Santa Croce sull’Arno | Waste Not

Industrial waste disposal and treatment isn’t sexy. A company doing that kind of work is probably in need of an image makeover, and Waste Recycling in Tuscany has blazed such a trail. For years CEO Maurizio Giani has been fostering a positive corporate image with publications ranging from racy calendars to eco-education books for kids, and with innovative marketing at Ecomondo, Italy’s big annual trade fair for green solutions in industry. SCART (from scarto meaning waste or scrap) was founded as a company project on reuse, showing how seriously good-looking and useful stuff can be made out of what others discard. Collaborating with the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, they’ve produced stunning furniture and other items for interiors, musical instruments, games, amazing dresses and more recently gorgeous bags made from a patchwork of rubbish or from old inner tubes and car safety belts (like Hell’s Kitchen but fancier).

In 2012 they took it a whole leap further, out into the Tuscan countryside and onto the stage, dressing the sopranos, the dancers and all 66 members of the chorus of a concert featuring tenor Andrea Bocelli held last July at the Teatro del Silenzio – breathtaking natural amphitheatre in the hills of Lajatico near Volterra. The fabulous eco-costumes – featured in the WR 2013 calendar – were designed and tailored by local professionals using leather scraps, cloth and upholstery remnants, discarded inner tubes and more, all from local factories and workshops which are regular clients of Waste Recycling.