Capannori plays a key role in one of Europe’s largest paper districts, controlling a significant share of national tissue and packaging production. This industrial ecosystem is complemented by dynamic agriculture, tourism and manufacturing sectors, offering fertile ground for circular synergies. Through the Scientific Park and the Zero Waste Research Centre, the city supports innovation in reuse, sustainable materials, and industrial symbiosis.

 

Urban rural predominance:

 

Intermediate

Vision and objectives

 

From the outset, the pilot set out to move beyond “doing waste well” and instead build a wider, joined up approach that combines new recycling capacity, stronger reuse, support for local businesses, skills, and food system action—all under a single coordination approach.

 

A central part of the original plan was the development of two new recycling platforms—one for absorbent hygiene products (such as nappies and sanitary products) and one for textiles—to tackle difficult materials that otherwise stay in the residual waste stream. The absorbent products platform was planned at 10,000 tonnes per year, and the textile sorting platform at around 6,500 tonnes per year.

 

Alongside this, the pilot intended to:

 

• Start separate collection for absorbent products (so they could be treated through the new platform rather than disposed of).
• Increase reuse of goods and materials—especially textiles, bulky items and electrical equipment—by strengthening the local reuse ecosystem.
• Support small and medium sized businesses to develop practical circular business approaches through Living Labs, with 10 SMEs involved and 5 moving into more intensive coaching.
• Build skills and professional capacity through training and certification (including the “Green Manager Transfrontaliero” profile).
• Put in place a functioning coordination set up (including stakeholder engagement and indicators) to keep work aligned across the different strands.

 

Implementation journey

 

In practice, the pilot progressed as a bundle of connected actions rather than a single linear project. The roadmap describes Capannori as sitting at the Design–Implement stage, with some elements completed and others still being finalised.

 

On infrastructure, the €15 million funding package for the two platforms was secured, and procurement was close to completion; however, the authorisation procedure continued, including consultation with surrounding municipalities, reflecting the complexity of approvals for multi year infrastructure projects.

 

On reuse, the municipal reuse system was expanded, including a dedicated reuse centre for electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) activated through European funding, and the wider reuse network continued to grow.

 

On business support, Living Labs were delivered with local enterprises across sectors. The solution booklet notes that participation went beyond awareness raising and into concrete work on business changes, with a subset of enterprises moving into more intensive support to develop implementation plans.

 

On food-related action, the documents describe an operational surplus food recovery protocol with Caritas and activity reaching schools and public catering—showing how prevention and social benefit were built into the pilot’s day-to-day work, even while more systematic measurement was still being strengthened.

 

Across the journey, one recurring theme was the need to reduce fragmentation: several initiatives had their own steering and reporting, and the pilot worked to connect them through a shared district level coordination framework, while recognising this is ongoing work.

 

Key results

 

The pilot’s results are presented as a mix of performance improvement, new capacity being put in place, and practical action across partners.

 

On waste performance, Capannori achieved sustained improvement even from a strong starting point. Between 2020 and 2024, residual waste per person fell by 24% (from 67.34 kg to 51.65 kg), which the booklet translates as around 720 tonnes per year prevented from entering the waste stream. Over the longer “Zero Waste journey”, separate collection reached 88.8%.

 

Quality results are also reported: glass purity reached 99%, organic waste contamination was 2%, and multi material contamination was 15% (compared with 30% typical elsewhere).

 

On reuse and social outcomes, the solution booklet describes the DaCCaPo network’s growth from one pilot centre to three operational facilities managing over 250 tonnes annually, with specific diversion figures cited (including 84 tonnes/year of textiles and 80–100 tonnes/year of furniture), and links this approach to employment pathways through repair and refurbishment activity.

 

On business engagement, the Living Labs involved 10 enterprises, with five progressing to intensive coaching and developing implementation plans.

 

Deliverables and outputs

 

The pilot produced tangible outputs in three main forms: infrastructure and service upgrades, working methods and support programmes, and formal documentation.

 

Infrastructure and service upgrades:

• Two recycling platforms planned and funded: absorbent products (10,000 t/year) and textiles (6,500 t/year), with the roadmap describing the facilities’ intended outputs (plastic and cellulose recovery for absorbent products; automated and manual sorting routes for textiles).
• Expansion of the municipal reuse system to include WEEE through a dedicated reuse centre activated with European funding.

 

Working methods and support programmes:

• Delivery of Living Labs with 10 SMEs, producing business model work and implementation planning, with 5 SMEs moving into deeper coaching.
• Skills development and certification activity under EXTRAVERT, including the Green Manager profile referenced in both the roadmap and the booklet.
• Food surplus recovery protocol with Caritas and associated activity in school catering and education settings.

 

Formal pilot reporting outputs:

• The Solution Booklet capturing overview, objectives, stakeholders, results/impact, challenges and replication tips.
• The Roadmap used as a planning and monitoring tool, updated every six months, with the final update in October 2025.
• The Recommendations and Next steps report setting out transition guidance, recommended next steps, and actions to strengthen finance, business models, monitoring and coordination.

 

Vision for the future

 

Looking ahead, the roadmap frames Capannori’s direction as building a territory-wide model by 2030, where strong waste performance is matched by practical systems for difficult materials, strong reuse and repair, business innovation, food system action, and skills development—and where this combination can be shown and shared as a model other places can learn from.

 

The recommendations document reinforces this future focus by emphasising what needs to be in place for the next phase to succeed: keeping a strong pipeline of funding, developing clear operational and financial arrangements for the new recycling facilities, strengthening monitoring and indicators, and turning local experience into guidance that can be shared and replicated.

Link to existing circular economy strategy and/or action plan

Capannori’s circular transition is guided by the Capannori Circolare 2030 strategy (adopted 2022) and operationalised through the Circular Economy District (2025), which coordinates infrastructure, SME support, reuse systems, and monitoring. Built on over a decade of Zero Waste leadership, the strategy addresses key priorities such as separate collection, reuse, composting, industrial symbiosis, and eco-innovation.

 

At the regional level, the Tuscany Region approved the Piano regionale di gestione dei rifiuti e bonifica dei siti inquinati – Piano regionale dell’economia circolare (PREC) in January 2025, under L.R. 65/2014 and L.R. 10/2010 (link). Capannori contributes to the implementation of PREC objectives by hosting key infrastructures identified in the regional plan and piloting governance and innovation models that can be scaled across Tuscany.

 

Leading organisation 

 

Comune di Capannori

 

Unit/department/section

 

Mayor’s Cabinet

 

Participation in other relevant initiatives

 

• Zero Waste Certified City – First in Italy, third in Europe (Mission Zero Academy)
• Zero Waste Movement (Rifiuti Zero) – Originated and championed by Capannori
• Open Circular Interreg Marittimo IT-FR Project – Supports SME circular business model development
• EXTRAVERT Interreg Marittimo IT-FR Project – Green skills and “Green Manager” training
• Piana del Cibo – Inter-municipal circular food policy network

 

(Other) Key Resources

 

• Capannori Circolare 2030 strategy and Circular Economy District Initiative – Municipal framework of circular economy policies.
• Centro di Ricerca Rifiuti Zero (CRRZ) – Zero Waste research & community engagement.
• EXTRAVERT skills alliance – Green skills training for local enterprises.
• Open Circular project – Cross-border SME cooperation through Open Innovation focused on the circular economy
• The Story of Capannori – case study on Zero Waste Europe