Italcer, a benefit corporation and design hub for Made-in-Italy ceramics led by CEO Graziano Verdi, and backed by funds Mindful Capital Partners, Miura Partners, and Capital Dynamics, has received approval from the experts of the European Commission’s LIFE Subprogramme Climate Action. This is a funding program for environmental and climate action projects, for its patented plant that will eliminate CO2 from ceramic production processes.

For the first time, an industrial plant will not only eliminate CO2 emissions created during production but also transform pollutant waste agents into raw materials for use in various industrial sectors, helping to reduce environmental impact. As a result, the process becomes complementary to ceramic production.

It is estimated that the first pilot plant, which Italcer will build in Sassuolo (Modena), once the financing of approximately €6 million is approved, will not only eliminate all emissions produced to date, totalling around 5,500 tonnes of CO2 per year, along with other fumes and gases, but will also allow for an additional environmental savings of 3,700 tonnes of CO2 per year.

The particular design of the system allows it to be applied in many industries that currently use fossil fuels, making the patented technology scalable and impactful.

The plant, which has passed the European Commission’s assessment, is capable of eliminating CO2 and other air pollutants from production processes, converting them into value-added products that can be used as pure secondary raw materials for other uses (such as precipitated calcium carbonate, calcium nitrate, and calcium sulfate and sulfite).

The calculation considers the entire production cycle, including emissions associated with the manufacturing of high-quality products, compared to traditional methods of producing them.

This innovative process, which has already received a patent for industrial invention and is the result of approximately €2 million invested by the company in research and development over recent years, uses ‘Industry 4.0’ solutions that allow constant and automated production control with a positive environmental impact.

Graziano Verdi, CEO of Italcer Group, explained: “We are thrilled to announce that our Group has received praise from the European Community for this important innovation. This recognition highlights our commitment to sustainability. Italcer Group's environmental policy is based on a strategy that aims for realistic decarbonisation of production processes. We have long been committed to promoting the development of a circular economy, seeking to reuse waste materials from processes and turning them into raw materials for other industrial uses. We plan to invest an additional €50 million over the next five years to create an industrial-scale plant that we estimate will generate €80 million in additional revenue over the next seven years thanks to the application of this patent, considering both the sale of secondary raw materials and savings on CO2 taxes”.

This innovation has received approval from the experts of the LIFE Subprogramme Climate Action, who awarded the project 69 points, well above the required threshold of 55 points. The plant also stands out for its very low energy impact, as it leverages exothermic reactions that occur spontaneously, reducing energy needs and improving overall efficiency.

Italcer Group, which expects to close 2025 with a turnover of approximately €380 million, has always been committed to the challenge of decarbonising the production process. The company has invested in developing this groundbreaking emissions treatment technology, aiming to achieve ambitious sustainability goals with the support of Prof. Isidoro Giorgio Lesci.

In 2024, Italcer Group also launched the first 100% electric kiln in Spain, which saves 1,500 tons of CO2 per year. In the same year, Italcer was awarded the Sustainability Award, ranking first among Italian companies for its environmental commitment.