Press releases

At Ecomondo the Hera Group is hosting an exhibition of students from the Florence Academy of Fine Arts: 10 portraits of famous people made of industrial waste. This is the fruit of the partnership with the Tuscan company Waste Recycling, recently acquired by Herambiente, which also collaborated to set up the stand, entirely furnished with recovered materials.

Waste gives rise not only to energy, but also to works of art

At the Hera Group's stand at the Ecomondo trade fair in Rimini, waste takes is given a new lease of life as it is transformed into portraits of famous people, in addition to furnishings such as tables and sofas. This is how the multiutility company has interpreted the theme of the event, which this year is dedicated to the circular economy, while taking advantage of its partnership with Waste Recycling, a Tuscan industrial waste disposal company acquired by Herambiente in late 2015.

The entire stand, located in pavilion C1, was created with recovered materials and it hosts a special exhibition of10 portraits created by students from the Florence Academy of Fine Arts. These are students who participate in the Officina Scart project activated with the Academy by Waste Recycling, which organises in-company training workshops on the artistic use of industrial waste.
The exhibition was inaugurated today by the Chairman and CEO of Herambiente, Filippo Brandolini and Claudio Galli,
and the CEO of Waste Recycling, Maurizio Giani, with the presence of Minister of the Environment Gian Luca Galletti, the Regional Councillor for Environmental Policies Paola Gazzolo and the Mayors of Santacroce sull'Arno, Giulia Deidda, and Castelfranco di Sotto, Gabriele Toti.

From Frida Kahlo to David Bowie: "regenerated" portraits

The portraits offamous people on display at the Hera Group's stand are made of creatively assembled recovered materials and waste of all types. Thus it is possible to admire a Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta created by Gregorio Maria Mattei with fabric and curtains, toys, electrical cables, single-use gloves and packaging materials. Or a Federico Fellini by Ignazio Giordano, which took shape from leather and plastic scraps, sand paper, wire and mother of pearl beads. There is also an extraordinary Marilyn Monroe portrayed byAntonella Prasse with beads, stones and many types of buttons; and a Luciano Pavarottiby Arianna Tosi, a Lucio Dallaby Federico Niccolai, Muhammad Ali by Stefania Venuti, Nelson Mandela by Valentina Perini, Amy Winehouse by Beatrice Beneforti, David Bowieby Giulia Gigli and Frida Kahloby Olimpia Bogazzi.

A stand where everything is recovered

But the exhibition is not the only thing to be admired at the Hera Group's space at Ecomondo. Indeed, its collaboration with Waste Recycling has led the multiutility company to reconceptualise the entire stand: more than 300 square metres in which all of the furnishings are made of scrap materials. For example, the floor is made of recovered wood, and the predominant element that features the Hera logo with its three colours has been created with lids and pieces of metal along with mufflers from auto vehicles. There are also other furnishings, like tables and sofas, made from old chests of drawers, exhaust pipes and many other items.

Thanks to Hera, Bologna students can also participate in the Scart project

At the initiative of the Hera Group, the Scart project will start being offered at the Bologna Academy of Fine Arts as well:a great opportunity to open up a dialogue between the community and business, art and design, respect for the environment and university education.
Based on the agreement signed at the end of October 20
16 between the Bologna institution, Waste Recycling and the Municipality of Santa Croce sull'Arno (Pisa), the doors of the Tuscan company's Officina Scart will open up to young artists in Bologna as well.Like their Tuscan peers, the students in Bologna will also be able to participate in workshops, with the support of their university tutors, to create works of art and design using as raw materials only and exclusively industrial waste collected at Waste Recycling's storage and sorting plants.