INNOVATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT - INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY

Course objectives

Knowledge and comprehension skills: Students will acquire an understanding of environmental topics in their complexity, the relation between the environment and productive activities, and the role of eco- innovation for a sustainable competitive advantage in business. Applying knowledge and understanding: Students will become familiar with the methods and techniques required to integrate the resources-environment variable into organizational strategies, which will enable sustainable corporate development together with competitiveness and continuous qualification. Autonomy of judgment: Students will be able to critically evaluate the analogies between natural and industrial ecosystems by studying specific analytical tools (Eco-design, Life Cycle Assessment, Material Flow Analysis) Communication skills: Students will develop the ability to understand the evolution of the business- environment relationship oriented towards sustainability. Students will develop the ability to analyse, understand and share the dynamics behind the evolution of the business-environment relationship towards sustainability Learning skills: Students will acquire the methods and tools which provide the means for companies to transform environmental constraints into competitive advantage, and understand the relationship between cleaner production and industrial ecology based on theoretical models and practical examples relating to different industrial sectors.

Channel 1
ANNA MARIA TAROLA Lecturers' profile
MARCO SAVASTANO Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
The approach will make use of lectures, classroom exercises, project works and practical cases, individual study. More in detail, the topics will be the following: - The environmental issue: alteration of the natural balance of the ecosystem - Air, water, and soil pollution - Eco-innovation and business competitiveness - Environmentally compatible production processes and eco-design Industrial ecology: birth and historical evolution • Sustainable development and SDGs • Innovation, technologies and sustainability • Sustainability indicators, tools and models of sustainable innovation: regulatory references at national, European and international level • Relationship between business and environment: eco-efficiency and environmental management in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) • Practical cases of successful companies and startups. • Steps of environmental management and its tools. • Environmental Management System (EMS) and Integrated Management System (IMS) • EMAS Regulation, ISO 14000 • EU Ecolabel certification criteria and procedures: references to the Tourism- Hospitality sector • Corporate environmental communication and Environmental Reporting • Green economy, circular economy and social and solidarity economy (SSE) • Definition and applications of the principles of industrial ecology: - Industrial symbiosis and industrial metabolism - Eco-industrial parks (EIP) • The main methods and tools of industrial ecology and Life-Cycle Assessment (e.g., MFA & SFA, LCA, S-LCA, LCSA)
Prerequisites
None
Books
Teaching material selected and prepared by the professor (slides, case studies, academic articles, etc.) - L. Gobbi, "Il Sistema Ambiente" (Chapters 1–4 and 8–12). Aracne 2011 - F. D’Ascenzo, "Qualità, Innovazione e Sostenibilità" (Tecnologia dei Cicli Produttivi). Chapter 5: Sostenibilità, Ecologia Industriale ed Economia Circolare. CEDAM, Wolters Kluwer 2024
Frequency
Active participation and lesson attendance (in presence) are strongly recommended
Exam mode
- For students attending the course: the final grade is given by the grade taken in the oral exam + the evaluation of the project and of the participation in the activities carried out during the cycle of lessons. - For students NOT attending the course: the final grade is given exclusively by the grade taken in the oral exam.
Lesson mode
Lectures, case studies and project works, requiring for active participation by the students (both during the lecture and in the hours of individual study and group work).
  • Lesson code10596237
  • Academic year2025/2026
  • CourseEconomics and management
  • CurriculumEconomia per l'impresa e le professioni
  • Year1st year
  • Semester2nd semester
  • SSDSECS-P/13
  • CFU9