Green
Heroes

Since 2020, I have illustrated Alessandro Gassmann’s column for Il Venerdì di Repubblica, part of the #GreenHeroes project supported by Kyoto Club: people, companies and communities turning sustainability into practical action.

≈300 weeks of illustrations Weekly column Il Venerdì di Repubblica 30 images in this selection

The project

Small format. Immediate readability.

Each illustration is designed for a space of just 8.2 × 5.8 cm. The format is not a technical detail: it shapes the visual language.

To work on the printed page, I have to remove rather than add: a few forms, clear silhouettes, bold colour and an idea that can be grasped before the details. The subjects vary — materials, energy, mobility, food, research, work — while the same need for synthesis remains.

8,2 × 5,8cm · print size

Editorial constraint

The idea has to come through before the details.

That is why I show the images at a generous size here without making them monumental: their strength lies in remaining effective even when reduced to just a few centimetres.

Materials with a second life

Diasen — Green Heroes — **Diasen** Uses natural cork in plasters and solutions for thermal and acoustic insulation.

Menichetti — Green Heroes — **Menichetti** Natural protein-based, biodegradable and recyclable adhesives for paper, cardboard, packaging and bookbinding.

SMUSH Materials — Green Heroes — **SMUSH Materials** Turns agricultural by-products and mycelium into compostable packaging as an alternative to polystyrene.

RePulp — Green Heroes — **RePulp** Pallets and wedges for logistics made from industrial waste using 100% recycled and recyclable plastic.

Montecolino · montECOlino — Green Heroes — **Montecolino · montECOlino** Recovers carpet used in trade-fair installations and transforms it into raw material for new products.
After publication, the company contacted me to license the image for its own below-the-line communications.

Rifò — Green Heroes — **Rifò** Circular fashion made in Prato with recycled fibres, local production and services for recycling, repair and resale.

Vibram — Green Heroes — **Vibram** Sole compounds using recycled rubber, plus projects that extend footwear life through repair, reuse and recycling.

Esosport · Il Giardino di Betty — Green Heroes — **Esosport · Il Giardino di Betty** Recycles shoes and other sports materials into shock-absorbing surfaces for playgrounds and public spaces.

Reuse, supply chains, circular economy

ReMida — Green Heroes — **ReMida** A cultural and educational project that turns industrial leftovers and unused materials into resources for creativity and learning.

Spazio META — Green Heroes — **Spazio META** Recovered sets, props and materials from temporary fashion, art and design installations and put them back into circulation.

Mercatopoli — Green Heroes — **Mercatopoli** A second-hand network that extends the life of objects by putting them back into circulation instead of turning them into waste.

Biorepack — Green Heroes — **Biorepack** The national consortium for organic recycling of biodegradable and compostable bioplastic packaging.

Zignago Vetro — Green Heroes — **Zignago Vetro** Glass cullet is the main raw material: more recycled glass means less energy, CO₂ and virgin raw materials.

Energy, mobility, cities

BEcomE — Green Heroes — **BEcomE** A campaign to develop renewable and solidarity-based energy communities in small municipalities.

AMODO · Atlante della Mobilità Dolce — Green Heroes — **AMODO · Atlante della Mobilità Dolce** A digital atlas connecting railway stations, cycle routes, walking trails, paths and greenways to promote slow mobility.

EDERA — Green Heroes — **EDERA** An innovation centre for decarbonising and regenerating the built environment.

Giorgio Tesi Group — Green Heroes — **Giorgio Tesi Group** One of Europe’s major ornamental plant nurseries, with a long-standing focus on environmental management and sustainability.

Food, work, knowledge

L’Alveare che dice Sì! — Green Heroes — **L’Alveare che dice Sì!** A short supply chain connecting local producers and consumer communities through temporary markets for locally produced food.

Too Good To Go · Caviro — Green Heroes — **Too Good To Go · Caviro** Two approaches to reducing waste: Too Good To Go rescues unsold food; Caviro finds new uses for by-products from the wine supply chain.

Cotti in Fragranza — Green Heroes — **Cotti in Fragranza** A bakery project set up inside Palermo’s Malaspina juvenile prison, combining training, work and social inclusion.

BioClean — Green Heroes — **BioClean** Cleaning services using certified bio-based, low-impact products, combined with aromatherapy.

CNR-IIA — Green Heroes — **CNR-IIA** Research and monitoring of air pollution, air quality, emissions and environmental impacts.

greenreport.it — Green Heroes — **greenreport.it** An online daily devoted to ecology, ecological economics, the green economy and the climate crisis.

The Washing News — Green Heroes — **The Washing News** A journalism project that analyses, verifies and challenges claims and narratives about sustainability and corporate responsibility.

Greenwashing — Green Heroes — **Greenwashing** A look at the gap between environmental slogans and verifiable practices: when a coat of green paint is not enough.

Italia · eccellenza europea — Green Heroes — **Italia · eccellenza europea** A story about Italian achievements and good practices in environmental action and the circular economy.

Alice Garau · Leonora — Green Heroes — **Alice Garau · Leonora** Leonora, a technology patented by Alice Garau, uses biological processes to separate paper, aluminium and polyethylene in multilayer packaging such as Tetra Pak.

Published context

The real scale of the work.

On the Venerdì page, the illustration occupies a small space, surrounded by the headline, text and page design. This is the scale at which the image is designed and judged.

Published Green Heroes page in Il Venerdì di Repubblica — **Green Heroes · Aboca**Published-page example · Il Venerdì di Repubblica

Thirty different stories. One shared need: to communicate clearly within just a few centimetres.

In Green Heroes, the visual language does not come from a recurring subject, but from a constant editorial constraint: turning very different innovations into simple, energetic images that are instantly legible.

Back to Home · Editorial CollaborationsFive long-term collaborations. Five visual identities. →