If you think of leading companies in Italy, the first thought goes to sectors such as fashion and tourism. These categories are in fact constantly growing, with Italy boasting the fourth place among the most visited countries in the world and fashion companies growing at a rate of 22% every four years, but in recent years the evolution of the market has also led to the rise of companies closely linked to two constantly growing sectors: that of the green economy and that of digital.
Italy is increasingly green
After the fast food and unbridled shopping fever, today consumers are more attentive to what they consume and how they spend their money, more and more interested in fair-trade purchases in respect of nature. Employing more than three million workers, the green economy involves more than 350.000 Italian companies in constant growth. This ecological turning point has obviously also involved the food sector, starting with the production of food. For this reason, organic farming turns out to be a booming market, with growths of 20% from one year to the next, as happened in the 2016/2017 two-year period.
It is also increasingly easy to find organic food products in supermarkets of large-scale distribution and it should therefore not be surprising that Natural Food, a company specializing in organic, vegan and gluten-free foods, in the Financial Times ranking of the best European companies.
The growing love of consumers for nature also involves and transforms sectors traditionally at the top of the Italian economy such as tourism. In fact, outdoor tourism is constantly growing, with a turnover in 2019 of 3,3 billion euros. It seems that tourists are preferring outdoor walks in the mountains or mountain biking to tourist villages, in total respect for nature.
Italian companies discover digital
Italy is also successfully exploiting all the new tools offered by the internet world. This has seen the birth and development of companies that operate directly on the web or that take advantage of online visibility to increase turnover. This second case includes e-commerce which, according to the Politecnico di Milano, have seen some growth figures even around 50% from one year to the next. Alongside the success of e-commerce, companies like Filoblu, which are involved in educating companies to make the most of online sales tools, have also seen the light, and a good turnover.
If the sector of the sale of new cars is a safety in Italy, contributing to 6% of the country's GDP, a new growing category is that of car rental, with a company out of three born after 2014: the ease with which today you can rent a vehicle on the internet has undoubtedly stimulated this sector with a turnover of over six billion euros Italy. Keeping up with the times, the sector of rental in Italy it is also turning more and more towards the green world with the inclusion in fleet of agencies of hybrid and electric cars.
What are the companies that operate strictly in the digital sector? Among these, web agencies stand out, which help other businesses to navigate the complex world of the internet through the development of online marketing campaigns, website development and digital consulting. This service is increasingly in demand and it is no coincidence that one of the Italian companies present in the Financial Times ranking with a growth of over 1.000% in three years is Caffeina, a web agency founded in 2011 by three university mates. If Italy is famous all over the world for fashion, luxury and good food, in recent years new Made in Italy sectors have been emerging that respond to the new needs of a constantly growing market, ready to export excellence all over the world. local in the fields of green and digital.
