"For Milan to become the next sustainability capital, the challenge is clear: to involve Milanese people in this challenge, to make them feel it is something of their own, not a political decision," said Milan's mayor Beppe Sala, at the presentation of the fifth Osservatorio nazionale sullo stile di vita sostenibile, held on 27 March.

"Because Milanese people have shown that they respond well to prompts and to the desire to move towards more sustainable lifestyles. Let me give two examples. The first — Mayor Sala continued — is waste management. In Milan we now have more than 60 per cent separate waste collection, and the remainder doesn't go to landfill but is incinerated to produce energy in a perfect circular economy system. But if Milanese people didn't sort their waste, none of this would work. The second example: 25 years ago Milan had 65 cars per 100 inhabitants; today we are at 51. I think that in 12 years we will be able to get down to around 40 cars, but we need the cooperation of Milanese people. We don't want to wage a war on cars, but we want to offer alternatives, such as strengthening public transport and promoting car sharing. What I see is that in this way young Milanese people will no longer be fixated, as I was, on owning a car, but will be able to consider the possibility of doing without one."

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Le cose stanno inziando a cambiare. Le persone hanno scelto di cambiare le cose. #changetobe

Finalmente il cambiamento è arrivato. Il 27 marzo presentiamo i numeri del quinto Osservatorio nazionale sullo stile di vita sostenibile. bit.ly/2Or7lHL #ons19

42 3 26 mar 2019 · Apri su X →

"There is still a great deal that can be done," Sala concluded. "Sustainable lifestyles also concern consumption, food policies, and many other things. But the first objective is to involve all Milanese people."

The 2019 Osservatorio, with a renewed format

The Osservatorio nazionale sullo stile di vita sostenibile is the annual survey on Italians' attitudes towards sustainability, conducted by LifeGate in collaboration with Eumetra MR on a sample of 800 individuals representative of the adult population. The research findings, sponsored by the European Commission, the Ministry of the Environment, Regione Lombardia, the City of Milan, Assolombarda and Confcommercio, show that 34 million Italians are interested in or passionate about environmental and social sustainability issues.

quinto Osservatorio nazionale sullo stile di vita sostenibile — Beppe Sala is awarded the LifeGate PlasticLess prize for the City of Milan's commitment to fighting plastic © Luigi Zanni

Presented at the Sala Dino Buzzati in Milan, in the presence of Mayor Beppe Sala, the research was unveiled in a renewed format: following the data analysis, the greater part of the event was given over to testimonies from those who have taken up the sustainability challenge — from Stefano Boeri, the internationally renowned architect, to Livia Pomodoro of the Milan center for food law and policy and former President of the Milan Court; from Ferruccio de Bortoli, the well-known Italian journalist, to Antonio Calabrò, Vice-President of Assolombarda; from Oscar di Montigny, an innovability expert, to Simona Bordone, Head of Special Projects at Domus; and finally Pietro Leemann, the first Michelin-starred vegetarian chef. With thanks also to Ricola, Gruppo Unipol, Best Western Italia, Vaillant, Lavazza, Volvo Car Italia, BWT Italia and Eco Store. Share your thoughts on the Osservatorio data with us using the hashtag #ons19.

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Ons19. Mayor Beppe Sala reveals the recipe for turning Milan into the sustainability capital