Between Emilia and Romagna, there is an unconventional company committed to regenerating post-consumer materials. It is Regenesi, which creates product lines signed by international designers and based on a virtuous production cycle that combines style, functionality and sustainable design. For FARE Insieme, Giampaolo Colletti interviews Maria Silvia Pazzi, CEO of Regenesi
by Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Do you remember Grisu the little dragon? To tell this story, we start with the unforgettable cartoon from the 1960s. A cute little dragon, the last-born of a great lineage of fire-breathing dragons. A character against the rules because he has always dreamed of becoming a firefighter. He wants to put out fires rather than fuel them. Here, the protagonist of this story is like Grisu the little dragon. Tireless and unconventional in what she says and what she does. But to better explain this story, there is also a message that needs to be made explicit. Turning waste into beauty. Easy to say today, in a time marked by awareness of environmental risks and a necessary propensity for action. It was more complex to say it and especially to do it 15 years ago. But we know it. Pioneers - like little dragons - are such because they often beat paths not yet traveled, taking the risk of their actions and instilling vision in others. Here is another word that defines this entrepreneurial story that is accomplished with the involvement of many people. Turning waste into beauty, we said earlier. "That's how we started with Regenesi, we've never changed it, and we've always had it clear in mind," says Maria Silvia Pazzi, an entrepreneur linked to the world known today as the circular economy. She has a degree in economics, but a passion for architecture. The origin of her business, opened in 2008 after a past as an employee, holds within it all her passions and visions. Her life contains a hundred more lives. Because Maria Silvia - four children, three dogs, two businesses over the years, a lot of voluntary work - decided to leave her job to build another one from scratch fifteen years ago. "I was uncomfortable at the time in this role as an employee. I often brought up new ideas that were annoying in organizations. So, I convinced myself to be an entrepreneur," Maria Silvia Pazzi recalls.
Company profile. Regenesi is a lifestyle brand with fashion and gift products. It also provides consultancy services to speed up circular economy projects with companies or institutions: this is how it happened with Dainese, Lamborghini, Mandarina Duck, Enel, L'Oreal, the Municipality of Ravenna and many others. The actual inspiration was born while Maria Silvia Pazzi was in Naples during a period of full waste emergency. Hence the idea: turning waste into beauty. Then, everything continued with a barcamp in Turin, in the beautiful Valentino Castle. Here, face-to-face meetings between entrepreneurs, designers, artists and startuppers. So, Regenesi became part of an increasingly dense network. A point that connects other points. Then, there is the territory, which holds it all together. A recycling-conscious community. “I live between Emilia and Romagna, an area where separate waste collection has been active since the 1990s. We manage different Italian production chains and are known for working in the circular economy using different types of circular materials and conceiving products according to eco-design principles”, points out Maria Silvia Pazzi, who was awarded as Best Performer Circular Economy by Confindustria in 2019 and received recognition as "Circular Fashion Pioneer" at Monte Carlo Fashion Week in 2022. The team has three members in addition to the partners, but what is striking about this networked organization is its scalability: there are a hundred people involved and growth is +30% year after year. Regenesi as a plural company, they said. The headquarters are in Bologna and Ravenna, but today the company is everywhere and markets its products through the online store Regenesi.com and in a select network of stores around the world.
Description of products. The company represents made-in-Italy excellence in manufacturing. This gives rise to product lines signed by international designers and based on a production cycle that transforms waste into beauty, combining style, functionality and sustainable design. “Ours are smart products because they combine functionality, aesthetics, quality manufacturing and sustainability. They are not just products, but stories. The product is totally sustainable not only in materials but also in design. In our work, consistency matters a lot. We embrace the concept of beauty without betraying the environment. All items are made from recycled materials, following an innovative production process that guarantees the same quality of raw materials”, says Maria Silvia Pazzi. An unconventional company to regenerate post-consumer materials, creating sustainable and beautiful products. From aluminum to paper, plastic to leather. One thing leads to another: this is how Regenstech, an innovative startup that has patented a technology for transforming textile and leather waste into a new circular material, came into being. Transforming what is no longer needed and turning it into something else is a beautiful challenge.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
Read the other interviews
