Sustainability

                                                                        

Macbeth shall never vanquished be until Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill shall come against him.

The witches’ prophecy in the famous tragedy by William Shakespeare went unheeded by the King of Scotland. The forest was none other than the enemy army disguised with tree branches and marked the beginning of his downfall. And yet today, we too have no shortage of signs.

Global warming — with the melting of the polar icecaps, rising sea levels and climate changes at every latitude — is now more than a sign, it’s a proven fact.

The pandemic brought the problems presented by a globalised and interconnected world into sharp relief, where we must simultaneously confront the challenges of digital maturity and protect social balance.

The tragic war in Ukraine, which continues even as I write this letter, is a sign of how humanity never learns from its mistakes and how often geopolitical logic and particular interests do not correspond with the public belief held by the overwhelming majority — Italians, Americans, Ukrainians or Russians — that peace should never be a choice, but a foregone conclusion.

The temporary shortage of raw materials, which restricts and distorts the supply chain as we know it, along with the shocking rise in energy prices, which alters the ability to meet the needs of individuals and businesses, are an urgent indication of how the scarcity of re- sources requires a revolutionary re-examination of industrial processes.

These are all signs that, if ignored, and as Macbeth discovered, could lead to the end of our planet. Young people in particular have recognised these signs. And it is those young people we must listen to.

Each of us must play our part. As a company, we are called upon the consider these signs within the scope of our business, charting a route that will lead us to a permanent transformation of our management and operations, and shining the spotlight on the impact of our activities at all levels.       

This is a sea change that we first began to pursue in 2017, when we focused our commitments towards corporate social responsibility.

Much has happened since then, from the creation of an operating facility to the publication of sustainability reports, from the achievement of Quality, Environment and Health and Safety Certifications to the launch of new training and development programmes, from the achievement of the Carbon Disclosure Project rating to the many social projects implemented in the regions where we operate.

Grasping the awareness of the importance of these topics is an essential part of the journey we have embarked upon, but it doesn’t stop there. This awareness must be followed by concrete actions, and on this front there is still much work to be done.

All too often, corporate social responsibility is understood by businesses as a “soft” ethical or moral issue, rather than a strategic topic essential to the survival of the company.

To be financially and operationally sustainable, the management of our processes and products must be oriented towards ensuring the continuity of resources, more efficient consumption, and the considerable reduction of our climate and environmental impact.

The relationship dynamics with people who join our company, as well as with those of us who are already here, must be supported by tools and strategies able to identify abilities and skills to be retained and enhanced, untapped potential, and vulnerabilities to be protected, always remembering that it is quality of life that enables us to perform to our best, professionally and personally.

To be sustainable over time, our value chain must enable us to protect the integrity of our relationships, ensuring the quality of the materials used and considering environmental, ethical and social aspects from the very source, and integrating them into our logistical analyses.

Innovation in all of our departments must be focused on delivering a benefit, always with the aim of going beyond mere economic gains. Starting from the know-how that underpins our company, we must aim towards progress, without which we limit ourselves to small steps towards improvement but without truly modernising what we do, always remaining on the fringes of change.

Profitability in business is not taboo. It is a key element to continuity, but it is difficult to maintain in the medium and long term if we don’t pursue our sustainability revolution, in which Corporate Social Responsibility becomes a fundamental part of our business journey, the new Strategic Plan we launched last year.