During the event, Ecoprogetti CEO Laura Sartore was awarded the special mention “Giovane Imprenditore” (“Young Entrepreneur”), a recognition dedicated to entrepreneurs under 40. As highlighted by Ecoprogetti CEO Laura Sartore during her speech, this award reflects not only the journey of a single entrepreneur, but also the identity of a company whose strength is deeply rooted in the energy of its people.
A young company in more than one sense
Although the recognition was formally assigned to Laura Sartore, Ecoprogetti sees it as an award that belongs to the entire company. In many ways, the company itself is “young” as well.
The average age within Ecoprogetti is around 35 years, a figure that makes the company unusually dynamic in the industrial sector. This is not only a demographic detail, but also a cultural one. The company continues to grow thanks to the energy, passion, enthusiasm, and strong sense of responsibility of its collaborators. In this sense, being young is not only a matter of age, but also of mindset.
The younger generations, together with many talented engineers, technicians, and researchers, want to work in the green industry, in photovoltaics, and in renewable energy because they strongly believe in the values these sectors represent for the future. Topics such as recycling and circularity are central to the world in which younger generations have grown up, and they are also the direction in which they want to move. Solar energy is essential to our energy sovereignty and autonomy, while recycling and retaining critical raw materials are key to a truly sustainable European industrial renaissance.
Laura Sartore – Ecoprogetti’s CEO
This combination of technical competence and mental agility has become one of the defining characteristics of Ecoprogetti’s development over the years. While the company has more than 30 years of experience in innovation, it continues to approach industrial challenges with the mentality of a team that is still pushing forward, still exploring, and still improving.
More than 30 years of innovation in photovoltaic manufacturing
For over three decades, Ecoprogetti has been developing machinery and automation systems for the photovoltaic and renewable energy sector. Its core business has long been connected to technologies that support solar panel manufacturing, improve production efficiency, and strengthen industrial competitiveness.
This long-standing industrial know-how is one of the reasons why Ecoprogetti has been able to expand its vision beyond production itself. Today, manufacturing efficiency alone is no longer enough. The photovoltaic industry must also address another decisive question: what happens at the end of a solar panel’s life?
That question is becoming increasingly important for manufacturers, investors, institutions, and the entire renewable energy value chain. As photovoltaic installations continue to grow worldwide, the issue of end-of-life photovoltaic panels is no longer a future concern. It is already a strategic industrial challenge.
What happens at the end of life of photovoltaic panels?
The end-of-life phase of a photovoltaic panel is one of the most important topics in the transition toward a truly circular renewable energy industry.
Solar panels are essential to decarbonization, but they are also complex industrial products made of valuable materials. If the sector wants to be sustainable in the full sense of the word, it cannot focus only on energy generation. It must also develop effective systems for PV panel recycling, material recovery, and sustainable end-of-life treatment.
This is precisely where Ecoprogetti chose to innovate.
The company has developed a technology designed to remove photovoltaic glass completely and to maximize the purity of recovered raw materials. This is a crucial step, because the quality of separation directly affects the possibility of reintroducing materials into industrial supply chains.
In other words, recycling is not only about dismantling a product. It is about recovering value.
Why photovoltaic recycling matters for Europe and beyond
The recovery of critical raw materials and strategic resources is no longer a marginal topic. It is firmly on the table of the European Union and of many other international institutions and industrial players.
Photovoltaic panels contain materials that are essential for modern industry and energy technologies. Recovering them means reducing waste, improving resource security, and limiting dependence on imported raw materials.
A single photovoltaic panel can contain approximately:
- 300 to 500 grams of copper
- around 600 grams of silicon
- about 18 grams of silver
These are far from negligible quantities. They are valuable industrial materials that Europe often purchases from abroad, even though part of this value already exists within its own installed infrastructure.
This is why end-of-life photovoltaic panels should not be seen merely as waste. They should be understood as part of a growing form of urban mining.
End-of-life solar panels as an urban mine
The concept behind Ecoprogetti’s approach is simple, but powerful: the materials already embedded in photovoltaic panels represent a resource that can be retained, recovered, and reused.
Copper, silicon, silver, and other components are not abstract figures in a technical datasheet. They are resources with economic, industrial, and geopolitical relevance. If recovered correctly, they can help build a more resilient and autonomous supply chain for renewable energy technologies.
From this perspective, end-of-life PV panels are not only a disposal challenge. They are a reservoir of materials that Europe already has. The real challenge is whether those materials can be recovered in a sustainable, efficient, and technically correct way.
That is why Ecoprogetti’s innovation in photovoltaic recycling focuses not only on separation, but on the quality of separation. Recovering glass at 100% and preserving the purity of materials means increasing the actual value of recycled outputs and improving the overall viability of the recycling process.
Industrial innovation and sustainability as one vision
The recognition received at Premio Impresa Ambiente 2026 reflects a direction that has become increasingly central to Ecoprogetti’s identity.
The company’s vision is that industrial innovation and sustainability are not separate goals. On the contrary, they must advance together. A strong photovoltaic industry needs both high-performance production technologies and responsible solutions for the full lifecycle of solar panels.
This is why Ecoprogetti’s activity today connects two strategic dimensions:
the development of machinery and automation for photovoltaic manufacturing, and the advancement of technologies for end-of-life solar panel recycling and raw material recovery.
The award received in Venice therefore represents more than a celebratory moment. It confirms the relevance of a broader industrial path—one that combines experience, youthful energy, technological responsibility, and long-term vision.
A recognition shared by the entire Ecoprogetti team
Ecoprogetti also emphasized that this recognition belongs to the whole company. The average age of 35 within the organization reflects a team that brings not only technical skills, but also motivation, adaptability, and a strong drive toward innovation.
The company continues to grow because of the contribution of people who combine expertise with passion and responsibility. That internal energy has become one of the foundations of Ecoprogetti’s ability to evolve in a fast-changing sector such as photovoltaics and renewable energy.
For this reason, the recognition awarded to Ecoprogetti CEO Laura Sartore also stands as a recognition of the company’s collective work, culture, and ambition.
Thanks and congratulations
Ecoprogetti expressed sincere thanks to the organizers and institutions involved in Premio Impresa Ambiente, with special thanks to Antonio Santocono, President of the Camera di Commercio di Padova.
A special mention also goes to Carlo Alberto Carnevale-Maffè for his inspiring lectio magistralis, which brought valuable insight and a broader perspective to the event, enriching the discussion around innovation, sustainability, and the future of industry.
Ecoprogetti also congratulated the other award recipients — All Citrus, Trans Italia SpA, D-Shape, Calcestruzzi Preconfezionati Srl, Alma SpA, Altered Materials, and COMERIO ERCOLE SPA — for their contribution to a more sustainable and innovative industrial future.
Premio Impresa Ambiente is organized by Camera di Commercio di Venezia Rovigo and Unioncamere, with the support of Assocamerestero and Stazione Sperimentale del Vetro, under the patronage of the Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Sicurezza Energetica, and has been selected for the National Made in Italy Day by the Ministero delle Imprese e del Made in Italy.
Conclusion
With more than 30 years of innovation behind it and a team whose average age is just 35, Ecoprogetti represents a rare combination of industrial experience and youthful momentum.
Its recognition at Premio Impresa Ambiente 2026 highlights a vision that is increasingly relevant for the future of renewable energy: producing better technologies for photovoltaics, while also building better solutions for the end-of-life management of solar panels.
In a world where critical raw materials are becoming more strategic every year, photovoltaic recycling is no longer only an environmental issue. It is an industrial, economic, and technological priority.
And for Ecoprogetti, it is already part of the future.
