The Design Approach for Integrating Cross-Sector Processes. Application of Tangible/Intangible Resources From the Territory to a Co-participated Supply Chain Model.

The intervention priorities of the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), introduced by the European Union following the pandemic, represent an opportunity for economic recovery for Made in Italy and the country's production chains. Key sectors such as agri-food, automotive, furniture, and clothing constitute the manufacturing sectors primarily interested in implementing sustainable, economic, and social development initiatives. In this context, the Green & Digital Transitions guide and shape the future of societies, highlighting the need to overturn the linear economic paradigm in favor of restructuring value chains that integrate the principles of sustainable development, innovation in business models, sector- specific skills, and production processes, with their re-centralization in the territories. The Italian manufacturing system, characterized by micro-small enterprises, sometimes organized in districts and production chains, aligned to the concept of the soft economy constitutes fertile ground for initiating design-oriented systemic strategies capable of combining local resources and productions while maintaining the integrity of natural ecosystems. In this scenario, the research project aims to develop a strategic model of co-participated production chains, aiming to establish productive symbiosis relationships and integrate tangible and intangible resources of the territories in a systemic and circular perspective across different manufacturing sectors of Made in Italy, concerning agri-food chains and the cosmetic sector. The research intends to explore various implementation scales of the co-participated model, involving local manufacturing through business audit activities, incorporating already ongoing sustainable production processes, and utilizing Industry 4.0 technologies through collaboration between enterprises, research centers, and Innovation hubs present in the territory. Through field research, the bottom-up detection methodology identifies initiatives, needs, and emerging issues from territorial production contexts, evaluating possible collaborative match-making strategies. The project's results are directed towards enhancing the excellence of Made in Italy, engaging, and strengthening links between productive communities (micro-small enterprises), and experimenting with innovative products that synergize local know-how and design-oriented strategies. The co- participated model's experimentation aims to test collaborative production between companies in the agri-food and cosmetic sectors present in the Campania region. The outcomes of the experimentation will determine the verification of the co-participated chain model, the identification of replicability requirements, and the development of a disciplinary tool for creating new synergies between different production sectors. The paper describes the theoretical background, project objectives, methodology, and initial outcomes of the doctoral research conducted during the 1st year of the National Interest Ph.D. in Design for Made in Italy (XXXVIII cycle) at the University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”.