Evolutionary trends of the agro-food enterprises and related atmospheric emission: The case of Italy

The aim of this paper is to identify the main elements that characterize the emissions to the atmosphere in Italy and the downstream waste in relation to the evolutionary dynamics of companies in the agro-industrial system. The choice to focus our study on Italy seems to be opportune since it has well-established territorial and socio-economic characteristics that may play a role in promoting the sustainable growth in Europe and in the Mediterranean basin. The first part of the study analyses the trend of the atmospheric emissions (by pollutants environmental issues) attributable to the agro-industrial system, in the last twenty years. The second part offers an intercensal and evolutionary picture of the enterprises of the agro-industrial system, examining the main subsystems of these firms and comparing them with the aforementioned emissions dynamics. In the third and last part of the study, we provide a further comparison between companies with special waste and the related production activities of the Italian agro-industry in order to evaluate the conversion activity into bio-based products and bioenergy (circular economy).