Italian event organiser RCS Sport is celebrating the tenth edition of Giro d’Italia Ride Green – the project aimed at reducing the environmental impact of the Giro d’Italia grand tour through waste management and traceability systems.
According to RCS Sport, Ride Green… ‘has established the Giro d’Italia as one of the first major global sporting events to prioritize sustainability.’
With the help of over 200 volunteers and numerous local companies, mostly coordinated by the E.R.I.C.A. cooperative (project partner), waste generated during the Giro d’Italia was collected in designated ecological islands placed at key locations at the start and finish of each stage.
These materials were then sent for recycling, transformed into secondary raw materials, and reintroduced into the production cycle.
This year, 70,648.50 kg of waste was collected, with over 92% sent for recycling – a notable increase compared to the previous year’s 84%. This figure highlights the key role played by local institutions, host cities, regional authorities, commercial partners, fans, and riders.
Each edition of Ride Green also includes recognition for the locations with the highest separate waste collection (RD) rates.
Top starts
- Ceglie Messapica (Puglia): 95.683% RD
- Morbegno (Lombardy): 95.396% RD
- Potenza (Basilicata): 94.693% RD
Top finishes
- Cesano Maderno (Lombardy): 95.904% RD
- Champoluc (Aosta Valley): 94.182% RD
- Siena (Tuscany): 93.764% RD
RD = Raccolta Differenziata (Separate Waste Collection)
Ride Green is not limited to recycling alone. In recent years, the initiative has expanded to include programs such as BiciScuola, which focuses on environmental education, and Giro-E, a platform promoting sustainable mobility.
Giro d’Italia Ride Green is also a key component of R-INTENTS, a project designed to assess the environmental and social impact of large-scale events such as the Giro d’Italia and the Milano Marathon. The initiative fosters open dialogue with stakeholders and seeks to develop shared solutions that support the transition to regenerative economic models.
For the past three years, RCS Sport has partnered with NATIVA – Regenerative Design Company to support this journey.
