The party was founded in June 2013 by a heterogeneous group of politicians, notably including Monica Frassoni (co-spokesperson of the European Green Party and former independent MEP of the Federation of the Greens), Fabio Granata and Flavia Perina (The People of Freedom and Future and Freedom), Roberto Della Seta and Francesco Ferrante (former senators of the Democratic Party and former leaders of Legambiente), Marco Boato, Fiorello Cortiana and Anna Donati (former Green MPs; Boato, a former Radical, is still an active member of that party), as well as green economy entrepreneurs, intellectuals and activists.

[2][3][4] Granata left the party in November 2017 to join Diventerà Bellissima for the 2017 Sicilian regional election.

[7] In the municipal election of Padua Francesco Fiore, a member of GI's national board,[4] came fourth with 9.9% at the head of a civic list.

In 2019–2020 GI was joined by two deputies, Rossella Muroni (independent in the group of Free and Equal) and Lorenzo Fioramonti (splinter from the Five Star Movement and former minister of Education, University and Research), as well as Elly Schlein (former member of the Democratic Party and Vice President of Emilia-Romagna).

In the 2022 Italian general election former MEP Elly Schlein was elected to the Chamber of Deputies as the first candidate on the Democratic Party – Democratic and Progressive Italy list for the multi-member constituency Emilia Romagna 02.