Milan’s Environmental Initiatives & Performance - Key Statistics & Insights
Milan has emerged as a leader in urban sustainability efforts in Italy, advancing ambitious initiatives in waste management & recycling, energy, emissions reduction, green space expansion, mobility, water conservation, and circular economy programs. In 2022, Milan was selected as one of 100 European cities aiming for climate neutrality by 2030, underscoring its commitment to environmental innovation. Let's take a closer look at Milan’s performance across key sustainability metrics – and compare it to other major Italian and European cities.
Waste Management & Recycling
Milan has made significant strides in waste management and recycling. As of 2022, the city’s municipal solid waste separate collection rate stood around 62%. This is on par with Bologna (about 63% in 2022) and well above the rate in Rome (~46% in 2022). Turin’s separate collection is about 57% – notably lower than Milan’s, but still far ahead of Rome. In total, Milan managed about 635,000 tonnes of waste in 2022, slightly less than the year prior, indicating progress on waste reduction alongside recycling. This equals to around 470–480 kg of waste generated per resident annually in Milan, which is slightly below the Italian city average of around 500 kg. By contrast, Rome generates about 580 kg per person, reflecting its ongoing waste challenges.
Milan’s waste management strategy emphasizes organics and other fraction collection. The city was one of the first large European cities to implement widespread curbside organic waste collection in, starting at 2012, contributing to its high recycling rate. Organic waste is Milan’s largest separate fraction by weight, growing +3.6% in 2022. Milan has virtually eliminated landfilling of untreated waste; non-recyclable refuse is sent to waste-to-energy facilities. The city also participates in the national “Comuni Ricicloni” (recycling cities) program, consistently ranking among the top performers in its population class.
Milan’s recycling performance also compares favorably compared with other European cities: for example, Berlin’s effective recycling rate is only about 30% of total waste, while Amsterdam recycles only about a quarter of waste, sending the rest to energy recovery.
Overall, Milan’s waste performance is a standout, exceeding both the Italian national average (65.2% in 2022) and the EU urban average, and continuing to improve through waste reduction and recycling initiatives.
Energy Consumption and Sources
Milan’s energy profile reflects both the characteristics of a dense urban metropolis and Italy’s broader energy mix. Total electricity consumption in the city is high in absolute terms – In 2020, Milan was one of only a few Italian cities with more than 4,000 kWh per capita annual electric use, likely due to its large commercial sector and high economic activity. This figure is higher than cities like Naples or Turin (which consume less than 3,000 kWh per capita).
A crucial aspect is the source of Milan’s energy. Italy’s electricity generation mix in 2022 was about 35% renewable (mainly hydro, solar, wind) and 65% fossil fuels (predominantly natural gas). Because Milan draws power from the national grid, roughly one-third of the electricity used in the city is from renewable sources. Milan is working to boost local clean energy production, but currently on-site generation is minimal – solar photovoltaic installations within the city supply only around 1% of Milan’s electricity needs. The municipality has been installing solar panels on public buildings; however, Milan is not yet among the top Italian cities for solar capacity on public structures - leading cities like Padova reach ~30 kW per 1,000 inhabitants, vs. Milan's well under 5 kW/1,000).
On the positive side, Milan benefits from a large district heating network (powered partly by waste-to-energy and cogeneration plants), which supplies efficient heating to many buildings and reduces reliance on individual gas boilers. As of recent data, Milan’s district heating covered over 200 million cubic meters of building volume (one of the largest networks in Italy) – though exact figures vary, it has been expanding with projects like the Silla 2 waste heat recovery. The city is also exploring innovative energy projects, such as a planned massive heat pump system using wastewater heat for district heating (set to become one of Europe’s largest of its kind). Such initiatives aim to increase the share of renewables and waste heat in Milan’s energy supply.
In terms of energy efficiency, Milan’s building stock and infrastructure present challenges. The majority of Milan’s emissions (and energy demand) come from heating in the residential and services sectors. The city’s climate action plan calls for deep upgrades of buildings to cut energy use. Milan is providing incentives for energy-efficient refurbishments (aligned with Italy’s “Superbonus” policy) to reduce consumption and shift away from oil or coal heating (virtually all Milan’s buildings now use either natural gas or the district system for heat).
