Sustainable. Synonymous with durable and indicates the ability to last over time. A development based on limited resources that run out cannot be considered sustainable or lasting.

The Brundtland Report, the work of the World Commission on Environment and Development of 1987, entitled “Our Common Future”, he stated that: “Sustainable development is that development which enables the present generation to satisfy their needs without compromising the ability of future generations to satisfy theirs.”, this concept formulates a guideline for the Sustainable Development still valid today.

In order to be sustainable and last over time, a company is not only focused on the ability to make a profit, but is focused on inclusion in the society in which it is inserted and on improving it, but also on respecting the environmental issues related to its product and process. This responsible management integrated into a governance that moves with these values leads to the creation of an intangible asset that also increases its economic value.

When we talk about sustainable development, with superficiality, we immediately think of the green aspect. The theme is much more complex, where the ecological, green aspect is only one of the three pillars on which it rests. These three pillars, in harmony with each other, represent the sustainability value of a company. We are talking about the environmental aspect (Environment), the social one (Social), the economic/management one (Governance).

The future of companies is therefore linked to the creation of value for people (Society), for the Planet (Environment) and also for its own shareholders and the market (Economy). These three dimensions are of equal importance, and there is sustainability only if all three aspects (environmental, social and economic) become shared values in the corporate organization, recognized by the surrounding society and with respect for the environmental context. Contrary to what happened years ago, today it is possible to act responsibly (for people and for the planet) and at the same time make profits.

To be durable, a company must comply with ESG parameters, to do so it must remain within a society and an environment in which each component helps the other to survive, but a radical change of mentality is also required, passing from the current linear thinking model to a circular thinking model (need, solution, consumption, refusal, transformation and new solution of a need). Companies have been ranked for some time on how respectful and in line with ESG certifications they are.

On 25 September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly (2015) adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the related 17 Sustainable Development Goals (Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs in English), identifying the roadmap to bring the entire planet towards sustainable development.