REEValue Consortium meeting

On 4–5 March, the REEValue partners gathered in Milan for the project’s third annual Consortium Meeting. Hosted by Sammontana, the meeting provided a valuable opportunity to reflect on progress achieved to date, exchange insights across the partnership and align on priorities for the final phase of the project.

The first day focused on a comprehensive review of progress across key work packages. This included detailed presentations on the Review of Energy Audits and EU Project Findings (WP2) Country updates were also provided on Business Outreach (WP5), including a lessons-learned brainstorming session on the implementation of value chain pilots and the delivery of tailored support to businesses across the food, beverage and logistics sectors. These discussions enabled partners to reflect on challenges, identify potential new approaches and refine engagement strategies for the remainder of the project.

The day concluded with updates on Communication (WP4), with a focus on ensuring that project outputs are effectively disseminated and can be scaled beyond the consortium. This was followed by an update on the Transferable Tool for Online Platforms (WP6), including progress on the development and functionality of the REEValue platform as a key mechanism for supporting businesses in their energy transition.

Day two centred on Sammontana’s sustainability approach, providing valuable insight into the implementation of decarbonisation initiatives and operational efficiency measures across its Italian and international sites. These presentations demonstrated how large-scale organisations are embedding sustainability into core operations, offering practical examples that can inform and support SMEs engaged through the REEValue project. Also, Decorgel a Portuguese dessert manufacturer presented their sustainability projects and energy efficiency journey.

The meeting continued with a tasting session, followed by further updates on Sustainability, replication, and exploitation of project results (WP7) and Project Management (WP1) deliverables, ensuring alignment across project management and implementation activities. The consortium then visited one of Sammontana’s production facilities, offering a first-hand view of sustainability practices in action and reinforcing the link between strategic planning and on-the-ground implementation.