Compared to other European cities, Milan’s energy intensity is moderate – for example, London and Paris have higher commercial energy use but also more transit electrification; Berlin has significant combined heat and power usage. Milan’s focus is now on scaling up renewables (both within the city and via power purchase agreements) and curbing demand through efficiency, aiming to meet its carbon neutrality goals by 2050 (if not sooner under the EU mission). The city government itself has switched to 100% renewable energy for municipal operations, and Milan was among the first in Italy to require new buildings to use renewable heating or district energy instead of new gas boilers (a regulation in its building code). These steps signal a transition to cleaner energy sources, though Milan – like Italy overall – remains heavily dependent on natural gas in the near term.
Carbon Emissions and Air Quality
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating air pollution are two of Milan’s biggest environmental challenges. The city’s carbon footprint is sizable: recent estimates put Milan’s annual CO₂ emissions at roughly 5.5–6 million tonnes (for the city proper). This equates to about 4.0–4.5 tonnes CO₂ per capita. By sector, the largest contributors are buildings (residential/commercial heating and power use) and transportation. For example, the industrial and tertiary sector alone accounts for ~1.8 Mt CO₂ (≈31% of emissions). Milan has set targets to drastically cut emissions – it aims to halve CO₂ emissions by 2030 (from 2005 levels) and achieve net-zero by 2050. It is one of nine Italian cities participating in the EU Climate Neutral Cities mission by 2030. Initiatives like energy retrofits, cleaner mobility, and renewable energy uptake (discussed above) all feed into emissions reduction.
Still, compared to some European cities, Milan’s per-capita emissions are relatively high – for instance, Paris city proper has been estimated around 3 t/person, and Berlin ~5 t/person (due to coal plants feeding its grid). Milan’s progress is steady but will need acceleration to meet neutrality by 2030.
Air quality is an area where Milan consistently lags behind both national standards and many European cities. Located in the Po Valley, a region prone to stagnant air, Milan often experiences high levels of particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen oxides. In fact, in 2021–2022 Milan recorded the highest average PM₂.5 concentration among Europe’s large cities at about 19.7 μg/m³ – categorised as “poor” air by EU definitions, and nearly four times the WHO guideline of 5 μg/m³. By comparison, Paris averaged around 15 μg/m³ and Berlin about 12 μg/m³ in recent years. Milan’s annual NO₂ (nitrogen dioxide) levels at traffic sites frequently hover near or above the EU limit of 40 μg/m³; the Italian environmental organization, Legambiente notes the “persistently high NO₂ concentrations in Milan” as a major concern, similar to Turin and Palermo. While annual average PM₁₀ (coarse particulate) in Milan now meets EU limits (under 40 μg/m³), the city still sees many episodes of acute pollution. In 2022, Milan had on the order of 60 days where ozone (O₃) levels exceeded the 8-hour legal threshold and dozens of days with PM₁₀ above the 50 μg/m³ daily limit (the EU allows 35 such days per year). These smog episodes tend to occur in winter (for PM from heating and traffic) and summer (ozone from heat and vehicle exhaust).
Comparatively, other Italian cities like Turin often rival or exceed Milan’s pollution (Turin leads in PM pollution and ozone exceedances), while Rome – despite heavy traffic – benefits from coastal ventilation and sees lower PM levels. In 2022, 29 out of 95 monitored Italian cities exceeded the daily PM₁₀ limits, including Milan.
On a European scale, Milan and the Po Valley rank among the worst areas for air quality. A Guardian analysis found over 50,000 premature deaths in Italy in 2020 were linked to air pollution, “with most in Milan,” and highlighted Cremona and Milan as having among the highest mortality rates from fine particulates in Europe. These health impacts underscore the urgency for Milan to improve air quality.
To tackle air pollution, Milan has implemented aggressive policies (many also aimed at CO₂ reduction). The city has a limited traffic and permanent low-emission zone covering almost the entire urban area (Area B), which since 2019 has gradually banned the most polluting vehicles (diesel Euro 0–5 and older gasoline cars) from city limits. In the central Cerchia dei Bastioni zone, Milan operates Area C – a congestion charge zone since 2012 – which had a huge impact on traffic and pollution. Milan is also introducing a citywide 30 km/h speed limit (from 2024) to calm traffic and reduce accidents and pollution. Although one study raised concerns it might slightly increase emissions due to smoother traffic flow, city officials and other analyses indicate it will help overall. Furthermore, Milan has ramped up seasonal anti-smog measures (like banning diesel cars on high-pollution days and promoting remote working during smog episodes). These measures, along with the structural shift to cleaner heating (a ban on fuel oil boilers, incentives for heat pumps) and greener mobility, have yielded gradual improvements – for instance, Milan’s average PM₁₀ has declined from 51 μg in 2007 to ~39 μg by 2010 and has continued a downward trend. However, meeting the stringent new WHO guidelines remains a distant goal. Milan’s air quality plans increasingly align with those of cities like Paris, which is phasing out diesel cars by 2024 and petrol by 2030, and London, which expanded its Ultra Low Emission Zone – similar long-term moves may be needed in Milan to truly secure “clean air.”
