Anticipare la sostenibilità nel manifatturiero: sinergie e risultati della survey Solaris – ReStart

This paper presents selected results from the ReStart project (Spoke 7) within the Italian PNRR MICS – Made in Italy Circolare e Sostenibile extended partnership, focusing on the textile and leather supply chains. ReStart aims to support the transition of these strategic Made in Italy sectors towards more resilient and circular configurations through scientifically validated predictive models, simulation tools, and decision-support systems. Particular attention is given to the Italian tanning industry, which combines a strong international leadership with significant environmental pressures and structural fragmentation. The study integrates a methodological framework based on empirical data collection, multi-agent simulation, and circularity and resilience indicators, enabling a systemic interpretation of environmental, organizational, and territorial drivers. Within a joint initiative between the Solaris (Spoke 4) and ReStart projects, a structured survey was administered to Italian leather supply-chain companies to assess sustainability maturity across five thematic dimensions: governance and strategy, product life cycle and ecodesign, digital technologies, resource and emission management, and organizational culture. Approximately 50 cases were analysed using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) to identify causal configurations associated with high sustainability performance. The results highlight product circularity as a necessary condition, combined with digital tools such as Life Cycle Assessment and Digital Product Passports, industrial symbiosis practices, and robust governance models. Five alternative sustainability pathways and firm profiles emerged, demonstrating that multiple organizational and technological configurations can lead to comparable sustainability outcomes. Overall, the Italian leather supply chain appears to be in an intermediate transition phase, characterized by growing awareness and isolated best practices, but still limited diffusion of systemic approaches, internal training, and end-of-life valorisation strategies.