(Finance) – EssilorLuxottica is carrying out an innovative intervention in Abruzzo which involves the recovery and reconversion of industrial land around the manufacturing activities of Barberini, a Group company that is world leader in the processing of crystal lenses for eyeglasses. On a total extension of almost 40 hectares a large solar park will be built for the production of renewable energy and a green area which will host spaces for sporting activities and agricultural crops to obtain products to be sent to company canteens, with an approach strongly based on circularity and sustainability.
The solar park in the province of Pescara It will be the first large-scale ground-mounted photovoltaic system built and managed directly by EssilorLuxottica and will have a total power of 20MW distributed over an area of 25 hectares of land. The plant will be able to generate approximately 30,000 MWh of clean energy per year (equal to the annual electricity consumption of approximately 10,000 families) and will be connected directly to the Barberini production site to maximize self-consumption of the energy produced on site.
The new solar farmtogether with the photovoltaic panels already installed on the roofs of the Barberini buildings and of the Italian and world-wide plants, strengthens the Group’s commitment to the production of renewable energy and the continuous investments in production efficiency and reduction of energy and water consumption at all sites logistics-production.
The project is being implemented in continuous coordination with local institutions and is part of the virtuous path undertaken by EssilorLuxottica starting from 2019, the year of the completion of the acquisition of Barberini. The investments of the Group have made it possible to create a modern production area in Citta` Sant’Angelo which, in addition to hosting a new building with certification LEED for eco-compatibility, it does not use fossil fuels today and hosts cultivations of native species such as olive trees, Abruzzo pear tomatoes and honey plants in the land adjacent to the factory. From these crops, in collaboration with the local company Estate Fragassiquality food products are produced which, together with the new crops around the solar park, will increasingly support the Eyes on Food program launched by the Group in 2022 with chef Davide Oldani to promote the principles of healthy and responsible eating in workplaces.
The area near thephotovoltaic system it will also be equipped to be open to the population, and will offer a pedestrian path to discover circularity and ecology through the new fields with crops seasonal, vegetable gardens and beekeeping. Completion of the works is expected in the first months of 2025.
“With these initiatives we continue to realize the vision of EssilorLuxottica, a Group which, while achieving extraordinary results on the markets, develops its plan of important investments in sustainability and for an ethical and responsible approach. Today we add another important step to continue improving our energy efficiency globally and to achieve carbon neutrality of all our activities around the world by next year, in line with the ambitions of the Eyes on the Planet sustainability program “, commented Francis MilleriPresident and CEO of EssilorLuxottica.