Urban Green Space and Nature
Green space is at a premium in Milan due to its dense urban fabric, but the city has made notable gains in expanding and improving urban greenery over the past decade. Urban green areas (parks, public gardens, tree-lined avenues, etc.) cover about 13.8% of Milan’s municipal area as of 2021. This represents an increase from roughly 12% in 2011 – Milan recorded the largest percentage point growth in green cover among all major Italian cities in that period. Still, Milan’s green share remains relatively low. By comparison, Rome’s territory is 35.8% green space and Naples 31.5% (though these cities benefit from encompassing large parks or undeveloped areas within expansive boundaries). Milan’s administrative area is smaller and more built-up, yielding less green per capita. Milan has about 19 m² of public green space per resident on average. This is only about half the average availability in Italian provincial capitals (which is ~32.5 m² per capita). In fact, a local analysis called the city’s green endowment “impietosamente” low – “pitifully” small – compared to other cities: Rome’s per capita green space is several times higher (well over 60–70 m² per person by some estimates, owing to vast parks), and even dense European capitals like Berlin allocate around 30% of their area to green uses.
To address this historic deficit, Milan launched the ambitious “ForestaMi” (Forestami) project in 2018, with a goal to plant 3 million new trees by 2030 across the metropolitan area. This program (a collaboration between the city, metropolitan government, and research partners) is boosting tree planting along streets, in new pocket parks, and especially in peripheral zones and brownfields. As a result, tree cover in Milan is rising – between 2017 and 2022, tens of thousands of trees were planted. According to ISTAT, Milan had about 16.9 trees per 100 inhabitants in 2021 (over 230,000 trees in total), and this number is growing. Green infrastructure projects are woven into new developments: for example, the Library of Trees park in Porta Nuova (opened 2018) added 9 hectares of park in downtown; the ongoing regeneration of disused railyards foresees hundreds of hectares of new parks and green corridors in coming years. Milan is also investing in “green roofs” and “vertical forests” – the Bosco Verticale towers (opened 2014) famously host thousands of plants on skyscrapers, and the city now offers incentives for green roofs/facades to spread urban vegetation.
In terms of accessibility, Milan struggles to meet the WHO recommendation of a green space at least 0.5 hectares within 300m of every home. Many neighborhoods, especially in the dense center, lack nearby parks. A European study using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) found that Milan has one of the lowest urban vegetation indices among major cities, correlating with a higher mortality burden due to heat and pollution. This finding aligns with health impact studies that suggest increasing urban greening in Milan could prevent a significant number of deaths. Milan’s government acknowledges this and has prioritized creating small green oases in the most cement-dominated districts. Recent initiatives include converting asphalt plazas into “piazze aperte” with planters and trees, expanding pedestrian zones with greenery, and planting along streets (turning them into “boulevards” with trees to mitigate heat islands). The new city master plan also contains provisions to protect remaining open spaces and reclaim industrial lands for parks instead of new construction – notably, Milan is cited as the first big Italian city that has reversed land take, meaning it is adding green space faster than consuming new land for development.
Comparatively, Paris has about 17% green cover (including its large bois on the edges), London over 30%, and Amsterdam around 15–20%. Milan is catching up slowly from a low baseline. Trento and other smaller Italian cities top the domestic rankings for urban greenery, but among Italy’s big three, Rome’s vast parks give it an edge while Milan now clearly surpasses Naples in green percentage (Naples’ figure is higher mainly due to a large hilly park, but much of the city is very dense with little greenery). Milan’s improvements, such as a +15% increase in usable green area 2011–2021, show that even in a tightly built city, creative urban planning and restoration of derelict land can expand green space. The anticipated completion of projects like Parco Sud’s enhancements, new urban woods in outlying boroughs, and continuous tree planting under ForestaMi should further boost Milan’s greenery and bring per capita values closer to the European urban norm in coming years.
Sustainable Mobility and Public Transportation
Milan has long been regarded as having one of Italy’s most advanced public transportation systems, and recent data underscore its strong mobility performance. In 2022, as transit ridership rebounded from the pandemic, Milan’s residents took on average 357 public transport journeys per person over the year. This was a sharp rise from ~303 in 2021 as normal activity resumed. Milan now leads Italy in per-capita transit use among large cities.
Compared to many European cities, Milan’s transit usage is average: for example, Berlin sees about 438 annual trips per capita on public transport, and Paris around 600 (including its extensive metro/RER network). Milan’s figure approaching 360 is on par with Madrid or Vienna. Total ridership on Milan’s public transport network (metro, trams, buses) reached about 1.95 million passenger trips per day in 2022, reflecting the high mode share of public transport for city commuting.
This strong transit culture is supported by continuous investments. Milan’s metro system is the largest in Italy, and it continues to expand – the new M4 line opened in 2022–2023, adding 15 km and connecting the city center to Linate Airport. An M5 extension and a future M6 are in planning. Milan also has an extensive tram network and recently reintroduced modern trolleybuses. Such infrastructure gives Milan an edge over Rome, which has only 3 metro lines and struggles with transit capacity, and Turin, which has one metro line. The availability of transit in Milan translates to convenient service: a 2021 comparison by Legambiente ranked Milan top among large cities for transit supply. Notably, Venezia (which includes ferries) and Genova rival Milan in per-capita transit use, but those are smaller cities or with unique transit modes.
Car dependency in Milan is lower than in most Italian cities. The rate of car ownership in the City of Milan is about 51 cars per 100 inhabitants (2019 data), significantly below the national urban average of 66.6/100. In contrast, Rome has roughly 70–71 cars per 100 people (one of the highest among EU capitals), and some southern cities like Catania soar to 78 per 100. Milan’s lower motorization rate reflects both the good transit options and policies to discourage car use. The city’s pioneering Area C congestion charge zone has reduced traffic volumes in the center by around -30% and cut emissions by 18% since its implementation. Building on that, Area B, a Low-Emission Zone covering 72% of Milan’s area, now prohibits the most polluting vehicles entirely – it’s one of the largest Limited Traffic Zones in Europe. Additionally, Milan heavily promotes shared mobility: it was an early adopter of bike sharing (BikeMi, launched 2008) and today has multiple free-floating bike, e-bike, and e-scooter services, plus car-sharing fleets. As a result, over 20,000 shared bikes and scooters are available in the city, complementing the transit network and helping first/last mile connectivity.
Non-motorized transport is also growing. Milan has expanded its cycling infrastructure from just 50 km of bike lanes in 2011 to over 220 km in 2022, including semi-protected lanes on main boulevards. The city’s Cycling Plan aims for 300+ km by 2030. While cycling modal share is still modest (~6%), it is rising (boosted during COVID when pop-up bike lanes were installed). For reference, this is behind cycling-centric cities like Amsterdam (~36% of trips by bike) or Berlin (~15%), but ahead of Rome (where cycling is <1%). Pedestrian areas in Milan have also increased – recent pedestrianization of popular streets (e.g. Piazza Cordusio, Via Ascoli) and the creation of new low-traffic zones improved walkability, though in the Ecosistema Urbano rankings Milan wasn’t top in pedestrian space (cities like Lucca and Venice lead).
Collectively, these efforts push Milan toward a more sustainable mobility model. The city’s modal split is now roughly: 55% of trips by sustainable modes (public transit, walking, cycling) vs 45% by private motor vehicles, a significant improvement from a decade ago (when cars dominated). Rome by contrast remains more car-dependent, with an estimated <30% modal share for transit.
European cities like Paris have similar or slightly higher transit shares (Paris also implemented a citywide 30 km/h limit and removed thousands of parking spots to favor pedestrians/cyclists, policies Milan is observing closely). Milan’s adoption of a 30 km/h speed limit citywide makes it one of the first big cities in Italy to follow the “Vision Zero” approach for safer, calmer streets. This puts Milan in line with cities like Paris (which went 30 km/h in 2021) and Brussels (2019). Although car lobbies debated its impact, evidence from other cities suggests such limits improve safety and encourage shifts to walking or cycling with minimal impact on emissions or travel time.
In summary, Milan’s sustainable mobility indicators are among the best in Italy: high transit ridership, lower car ownership, and proactive policies like road pricing and LTZ. Challenges remain – congestion is still significant on the city’s ring roads, and air pollution from traffic is persistent. But Milan’s example in Italy has spurred similar measures elsewhere. As Milan continues investing in transit expansion (with help from EU recovery funds) and reallocating street space to active travel, it edges closer to the mobility patterns of greener European cities. Notably, Milan won the 2021 European Mobility Week Award for its efforts in promoting clean transport, underlining its role as a national frontrunner in urban mobility innovation.
