the virtuous path already initiated by the Holy See. In a country with scarce raw materials, our goal is to transform waste into a resource," said Orazio Iacono, CEO of the Hera Group.

The agreement was signed on December 12 at the Governorate of Vatican City State, in the presence of Sister Raffaella Petrini and Archbishop Emilio Nappa, respectively President and Secretary General, the CEO of the Hera Group, Orazio Iacono, and the CEO of Herambiente, Andrea Ramonda.