The Department of Economics, Business, Mathematics and Statistics (DEAMS) has collaborated with Mare FVG to publish the first report ‘Observations from the FVG Maritime Sector - Innovation, Sustainability and Skills’. The report provides an analysis of the positioning of the regional maritime sector – made up of 1350 companies – in the Italian, European and international context. It highlights the distribution of companies in maritime supply chains, the value of individual products and services, and their orientation towards innovation and sustainability.

The analysis conducted by DEAMS included the design of a sustainability self-assessment tool based on ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) criteria and nine interviews with companies in the sector, carried out in cooperation with Mare FVG. The interviews delved into crucial topics such as technological and market challenges, skills development and previously explored routes to sustainability.

The results of the survey revealed that a quarter of the companies in the sample were already active in the field of sustainability, distinguishing themselves through certifications, investments, professional skills development and value chain monitoring. More than 40 per cent have embarked on a path towards sustainable development, while around 30 per cent have yet to equip themselves to meet ESG challenges.

A crucial element concerns internal expertise: three quarters of companies have not yet formalised a specific sustainability figure, an element that will be key to addressing the growing focus on these issues in the coming years. Finally, almost 70% of companies have adopted sustainability practices aimed at employees, underlining the crucial role of human resources in company processes and confirming appeal and retention as strategic priorities for the future. The interviews, conducted with both SMEs and large companies, confirm the relevance of environmental issues and attention to people, highlighting the need for an integrated approach to address the challenges of the sector.

The report is the result of a collaboration between mareFVG, Area Science Park and DEAMS – Department of Economics, Business, Mathematics and Statistics of the University of Trieste, and written thanks to the support of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region. To support this study, the data of the M.IND platform (Maritime Industry, by mareFVG) was used, and collected also thanks to the initial contribution of the Chamber of Commerce system and regional employers' associations, the Innovation intelligence FVG platform of Area Science Park and the ModeFinance databases.