Water Management and Conservation
Ensuring efficient water use and reducing waste is another important aspect of Milan’s sustainability performance. Italy overall has very high water consumption and losses, and Milan illustrates both the possibilities and challenges in this sector. Domestic water consumption in Milan is on the order of 150–160 liters per person per day, roughly in line with the average of 151 L in Italian cities in 2022. This is a slight reduction from previous years and below Italy’s peak levels in the 1990s. It is also considerably lower than in Rome, where per capita use has hovered around 180+ liters per day (Rome was flagged among the worst for high water use). Nationally, Italy withdraws 214 liters per person per day for municipal uses – the third highest in Europe – so Milan’s consumption being near the national average still indicates significant room for improvement in demand management. Programs to promote water saving (installing dual-flush toilets, public awareness campaigns, and increasing water tariffs for high usage tiers) are in place in Milan, but cultural habits and an ageing infrastructure historically led to water inefficiency.
One area where Milan shines is in water distribution efficiency. The city’s water utility has maintained one of the lowest leakage rates in the country. Milan’s aqueduct system loses under 15% of the water put into supply, ranking it among the top cities for network performance. (In 2022, only a handful of Italian cities – e.g. Pordenone, Mantova – had losses below 10%, and Milan is in the elite group under 15%.) This is in stark contrast to the national situation: on average 42.4% of Italy’s drinking water is lost through leaks before reaching consumers. Many southern Italian cities have disastrously high losses – for instance, Potenza disperses over 68% of its water. Even Rome, after efforts to fix leaks, still had around 30% losses in recent reports. Thus, Milan’s modern and well-maintained water infrastructure (largely managed by MM Spa) is a notable strength. Continuous monitoring, pressure management, and pipe renewal have kept Milan’s network losses low and stable, even as the network serves a metropolitan population of over 3 million (city + suburbs).
Milan also benefits from abundant groundwater in the Po Valley aquifer. Water stress is less acute than in central/southern Italy; however, climate change has introduced new concerns (droughts in northern Italy in 2022 led to calls for conservation even in Lombardy). The city has been exploring water reuse and recycling: Milan’s two main wastewater treatment plants (San Rocco and Nosedo) together treat virtually 100% of the city’s sewage, and part of the effluent is reused for irrigating agricultural fields south of the city. In fact, Milan’s Nosedo plant was among the first in Italy to produce reclaimed water for agriculture, reducing pollution in the Lambro river. Approximately 19% of Lombardy’s agricultural land is irrigated with reused water, a share that Milan’s treatment capacity contributes to. The city has also piloted projects for reusing greywater in buildings and using purified wastewater for industrial processes, aligning with circular water principles.
Another challenge is flooding and stormwater management. Milan is crisscrossed by small rivers and an old canal system (Navigli), and heavy rains can overwhelm drainage, causing urban floods (e.g. the Seveso River flood episodes). To combat this, Milan has started implementing nature-based solutions like rain gardens, permeable pavements, and detention basins. Green space expansion (discussed earlier) also aids in absorbing rainwater. These steps are crucial as extreme rainfall becomes more common.
Compared to other major European cities, Milan’s per capita water use ~150 L/day is still higher than cities in water-scarce countries (e.g. Barcelona ~110 L, Berlin ~120 L). On the other hand, Milan’s low leakage is exemplary – cities like London or Paris lose ~20–25% of water, and many Eastern European cities lose far more. In summer 2022, when drought hit Italy, Milan implemented measures like banning midday irrigation of lawns and filling of private swimming pools, something also seen in Paris (which urged residents to cut water by 10%). The efficiency of Milan’s aqueduct meant the city avoided more drastic rationing that some regions faced.
Circular Economy and Innovation Initiatives
Milan has positioned itself at the forefront of the circular economy movement in Italy, with pioneering programs particularly in the food and waste sectors. A flagship initiative is the Milan Food Policy, launched in 2015, which aims to make the city’s food system more sustainable from production to waste. Under this policy, Milan established the first Urban Food Waste Hubs – neighborhood-scale centers that collect surplus food and redistribute it to those in need. There are currently 3 main Food Waste Hubs (with additional smaller hubs opened recently) across the city.
