An important national recognition for Tondo and for the path developed in the Taranto area: Taranto Circolare – Taranto CirTech received the ICESP Best Practices Award in the category “Territorial regeneration, nature and local systems” during the 8th ICESP Annual Conference, held on 25 March 2026 in Rome and dedicated to the theme “ICESP Best Practices for the Circular Transition.”
The award was given to Tondo “for having generated concrete and measurable results in the area, connecting numerous organisations active in the circular economy in the province of Taranto and creating a reference platform for businesses, researchers and institutions.”
This recognition is particularly meaningful because it acknowledges work built over time to view the territory not only as a context to analyse, but as an ecosystem to activate. On the one hand, Taranto Circolare was created as a platform to map initiatives, organisations and projects related to the circular economy, environmental and social sustainability, and urban regeneration; on the other hand, Taranto CirTech helped turn this foundation into concrete action through innovation pathways and entrepreneurial development initiatives geared towards the circular transition.
The awarded practice is part of the broader work carried out by ICESP, the Italian Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, promoted by ENEA as an initiative integrated with the European platform ECESP, to spread knowledge on the circular economy, map best practices, and foster multi-stakeholder dialogue.
Alongside Tondo, the ICESP Best Practices Award recognised a variety of experiences, different in nature but united by a strong potential for impact and replicability: Corertex, awarded for its ability to recover textile materials; Movopack, for a reusable packaging system designed for e-commerce, retail and B2B; Regione Emilia-Romagna, for a training programme aimed at strengthening the application of Minimum Environmental Criteria; Matrec, for software that enables the measurement and monitoring of the circularity of materials, products and services; and Let’s Do It! Italy, for a territorial model developed in the province of Naples that combines environmental education, active citizenship and circular economy.
During the Conference, the new ICESP Report was also presented, showing that the platform’s database now includes 253 circular economy best practices, 245 of which have been implemented in Italy. For the first edition of the award, 51 applications were submitted by companies and public administrations.
For Tondo, this award is an encouragement to continue connecting territory, innovation, businesses, research and communities, with the aim of making the circular economy increasingly concrete, collaborative and capable of generating positive impacts.
