LIFE Svolta Blu Project Launched: EPC at the 1°Forefront of Sustainable Water Management

January 22, 2025
Environment, EU Project, LIFE, Svolta BLU

Monday, 20 January marked the official launch of the LIFE Svolta Blu project — A Voluntary Credit System to Promote Water Saving and Conservation.

The remarkable natural setting of the Risorgive del Bacchiglione area in Dueville, in the Province of Vicenza, hosted the public event entitled “Sustainable Water Management: Concrete Actions for Companies and Local Authorities.” The event attracted a large and highly engaged audience.

For EPC, this represents a particularly important achievement. We have believed in the initiative from the outset, supporting it with dedication from the initial concept-development phase and throughout the entire preparation of the project proposal.

What Is LIFE Svolta Blu and How Do “Blue Credits” Work?

Funded under the Climate Governance and Information sub-programme of the European Union’s LIFE Programme, the project aims to transform the approach to protecting water resources.

Its main objective is to raise awareness among citizens, public authorities and businesses about the importance of sustainable water management and encourage them to take concrete action.

The project’s main innovation lies in the development of alternative voluntary markets. Inspired by the established carbon-credit mechanism, LIFE Svolta Blu introduces the concept of “blue credits.”

Through the scientific calculation of the water footprint, both large and small users in the industrial, agricultural and household sectors will be able to voluntarily finance and contribute to targeted measures aimed at:

reducing water consumption in production processes and everyday activities;
restoring degraded aquatic ecosystems;
conserving local water resources.

The system is intended to encourage private and public investment in environmental protection measures while ensuring fairness and full transparency throughout the process.

The Pilot Phase in the Vicenza Plain: A Model for Europe

Field activities will mainly focus on the Vicenza plain, a strategically important area for water supply and the recharge of the aquifers serving the Provinces of Vicenza and Padua.

The project’s pilot phase will actively involve agricultural companies, industries, local authorities and individual citizens.

Together, they will pursue an ambitious but concrete objective: saving and replenishing more than 120,000 cubic metres of water each year.

LIFE Svolta Blu is not limited to reducing the local impact of water consumption in the short term. It has been designed to create a successful, scalable and replicable model that can be transferred to other regions of Italy and Europe affected by water stress.

The Partnership and EPC’s Technical Assistance Role

The project officially began on 1 October 2024 and will run for more than three years, concluding on 31 January 2028.

To achieve its ambitious objectives, LIFE Svolta Blu brings together a high-level partnership with strong local expertise:

Viacqua, as project coordinator;
Fondazione Palazzo Festari IPA Alto Vicentino;
University of Padua, through the TESAF and ICEA departments;
ANBI Veneto;
Consorzio di Bonifica Alta Pianura Veneta;
CSQA.

Within this highly qualified partnership, EPC performs the strategic role of Technical Assistance provider.

Our team will support the coordinator and the entire partnership to ensure effective administrative management, milestone monitoring and financial reporting throughout the project, while guaranteeing compliance with the rigorous standards established by the European Commission.

Would you like to follow the different phases and results of this important environmental initiative? For further information and regular updates, visit the project’s official channels: