Awareness of eco-sustainability in products is growing, as is the understanding of the benefits that come with it. These are the findings of the research “Quanto green sei?”
Italy's sustainable economy is growing – perhaps in a somewhat disorganised and still tentative way, but the trend appears clear. According to data released by Istat, the Italian green economy is worth over 102 billion euros, equivalent to 10.3 per cent of the national economy. In 2015, according to the GreenItaly 2015 report, 120,000 businesses invested in reducing their environmental impact – 36 per cent more than in 2014 – and nearly 75,000 green job hirings were made.
One of the most active regions in this sector is Veneto, where 80 per cent of businesses are "green" and 60 per cent of companies aim to reduce their environmental impact from the design stage onwards.
These are some of the findings from the research "Quanto green sei?", presented on 21 April by Gianesin Canepari & Partners (GC&P), an international consultancy and training firm for small and medium-sized enterprises. The survey was conducted across fifty companies in Veneto through a series of interviews with the managers responsible for environmental policy.
Commitment to sustainability is not merely a matter of words: 73 per cent of businesses have optimised their production processes and improved waste reduction and treatment. Sixty per cent of respondents stated that their respective companies pay attention to environmental concerns from the product design and development stage.
That protecting the environment is, beyond being right and necessary, also economically advantageous is now clear to 72 per cent of businesses, which are aware that an eco-sustainable policy leads to a reduction in waste and costs and can enhance a company's prestige and credibility in the eyes of consumers and investors.
The survey also finds growing attention to energy saving and waste reduction, while logistics remains a weak area in this regard: only 52 per cent of companies stated that they pay attention to environmental aspects in transport.
Despite 80 per cent of businesses being attentive to environmental issues – and the remainder having committed to improving their performance – the GC&P analysis highlights a widespread absence, found in 65 per cent of cases, of environmental performance measurement systems, which would instead make it possible to monitor the changes and benefits brought to the company.