Each hub recovers about 130 tonnes of edible food per year, roughly 350 kg per day, which translates to an estimated 260,000 meals donated annually per hub. In 2023, the network of hubs collectively rescued and redistributed approximately 615 tonnes of food – over one million meals that would otherwise have been wasted. This project not only tackles food waste (contributing to Milan’s goal to halve food waste by 2030) but also addresses social needs. It has been so successful that it earned Milan the inaugural Earthshot Prize in 2021 for “Build a Waste-Free World,” a prestigious global environmental award. The Food Waste Hubs involve a coalition of public agencies, NGOs, supermarkets, caterers, and volunteers – a model now being replicated in other cities. Since winning the Earthshot, Milan has expanded to new hubs (including one tied to local open-air markets) and is setting up a Center of Excellence to share best practices globally.
Beyond food waste, Milan has embraced circular economy principles in other domains. The city promotes reuse and repair through support of second-hand markets and creative hubs. For example, Milan opened a large reuse center (Ri-hub) where citizens can drop off items (furniture, appliances, clothes) for refurbishment and resale at affordable prices, extending product lifecycles. In the fashion industry – a major sector in Milan – there are initiatives to encourage textile recycling and upscale design using reclaimed materials, aligning with the city’s status as a fashion capital but with a circular twist. Milan also participates in EU research projects on circular economy: it was a pilot city in the H2020 “REFLOW” project, developing tools for circular resource flows (one outcome was a service to collect and recycle bread waste from bakeries. The metropolitan city runs an annual Circular Economy Forum in collaboration with the local Chamber of Commerce to spur businesses to adopt circular practices, and numerous Milan-based start-ups are active in areas like sharing platforms, circular packaging, and urban mining of e-waste.
Milan’s strong waste segregation (discussed earlier) is itself a backbone for circular material loops – high recycling rates mean more materials are reclaimed. Notably, Milan’s separate collection of organic waste produces quality compost and biogas. The city’s anaerobic digestion facilities process food waste into biogas that helps fuel vehicles (including some of Milan’s transit buses) and produces compost for agriculture, creating a closed loop from food scraps to energy and soil nutrients.
In terms of innovation, Milan often serves as a test bed for sustainable solutions. The city is a core member of networks like C40 Cities and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Food Initiative, sharing knowledge on climate and circular strategies. It was one of the first to implement a city-wide ban on single-use plastics in public events and buildings (even before the EU directive). Milanese universities and incubators (such as Politecnico’s poliHub) are incubating cleantech and circular economy startups, ranging from biodegradable materials to circular construction techniques. In construction, Milan has seen projects where building demolition waste is recycled into new building materials (a circular construction hub is planned as part of redeveloping the old Expo 2015 area, now the “MIND” innovation district).
Compared to other cities, Milan’s circular economy approach is quite advanced for Southern Europe. Amsterdam is often cited as a circular economy leader (with its goal to be 100% circular by 2050), focusing on construction waste and biomass loops – Milan is moving in that direction, but perhaps a decade behind in formalizing targets. Paris has strong policies on reusing wastewater and materials from building sites, and Berlin has an active culture of repair cafes and a city-run second-hand department store; Milan’s efforts are of a similar scale, with its own cultural emphasis (e.g. the city sponsors an annual “reuse week” and supports social enterprises like “Recup” which collects unsold market produce). One area of distinction is Milan’s global leadership in food policy – after hosting the 2015 Expo (“Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”), Milan spearheaded the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact, now signed by over 250 cities worldwide, committing to sustainable and just food systems. This highlights Milan’s influence beyond its boundaries, spreading circular economy concepts internationally.
In essence, Milan’s circular economy and innovation programs reinforce its sustainability performance: they reduce waste, cut emissions (food waste reduction also lowers methane emissions), create jobs in new green sectors, and enhance social inclusion. By treating waste as a resource – whether it’s bread turned to beer, cooking oil to biodiesel, or old laptops refurbished for schools – Milan is incrementally transforming from a linear economy to a circular one. The progress is evident in metrics like a declining waste per capita, rising reuse rates, and international recognition. As these initiatives mature and scale up, Milan could serve as a model for how a large metropolitan city integrates circular principles into the fabric of urban living, complementing its efforts in energy, mobility, and greening to achieve a truly sustainable city ecosystem.
As Milan continues its green transformation, it’s clear that the city’s innovative environmental strategies are making a lasting impact. From the ambitious tree planting projects to its pioneering circular economy initiatives, Milan is not just keeping pace with global sustainability efforts — it is shaping the future of urban living. And as these projects grow and evolve, the city may become a model for others, proving that sustainability isn’t just a goal but a path to a brighter, more resilient future for cities everywhere.
Milan Statistics