The third Osservatorio Milan sostenibile by LifeGate was presented on 16 October. We asked Luca Morari, Vice President Southern Europe at Ricola, to walk us through the company's approach to sustainability.
"Sustainability must be an added value, not a deprivation." So begins Luca Morari, Vice President Southern Europe at Ricola and Chief Executive Officer of Divita. He too was among the sizeable roster of speakers at the event dedicated to the third Osservatorio Milano sostenibile.
A company like Ricola, long bound by an inseparable tie to nature, chose to offer a truly tangible demonstration of its commitment to the environment. Its collaboration with the architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron resulted in the construction of seven different plants and offices, all characterised by a minimal environmental footprint. One stands out above the rest: the Palazzo delle Erbe in Laufen, near Basel. At 111 metres long, 40 metres wide and 11 metres tall, it is the largest clay building in all of Europe.
On 16 October, the Osservatorio Milano sostenibile 2019, produced by LifeGate in collaboration with Eumetra MR, was presented at the Triennale di Milano. Building on the national observatory on sustainable lifestyles, the survey focuses specifically on the city of Milan, monitoring citizens' awareness, attitudes and behaviour towards sustainability. With a representative sample of 800 people, the findings show that Milanese residents are on average better informed and more attentive than their fellow Italians. Overall, 75 per cent of citizens feel personally involved in sustainability.
Following the presentation of the data in the presence of Mayor Beppe Sala, the stage was taken by a varied group of guests, different in background and expertise yet united by a concrete commitment to the environment and society: Lisa Casali, manager at Pool Ambiente; Luca Morari, Vice President Southern Europe at Ricola and Chief Executive Officer of Divita; Andrea Farinet, president of the Socialing Institute; Stefano Virgilio, communications manager at Opel Italia; Ambrogio Beccaria, ocean sailor; Filippo Gallizia, managing director of Geomagworld; Rossana Orlandi, gallerist; and finally the two artists Helidon Xhixha and Giacomo "Jack" Braglia, creators of the work "The twin bottles: message in a bottle", exhibited on the occasion at Triennale Milano.
The research is under the patronage of the European Commission, the Ministry of the Environment, Regione Lombardia, the Comune di Milano, Assolombarda and Confcommercio, and was made possible by the support of Aimo Room, Collistar, Geomagworld, Gruppo Helsinn, Just Eat, Opel, Ricola, Visitas and Lavazza. Share your thoughts on the Osservatorio data with us, using the hashtag #MiSoste19.