What is happening to the topic of sustainability in Italy? Is the feeling of creeping indifference and widespread prudent ‘boredom’ towards the United Nations 2030 Agenda reflected in the attitudes currently prevalent in our country? The answer to these two questions is in the book ‘Sustainability: a social investment’published by FrancoAngeli and promoted by Eikon Strategic Consulting and Adnkronoswhich summarizes the results of the 2023 national survey on the involvement of the adult population towards some key objectives of the Agenda.
The scientific director of Asvis Enrico Giovannini, who signed the preface, and the three editors of the text Enrico Pozzi, Paola Aragno and Cristina Cenci, respectively CEO, Vice President and Partner of Eikon Strategic Consulting, spoke about it when presenting the volume during an online talk. . The Survey highlights the role of social sustainability as a crucial factor of dynamism and as an indispensable multiplier for the entire sustainability project. “Someone is starting to get fed up with this word but it’s a serious mistake, because the alternative to a sustainable world is an unsustainable world”, he says Enrico Giovannini. For this reason, he says, “it is important to understand that if the different dimensions of sustainability are not brought together, we risk not achieving the objectives we have set ourselves”.
Words that are linked to the theses supported in the book. The working hypothesis, he explains Enrico Pozzi, “is that sustainability has forgotten the crucial pole of social sustainability”. It is no coincidence that the research shows “a demand for policies that meet people’s real needs”. Politics is needed, institutions are needed and companies can do their part. Eikon Sc’s analysis of the profiles and social posts of the major Italian companies is described by Paola Aragno: “The narrative risks dwelling on flag themes and social sustainability seems to be mainly connected to gender equality.” The theme of complexity also has an impact, because “talking about social sustainability involves a profound change in organizational culture and mindset”.
However, there are also positive signs and best practices that can act as a driving force. In the second part of the Report, which finds ample space in the book, seven leading companies from different sectors present projects that have placed social sustainability at the centre, making it a lever of identity, internal culture and production operations: Ifis Bank (Social Impact Lab Kaleidos); Edison (Cross Generation Bridge); Eni (Energy for Education); FS Group (Help Center); Philip Morris Italy (Institute for Manufacturing Competences); Italian post (Polis Project); Simest (Purpose Driven Approach).
Cristina Cenci highlights “a key aspect” that emerges, namely that “measuring does not mean counting”. You don’t just need to count the hours of training or the people involved in a project. “To truly understand the impact of social sustainability, a methodological measurement model is needed” and the objective must be “to increase the culture of measuring social impact in Italy”. Fabio Insengadeputy director of Adnkronos who oversaw the introduction of the book, closes with a commitment to continue the work done so far, because “social sustainability must first of all be done, but then it must be measured, told and shared”.
