Sustainability
Back to overviewProtecting the environment is a top priority for Ducati. Sustainability determines our actions both at the company site and in the development of the brand. An attitude that CEO Claudio Domenicali reaffirms. "Sustainability affects all areas of the company - from industrial development to the organization of events and the daily actions of each individual employee through to the design of future products."
Since 2013, an environmental guideline has marked the company's path to greater sustainability. In it, Ducati defines goals for the protection and preservation of the environment. In 2014, Ducati's environmental management system was certified in accordance with the international standard ISO 14001:2004.
In 2022, Ducati adopted a new environmental and sustainability strategy that encompasses the company's environmental principles.
In the recent past, Ducati has initiated numerous activities to minimize the impact of production on the environment. In 2016, the company installed a combined heat and power plant that supplies electricity, heat and cooling energy and significantly reduces CO2 emissions. The additional electricity required comes from renewable energy sources. Since the combined heat and power plant was commissioned, 10,700 tonnes of CO2 have been saved (as of December 31, 2023). In 2023 alone, Ducati saved 1,305 tonnes of CO2; the same amount would be generated by 2,571 flights from New York to Rome per person. In addition, the plant in Bologna uses fewer volatile organic compounds. Another important aspect is the reduction of waste: Ducati recycles 98 percent of the waste it produces (as of December 31, 2023).
To support its sustainability strategy, the company also established a biomonitoring project of bees in 2016. Together with the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Teramo, Ducati is using around 500,000 bees as bioindicators as part of an environmental monitoring program.
With this project, Ducati is analyzing sources of pollution in the vicinity of the five beehives. As part of the project, specialists identified 278 potential pollutants, including heavy metals, furans, dioxins, and pesticides. Since 2020, Ducati has been participating in the “SU-EATABLE Life” project funded by the European Union to promote sustainable nutrition in the company canteen. During a seven-month experimental phase, Ducati was able to reduce its environmental footprint by 30 tonnes of CO2 and around 23 million liters of water; at the same time, users of the company canteen were made aware of the impact of food on the environment and the importance of a balanced diet. Following the results from the Ducati canteen, the brand decided to implement the principles of the SU-EATABLE LIFE project in the Ducati Lenovo Team Hospitality at all European races from May 2022.
Ducati also pays attention to sustainability when organizing events, as demonstrated by the ISO 20121 certification for sustainable event management that the company received for the 2016, 2018, and 2022 editions of World Ducati Week (WDW). WDW is the world's first event in the two-wheeler sector to be certified as a sustainable event.
At the end of 2022, Ducati inaugurated a new production facility with a total area of 4,400 square meters, where the finishing of the motorbikes takes place. The building is classified as a Nearly Zero Energy Building thanks to its energy-efficient materials and technical systems, as well as the use of renewable energy. Ducati will soon install a 297-kilowatt-hour photovoltaic system on the roof, which can generate more than 300 megawatt hours of clean energy per year.
In addition, Ducati is reducing energy consumption within the new production facility by using highly efficient air conditioning systems and natural lighting. Large glass and polycarbonate surfaces have been installed for this purpose. A green area is being created in the inner courtyard. Ducati uses only LED lamps for the artificial lighting. An underground rainwater storage tank holds around 150 cubic meters. Ducati uses around 90 percent of the rainwater for industrial processes. In 2023, Ducati reduced the amount of water drawn from wells and the water network by 30.1 percent. Given the proximity of the new building to the biomonitoring station and its bees, Ducati decided to use the insects as bioindicators to monitor and analyze the environmental impact of the various construction phases of the new building.