Why is it important to be a sustainable company?

These are just some of the results of the project Green Tech created by Politecnico di Milano, a path on the study of innovation successfully conducted by the Milanese university. What is certain, according to the data released, is that sustainability, and in particular Green Practice, is now perceived as directly linked to performance and medium-long term corporate success. But what is surprising is that the definition of sustainability and a sustainable company is still uncertain.

To clarify, sustainability indicates a general approach to production activities aimed at satisfying human and social needs without compromising the quality of life of future generations. The companies that have made this vision their own aim to conduct their business by investing in sustainable solutions for the future with particular attention to environmental sustainability - i.e. the protection of the environment and the reduction of environmental impact and consumption of resources - social sustainability - i.e. the protection of the principles of justice and equality in the treatment of employees, with related safety and health protections - and finally economic sustainability - i.e. the production of goods and services capable of improving people's lives without negatively impacting society and the environment.

In short, therefore, converting your business to a more sustainable perspective helps keep up with the times and also allows you to maintain a competitive standard appropriate to the needs of the modern market.

In general, in order to begin a process of reconverting corporate structures, the following activities can be identified, which are decisive for a sustainable corporate ecosystem:

1. Production and use of energy from alternative sources;
2. Organization of work that includes a specific function for the development of sustainability;
3. Optimization of logistics;
4. Innovation of the product;
5. Efficiency in production processes and related operational structures.

To give a significant example, 60% of the companies in the sample studied by Green Tech apply Green Practice to the Corporate area (e.g. through green missions, reporting systems, etc) and to the Operations area (e.g. through the recovery of energy management waste, etc).

In conclusion, what can be said is that being a sustainable and green company pays off and the data confirms the need for a so-called reconversion. green by companies. In particular, the urgency seems to be on small and medium-sized Italian companies where, as already observed, the increase in the commitment demonstrated by the entrepreneur towards sustainability issues corresponds to a sustainable - and therefore more competitive - evolution of the organizational structure.

In short, being a sustainable company is worth developing technical tools capable of developing and anticipating the future.