This document provides guidelines for energy communities and composting communities, focusing on sustainable business models. 

We explore business models for Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) creating a dynamic knowledge base to aid in their establishment and operation. We evaluate RECs through technical, economic-financial, and governance dimensions, aiming to systematize information and highlight best practices from literature and field experience. 

A structured methodology organizes the data into clusters of homogeneous models and a macro-matrix. Key REC models identified include Public RECs, led by local authorities to foster sustainability; Industrial RECs, driven by private companies focusing on efficiency and competitiveness; and Social RECs, which address community-specific socio-economic needs. These models leverage renewable energy technologies, such as photovoltaics and smart meters, to optimize energy sharing and self-consumption while improving sustainability. 

We highlight challenges like financing, governance, and regulatory adaptability: financing strategies range from participatory models to public-private partnerships, while governance emphasizes inclusivity and transparency. Our policy recommendations include diversifying REC models, supporting local authorities, incentivizing self-generation, and integrating sustainable mobility. Collaborative efforts among stakeholders are crucial to achieving scalable energy transition and socio-economic benefits. Biowaste management, particularly composting, offers environmental benefits such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving soil quality. 

However, transitioning to sustainable biowaste systems requires innovative business models. The research undertaken by the University of Messina as part of the REWARD-ME project focuses on designing business models for composting communities to advance sustainable biowaste management. 

We analyze biowaste management data, review legal frameworks, and develop a conceptual framework to identify strategies for value creation and foster citizen participation through engagement. We emphasize the need to integrate decentralized and centralized composting technologies. Preliminary findings from a case study illustrate how municipalities can reduce municipal solid waste by enhancing collection methods and citizen participation. 

Our policy recommendations highlight the need for economic incentives, governance frameworks, GRINS – Growing Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable “9. Economic and financial sustainability of systems and territories” Codice identificativo: PE00000018 and public-private partnerships to advance composting communities and achieve net-zero emissions goals.