ABOUT US – VIVA

PROMOTING AUTHORITY

Italian Ministry of the

Environment and Energy Security

The Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security has been engaged for years in initiatives both national and international to promote the transition to a low-carbon economy in which the rational management and sustainable use of resources is ensured. Sustainability is now an ingrained concept in the economic system and in the management of territories and represents an added value for businesses, consumers, administrations, and citizens.

Since 2011, the Ministry has been promoting the National Program for the Evaluation of the Enviromental Footprint aimed at the dissemination of sustainable production and consumption models, with the involvement of more than 200 entities, including companies, municipalities, and universities.
Among the experimental sector projects that have arisen, through a bottom-up approach, within the Program, also in 2011 the Ministry launched the VIVA project, which aims to measure and improve the sustainability performance of the Italian wine supply chain. VIVA, through a
successful “teamwork” between the ministry, wine-growing firms, research institutes, universities, and certification bodies, has established itself as one of the most concrete sustainable development programs aimed at preserving the environment and natural resources, while preserving and protecting
time the quality and production of Italian wines, and providing an opportunity to further enhance their value on the international market.

The Italian Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security takes an active part in the EU Program for the Environmental Footprint (PEF–Product Environmental Footprint and OEF-Organization Environmental Footprint), playing both an institutional and technical role, bringing national experiences to European round tables in order to update its programs according to the EU achievements. It is exemplified by the regulations “Made Green in Italy”, a national voluntary agreement to assess and communicate the products environmental footprint (as established by art. 21 Law n. 221/2015 on green economy and resources efficiency).

SCIENTIFIC PARTNER

OPERA.

RESEARCH CENTRE, EUROPEAN OBSERVATORY FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

OPERA, a research center of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, is the European observatory for sustainable agriculture that, through the exchange of multidisciplinary and transversal knowledge, aims to contribute to improving skills related to good practices and measures aimed at the application of the principles of sustainability with a view to reconciling economic objectives with the social and environmental objectives of the area of reference.

Its research activities are carried out both in Brussels, in terms of stakeholder engagement and dissemination activities to European institutions, and in Piacenza where research projects of a national and international nature are carried out.

OPERA acts as an “operational interface” and, in addition to the transfer of its scientific knowledge, acquired through involvement in various national and European projects with sustainability as a theme (EFSA, PSR, EU FP7, Horizon 2020) supports companies and governments and administrations on sustainability issues. With reference to the wine supply chain OPERA has contributed to the implementation of the national program VIVA, the Sicilian regional program SOStain (12/2016 to date), on good practices TERGEO (2015 to date), the Veneto region PROINOS (June 2017 to date), and the Friuli Venezia Giulia region (September 2017 to date).