Ranieri Niccoli, Chief Manufacturing Officer at Automobili Lamborghini, explains the journey behind ten years of carbon neutrality.
"Ten years ago we chose to embark on a courageous path, turning sustainability into a strategic lever for the company's future. Today we celebrate an important milestone, but above all we reaffirm our commitment to a concrete, measurable evolution that is consistent with the brand's values." With these words, Stephan Winkelmann, Chairman & CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, marked a significant achievement in 2025: ten years of carbon neutrality for the Sant'Agata Bolognese plant.
Back in 2015, we at LifeGate were also there in Sant'Agata Bolognese. And, albeit from a distance, we never stopped watching how things evolved over the years — especially the concrete actions. Those related to energy efficiency and technological innovation, those tied to emissions offsetting. Those connected to environmental and energy management systems, the (concrete and "transparent") efforts to optimise resource use and improve performance. In short, to achieve that balance between "engineering excellence and environmental responsibility" that Automobili Lamborghini has been striving for since that distant 2015.
For businesses, it is crucial to seize this moment of change and adopt a proactive approach — improving operational efficiency and investing in clean technologies to reduce costs and secure a sustainable future. This is precisely what Lamborghini has demonstrated it can do over this decade at its Sant'Agata Bolognese plant. The "how" became publicly known in 2025, when Lamborghini published its first Sustainability Report. In brief: the decarbonisation journey of the Modenese manufacturer began in 2010 with the installation of its first photovoltaic plant. This was followed by the first trigeneration systems and a district heating network powered by biogas. In 2017, the focus on efficiency extended to the architecture of the production site itself. We reached out to Ranieri Niccoli, Chief Manufacturing Officer at Automobili Lamborghini, to hear about the significance of ten years of carbon neutrality and the skills that the automotive industry will need in the years ahead.
What changes are redefining Lamborghini's plants, production flows and manufacturing skills during this phase of transformation?
In recent years, what we call "Manifattura Lamborghini" has undergone a profound transformation, made necessary to support a fully hybrid line-up, growing volumes and ever-higher quality standards. The drive has not come from a single factor, but from the convergence of three needs: integrating new technologies, increasing efficiency and ensuring measurable sustainability at every stage of the production process.
The entire site has evolved in this direction: from the reorganisation of assembly layouts to the introduction of digital systems enabling continuous process monitoring. A recent example is the expansion of the Upholstery department, which was not simply a structural intervention but a conceptual evolution. It is here that you can see how personalisation is a structural part of our production: we have created an environment that enhances craftsmanship by bringing it into a more modern, more ergonomic and more flexible dimension, so as to manage increasingly complex configurations, including Ad Personam ones. The Upholstery department today is an integrated ecosystem, where traditional skills and digital technologies coexist naturally.
Added to this is the revision of processes and material flows, made necessary by the hybridisation of the range: high-voltage components, more complex cooling systems and more sophisticated mechanical architectures require dedicated pathways, specific tools and new skills. We have introduced targeted automation — not to replace human labour, but to make repetitive operations safer and faster, freeing up capacity for technically demanding tasks.
There is one further relevant aspect. This transformation also has an impact at a cultural level: every line, every department has had to adapt to a new reality, to a method that integrates mechanics, electronics and software. This is a leap that requires continuous training, an open mindset towards change and the ability to read innovation as a permanent process.
In what way has the carbon neutrality objective changed processes, plants and industrial decisions?
The milestone of ten years of on balance carbon neutrality at the Sant'Agata site is the result of a collective commitment. Our production infrastructure has always been designed, expanded and updated with this goal in mind. The journey began well before sustainability became an expectation of the sector: as early as 2010 we had installed what was at the time the largest photovoltaic plant in the Italian automotive sector, marking the beginning of a commitment that would consolidate in the years that followed. Despite the site today being more than double its 2014 size, in 2024 direct CO₂ emissions fell by approximately 50 per cent — a result that reflects the structural nature of what was undertaken.
