"Eco-compatibility" dis always placed at the centre of our production choices. Over the last two years, the Group has undertaken important work in modernisation, oriented toward energy savings and environmental sustainability through the use of renewable energy sources.

In this context, the Valentini Group is focusing on technologies which obtain maximum efficiency from solar energy and Biomass.

In this first case, works for covering over 50,000 m2 of facilities with energy-efficient solar panels that will be operational by 2010 have already been in operation in Rimini and Appignano over the past year. This same type of investment is also in the works on the surfaces of numerous MercatoneUno shopping centres, which will be covered by about 150,000 m2 of roofs within this year.

With regards to co-generation technology, an impressive facility completely powered by biomass (palm oil) was inaugurated in Guarcino (FR) on 10 luglio 2010

The total investment in the plant was 22,000,000 Euro. The three Wartsila 16V32 combustion engines and three steam generators will produce a total of 20.6 electrical MW and 7.7 thermal MW (10.5 tons/h of steam). Energy production that is important in that, in addition to fully compensating for the energy needs of the " Cartiere di Guarcino", Guarcino Paper Mills, more than 11MW power will be made available on the network.

This initiative, combined with a further investment by the Valentini Group of 7 million Euros, will allow the start of a second production line of cards intended for decoration, which will bring production capacity to 55,000 tons of paper with an increase in employment of about 40 persons.

This "green" energy plant production fully complies with the Kyoto treaty, which provides for the reduction of atmospheric CO2 from fossil fuels (coal, oil, gasoline, natural gas). The motor-generators will be fuelled by palm oil and/or other vegetable oils, biomasses and other renewable sources, so that use does not cause an atmospheric increase of CO2, primarily responsible for the greenhouse effect. The "Cartiere di Guarcino" Paper Mills, today at full capacity would consume twelve million cubic metres of natural gas and sixty million kilowatts of electricity, emitting about twenty-four thousand tons of CO2 from fossil fuel into the atmosphere.

With the start of the cogeneration plant, CO2 emissions from fossil fuel will be reduced by 70%.