24.05.2024
Il Sole 24 Ore

Following the road surfacing of the new San Giorgio Bridge in Genoa, runways at Rome Fiumicino and Cagliari Elmas airports, the A4 Brescia-Padova highway, and the resurfacing of the most heavily used lane of the A4 Torino-Milano highway, Iterchimica’s special asphalt is now paving the roads of Rome in preparation for the Jubilee of 2025. Anas, the entity overseeing several Jubilee-related projects, has already used this innovative, entirely Italian-made technology for 12 kilometers. The Bergamo-based company, headquartered in Suisio, specializes in sustainable road solutions. Iterchimica, founded in 1967 by Gabriele Giannattasio and owned by the Giannattasio family, launched a green, innovative, and sustainable asphalt around two years ago, made from carefully selected recycled hard plastics (like certain toy types, old CD cases, and fruit crates) and graphene for road resurfacing projects.

This patented product, named Gipave, is the result of six years of research conducted in collaboration with G.Eco from the A2A Group, the University of Milan-Bicocca, and Directa Plus, another Lombardy-based company that produces graphene. Gipave offers higher performance in terms of durability and resilience, extending the pavement’s lifespan by up to 61% compared to the best current technologies, while significantly reducing environmental impact thanks to lower maintenance needs. From a circular economy perspective, the technologies used help reduce energy and raw material consumption, employing fully recyclable products and materials.

Federica Giannattasio, CEO of Iterchimica and daughter of founder Gabriele, states, “Our company thrives on research, to which we dedicate around 15% of our revenue. The road pavement sector is constantly evolving due to climate change and increasing loads. Researching additives to enhance asphalt durability is one of Iterchimica’s main missions. We are proud that Anas is using our Gipave technology to resurface various roads in Rome.” The company is steadily growing: in two years, revenue has increased from 20 to 33 million euros, with a target of reaching 50 million euros by 2027. Iterchimica currently has 70 employees, with an additional 35 collaborators. Its main clients include Anas and major highway operators such as Aspi (Autostrade per l’Italia) and Astm (Gavio).

Giannattasio continues, “We have a long-standing and consolidated partnership with the academic world. We export our products to over 90 countries and are a young company, committed to sustainability and the green transition.”