Consorzio Prosciutto di San Daniele inaugurates new plant for recycling used salt

From exhausted salt to a reusable product in the field of anti-icing road treatment, leather tanning and industry. Thus the new plant in Trasaghis, promoted and built by the Consortium and its subsidiary Promo San Daniele, gives a second life to the salt waste resulting from the production of Prosciutto di San Daniele DOP . The facility, inaugurated on Monday 23 June, represents one of the most significant actions in terms of environmental sustainability launched by the sector in recent years.

It is in fact a new plant but it is located in an old industrial warehouse in the municipality in the province of Udine, and which, unique in its kind in Europe, has been designed to treat and regenerate two types of waste, exhausted solid salt and brine, according to a circular economy model that significantly reduces disposal costs, environmental impact and CO₂ emissions.

The new plant is located a few kilometers from the San Daniele district and guarantees 100% of the treatment needs of the 31 consortium producers. It was designed on two operating lines : a line for solid salt , active approximately 200 days a year, and one for brine , operational 350 days a year, 24 hours a day. The exhausted salt is subjected to screening, sanitizing washing, drying and bagging, while the brine is treated with a sequence of physical-chemical and biological processes that allow it to be separated into clean water and recoverable solid elements.

Coordinated management for the treatment of salt and brine for San Daniele producers has been taking place since the early 2000s by delivering the materials to authorized plants outside the region. In light of the start-up of the new plant, the transport of salt waste has been completely eliminated: the vehicles that leave from San Daniele del Friuli now travel only 35 km there and back, with an estimated reduction of 88% in distances and a consequent 90% decrease in CO₂ emissions.

The regenerated salt , at the end of the treatment, which cannot be used for food purposes , finds new life in sustainable applications. Thanks to its technical quality, it can be used as an anti-icing agent for regional roads and highways or employed in the tanning of leather , thus offering a second intended use in industrial fields. Even with this additional piece, the Consortium confirms its adherence to the principles of the circular economy , transforming the only processing residue into a useful resource and contributing concretely to the reduction of waste .

From an energy point of view , the plant is equipped with a cogeneration system that covers 97% of the electrical needs and 49% of the thermal needs, further improving efficiency and reducing consumption. The landscape and environmental aspect was also carefully evaluated during the authorization phase, obtaining “negligible” impact classifications for all the main variables.

The project, which began in 2021 with preliminary studies, received final approval in 2024 and involved hundreds of hours of technical design and over 12 months of work. Its inauguration marks a fundamental stage in the complex program of sustainability actions launched some time ago by the sector linked to the production of San Daniele DOP. On the environmental front , the Consortium also intervenes in the collective management of energy, waste management, protection of the land and water, also thanks to a purification plant for water from ham factories . As for the product, the traceability of the raw material and packaging, food safety, and the quality of Prosciutto di San Daniele are central to the sustainability program, with a concrete commitment also in terms of transparency of the supply chain and certification, fundamental elements for guaranteeing reliability to the consumer. Furthermore, the sector pays specific attention to the territory of San Daniele del Friuli and the Tagliamento river, also working on training and information issues, in addition to the economic and touristic valorization of the territory.

For the President of the Consortium of Prosciutto di San Daniele Nicola Martelli, with this plant the Consortium completes a strategic path that starts from responsibility and arrives at innovation: “We have managed to transform a waste element into a resource, demonstrating how even a sector strongly tied to tradition can be capable of evolving and leading change. This project does not only represent a technological investment, but above all a concrete commitment towards a more sustainable, efficient and respectful production model for the territory. It is the result of collaboration, shared vision and responsibility, which has involved the entire San Daniele system. It is a step forward for the entire district: now salt is a resource that reduces environmental impact. It is an important stage that confirms our desire to build environmental and economic value, for the benefit of the entire San Daniele supply chain and the community that hosts us” concluded the President in his speech on the sidelines of the inauguration event.

In recent years, the management of salt waste has represented a growing challenge for the sector, both in economic and operational terms, explains Mario Emilio Cichetti , General Manager of the Consortium. “The lack of dedicated plants and the increase in disposal costs have pushed us to identify a solution capable of guaranteeing continuity, efficiency and sustainability: “The new plant was designed with this very objective: to offer the consortium producers a stable and sustainable alternative, capable of transforming salt waste into reusable materials for industrial uses. Its location in Trasaghis has also made it possible to reclaim a disused industrial area, avoiding new land consumption and harmoniously fitting into the regional production fabric. This operation contributes concretely to reducing the environmental impact, improves the logistics management of the sector and strengthens the competitiveness of the district, providing it with a modern and strategic infrastructure for the future.”

A fundamental element in the quality of Prosciutto di San Daniele, Nicola Sivilotti , Head of Public Relations, Marketing and Communications, finally recalled, is the pigs' diet, an aspect that is far from secondary. The animals' diet is regulated in a precise way, exclusively for San Daniele, with the aim of obtaining a high-quality material. It is established not only which ingredients must be used (for example whey, selected cereals, vegetables and legumes), but also in what quantity and proportion, based on the growth phases. This guarantees a balanced development of the muscular part and the fat, essential for the final quality of the leg. Another distinctive feature is the use of sea salt, dosed not based on the quantity of salt available but on the weight of the leg, thus allowing for a more harmonious curing. All this is part of a natural supply chain, free of preservatives, nitrites and nitrates, making San Daniele "a unique ham not only for its flavour but also for its respect for tradition and the environment" concludes Sivilotti.