On the energy front, we have worked on multiple levels: system efficiency, generation from renewable sources and integration with low-impact technologies. The expansion of photovoltaic plants, the use of trigeneration, the connection to the district heating network and the use of certified renewable energy are just the most visible aspects. Furthermore, every new building is designed with energy-reduction criteria: smart lighting, climate control optimised by area, heat recovery systems and humidity management calibrated to the needs of each department.
This approach has also influenced the design of industrial processes: reducing energy waste during assembly phases, improving testing systems, and using digital tools to anticipate errors and waste before they even occur. The underlying logic is to act at the source, avoiding emissions wherever possible. For residual emissions — those that cannot technically be eliminated today — we purchase carbon credits certified to the highest international standards. Since 2022, we have further refined our approach by selecting exclusively credits linked to renewable energy production projects that are consistent with the brand's values and with our commitment to concrete, transparent sustainability.
Carbon neutrality has also changed the way we evaluate suppliers, materials and technologies. Circular economy has become a strategic axis, not a side initiative: recovering leather and carbon, reducing packaging, using water-based paints, optimising internal flows to reduce material handling and therefore indirect emissions. In short, it is not a goal to be reported after the fact: it is a principle that has guided industrial choices, investments and operational priorities for a decade.
What technical capabilities and what production architecture are now needed to sustain this long-term transformation?
The transformation we are experiencing is structural, not cyclical. Sustaining it over the long term requires three pillars: new skills, a new industrial architecture and rethought production spaces. On the skills front, hybridisation and the gradual introduction of high-voltage systems demand profiles capable of integrating mechanics, electronics and software. We have launched dedicated training programmes covering the safe handling of HV (High-Voltage) components, the diagnostics of complex systems, and the interaction between traditional propulsion and electrification. Our workforce is evolving towards multidisciplinary technicians, able to operate safely and precisely on architectures that bring together different worlds.
In terms of industrial architecture, we are moving towards modular facilities designed to grow and reconfigure quickly without invasive interventions. There is a constant need to create spaces that can accommodate new production flows, new lines and future technologies, while at the same time preserving the artisanal approach that sets us apart. Added to this is the question of flexibility. The coming years will require managing more complex production mixes, increasingly bespoke customisation and growing volumes. This does not mean resorting to automation indiscriminately, but deploying it where it delivers real benefit — improving workstation ergonomics and freeing up time and attention for those operations where manual skill and attention to detail remain fundamental. Transformation is not a destination, but a continuous process. We are building an industrial structure capable of growing alongside the products that will come and the skills that will be needed. The goal is for the Sant'Agata site to be ready today to support the scenario of the next ten years.
What role do the reuse and advanced management of production waste play in Lamborghini's industrial strategy, and how does the Scart project with Gruppo Hera — which transformed waste into robots — fit into this journey?
The reuse and advanced management of production waste have become a structural component of Automobili Lamborghini's industrial strategy. In recent years we have embarked on a path aimed at systematically reducing the waste generated, increasing the share sent for recovery, and turning residual materials into a resource rather than an environmental cost.
The results confirm this direction: in 2024, 81 per cent of waste produced was sent for recovery, while only 19 per cent was destined for disposal; furthermore, waste sent for disposal per vehicle produced fell by 62.5 per cent compared to the 2010 baseline. This progress stems from a review of internal processes, the strengthening of separate waste collection and the adoption of solutions that increase the value of discarded material.
Several ongoing projects demonstrate how circularity translates into concrete actions:
Also part of this journey is the Scart project, presented at Ecomondo 2025 together with Gruppo Hera, which transformed some industrial waste from our ecological area into robotic installations. Scart interprets our vision through a different language: it shows how materials considered "residual" can become a new form of expression, combining technique and creativity to convey an immediate message about the value of reuse.
More than an artistic project, it represents a cultural extension of the work we carry out every day on the production floor. The principle is the same: reduce waste, add value to materials and integrate sustainability into processes in a measurable way. Circularity is not an accessory initiative, but an operational criterion that guides industrial decisions, material selection and the configuration of internal flows. The goal is not only to reduce what we discard, but to give new life to what leaves production — transforming it, inside and outside the factory, into a piece of our industrial identity.
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