For Italian companies, investing in digitalization and environmental sustainability is increasingly becoming a strategic choice. Indeed, in the coming years, the ability to innovate production processes, adopt new technologies, and reduce environmental impact will be ever more crucial for maintaining competitiveness and navigating an evolving market.
This trend is confirmed by Unioncamere data concerning medium-sized enterprises: between 2026 and 2028, 76% plan to invest in digital transformation, while 73% intend to allocate resources to the green transition. These figures highlight how digitalization and sustainability have now become integral to companies' investment strategies and are no longer merely long-term objectives.
For businesses, however, the transformation journey is not without its challenges. Approximately three out of four medium-sized enterprises report encountering at least one obstacle in implementing their planned investments. The primary concern relates to initial costs: 41.2% of companies consider the magnitude of necessary resources to be one of the factors that most significantly slow down their projects. Regulatory uncertainty and the need to allocate resources to other corporate priorities also contribute to these difficulties.
Another particularly relevant factor for those planning investments is the availability of adequate skills. Over a quarter of medium-sized enterprises report a shortage of internal and managerial skills as an obstacle to implementing innovation pathways. The introduction of new technologies and the adoption of more sustainable production models, in fact, require qualified personnel and organizational capacity capable of supporting change.
For this reason, more and more companies are choosing to rely on external expertise. 74% of medium-sized enterprises utilize consulting firms or private consultants to support their innovation initiatives, while over half involve suppliers and clients. Local institutions can also serve as a reference point: 16% of companies turn to Chambers of Commerce and trade associations for support in addressing investments related to digitalization and sustainability.
Particular attention is also being paid to decarbonization. In the three-year period 2026-2028, 41% of medium-sized enterprises plan to invest in technologies related to the green transition and emission reduction, progressively moving towards solutions capable of contributing to achieving net-zero emissions.
For a business, therefore, the digital and environmental transitions represent two increasingly interconnected paths. Investing in innovative technologies, streamlining processes, reducing consumption and emissions, and developing adequate skills not only means responding to transformations in the regulatory and productive context but also creating the conditions for greater efficiency and competitiveness over time.
In this scenario, it becomes fundamental for companies to carefully evaluate the investments to be made, identify the technologies best suited to their needs, and plan the necessary resources. The ability to address digital transformation and decarbonization today can indeed be a decisive factor for the solidity and growth of the business in the years to come.