Symbola-Unioncamere Report

Italia on the podium for green patents in Europe. From manufacturing to IT: the sectors

Driving the Italian green European patent applications is manufacturing, which concentrates 59% of innovations, confirming itself as the main driver of technological change. In territorial terms, the centre of gravity remains in the North: Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Piedmont lead the ranking

by Lorenzo Pace

17 February 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

The pull of manufacturing (and the North)
From sustainable mobility to energy efficiency
Growing eco-investments
The most profitable green patents
Urso: "Italia has excellence in the green field"

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Italia climbs the European podium for green patents and strengthens the link between sustainability and industrial competitiveness. With 295 environmental patents filed, the country ranks third in Europe, behind Germany (1,632) and France (729). A result that is also confirmed in the more general ranking of the share of companies with patents in the total number of companies: Italia is still third, with 16.5 patenting companies per 1,000, behind Germany (21.6) and Austria (18.9).

The figure emerges from the report 'Competitive because sustainable', produced by the Symbola Foundation and Unioncamere, in collaboration with Dintec and the Guglielmo Tagliacarne Study Centre, and presented to the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy. The study photographs a production system in which green innovation translates into a measurable competitive advantage, but is not yet fully exploited in terms of intellectual property.

The pull of manufacturing (and the North)

Driving the Italian green European patent applications is the manufacturing, which concentrates 59% of innovations, confirming itself as the main driver of technological change. This is followed by activities related to scientific research (18.8%), telecommunications and IT (6.6%), wholesale trade (3.5%) and construction (3.5%).

Territorially speaking, the centre of gravity remains in the North: Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Piedmont lead the rankings, on the strength of a manufacturing tradition capable of transforming research and industrial know-how into concrete solutions.

From sustainable mobility to energy efficiency

The sectoral picture highlights some key specialisations. Italian patents account for 31% in the field of sustainable mobility out of the total of those related to climate change mitigation. Energy efficiency in construction is also above the EU average, while the waste management and wastewater management sectors remain strategic. Particularly dynamic is the front of ICT technologies applied to climate mitigation, which have jumped +270% in the last ten years.

According to Ermete Realacci, president of Fondazione Symbola, "Italia knows how to innovate and compete in environmental sectors, but needs a leap in scale". Realacci stresses the need to invest more in research, support the ability to patent and strengthen technology transfer, replicating "the winning model of the circular economy in the efficiency, electrification and renewables sectors".

Growing eco-investments

The report also highlights the growth of eco-investments: between 2019 and 2024, 578,450 companies invested in sustainability, or 38.7% of the total. A dynamic that, however, does not always translate into intellectual property rights, a sign of an industrial culture that is still little oriented towards the systematic protection of research results.

The most profitable green patents

On the economic front, the gap between green patenting and non-green companies is stark. The former generate an average of EUR 382 million in turnover per company, compared to EUR 41 million for the latter, and record higher productivity (EUR 144,000 added value per employee, compared to EUR 92,000). More than half of these companies export (57.8%), for a total value of more than EUR 63 billion, with highly diversified outlet markets.

"Italia has made great strides in green patenting, with a growth of 44.4% between 2012 and 2022, but there remains a significant gap from Germany and France," notes Giuseppe Tripoli, secretary general of Unioncamere. "Behind every patent there is an investment in research and innovation, but investment is not enough if intellectual property is not protected. The credit and finance system is also increasingly looking at patents as strategic assets'.

Urso: "Italia has excellence in the green field"

Closing the proceedings, the Minister of Enterprise Adolfo Urso reiterated that Italia 'has excellence in the green field' and can aim for a leadership role especially in the recycling of waste containing critical raw materials. A building block, he emphasised, that is fundamental for strengthening the country's strategic autonomy and reducing dependence on foreign countries.