Eurogroup Consulting Italy – in collaboration with the network Nextcontinent – launched the “SustainAbility Student Challenge”, an international challenge on sustainability topics that took place last November 9, 2020.
The challenge, addressed to teams of university students, aimed to present innovative ideas for product/service in line with one out of 9 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), designed by the United Nations for the Agenda 2030.
The finalist teams were composed of students from the University of Milano-Bicocca.
The team Global 4.0, represented by Eleonora QUIAZAIDE, Mattia RICCIO and Burmachach TOMOEVA, has conceived an innovative and interactive restaurant, to express the message that: “diversity is a beautiful journey“.
The Global 4.0 restaurant has a dual functionality: to produce international foods and to involve the consumer by illustrating the origin of the foods and their peculiarities in the preparation. The team has structured a totally sustainable governance model by using only renewable energy (goal #7), so as not to damage the surrounding environment (goal #9), and by overcoming any prejudice through the culinary experience (goal #5).
On the other hand, the team Vaquita, represented by Afshin ABOLHASANI, Hossein NOROOZI and Ardalan MEHRARAM, has presented a project arose from a fundamental question: how can we protect the environment and particularly the submarine one? The answer of the Vaquita is that having access to clear and complete information is the base of sustainable development. to enable effective decisions and constant monitoring. Therefore, the team Vaquita has designed a network of connections based on a blockchain in order to collect useful data and information to support sustainability and to correctly manage the resources in the fishing industry.
Moreover, the event allowed a debate on the topic of sustainability thanks to the participation of six guests, between professors and top management leaders in the sustainability commitment, who presented the main challenges, present and future, in terms of sustainability.
“We assist our clients in their transformation, supporting them from the strategy to the implementation, committing ourselves to ensure a positive impact for our clients, our people, the society and the environment.”
Angelo Centrone, Partner of Eurogroup Consulting Italy
The Eurogroup Consulting’s ambition is to be a team that has “sustainability” and “positive impact” in its DNA, that manifests it in its daily behavior, in the private and professional sphere and that can pass it on to the next generations.
Thanks to the SustainAbility Student Challenge, Eurogroup Consulting has been able to get around the same table companies and leaders who have launched significant programs in this area and young graduates/recent graduates who represent the future.
“We want to act as a force for good, promoting a conscious and different way of doing business, with a positive impact on society and nature, treating resources in a circular way and creating a new harmony, finally sustainable. The well-being of all depends on this balance. And for us, this is the only true form of progress.”
Ugo Di Francesco, CEO of Chiesi Group
As a Benefit Corporation, the goal of Chiesi is to create value for people. Also, as a certified B Corp, Chiesi expresses the will to actively take care of the society, the community, and the environment.
Ugo di Francesco, CEO of Chiesi Group, highlighted that sustainability represents a crucial element of the strategic vision of the company, which is committed to:
- adopting a governance system based on transparency and responsibility;
- promoting the professional and personal development of its people and their wellbeing;
- protecting the planet and minimising the impacts generated by the company’s activities, with the goal to become Carbon Neutral by 2035;
- finding effective solutions for patients’ unmet medical needs;
- serving the community and those most in need.
“All these digital solutions that help us to manage relationships, information, process efficiency to reduce resource consumption (…), they are also creating a series of sustainability issues (…) We have to find a way to put the idea of the life cycle back at the center of our thoughts. What can help us, are the technologies themselves. What is the cost of these tools in terms of sustainability? How much are we paying for this acceleration of processes? These questions are not simple to answer.”
Giulio Di Gravio, Associate Professor at University La Sapienza
The Associate Professor at the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Coordinator of the PhD in Industrial and Management Engineering, Giulio Di Gravio, recalled that technology cannot be taken for granted, technology is an engine that consumes.
Giulio Di Gravio, thanks to his academic and entrepreneurial background, reassured the new generation of students by stating that there is still space for new service companies and new liberal professions. The fundamental requirements to success are audacity and the entrepreneurship spirit.
“In addition to the B Corp certification, there is also an even more Italian angle which is the Benefit Corporation, i.e. those companies that declare in their statute they do not only pursue economic but also social objectives (…) Danone, Mellin e Nutricia have changed their statute into a Benefit Corporation just this year. We are convinced that companies that today do not have a social objective within the community in which they operate, have no future because consumers are very critical and increasingly interested in understanding if and how the brands they buy operate with purposes that go beyond profit.”
Fabrizio Gavelli, General Manager Specialized Nutrition South Europe of Danone
Danone, firmly believes that the health of people and the health of the planet are interconnected. They both need to be fed and protected. At the same time, all over the world, people are reinventing the way people eat, drink and socialize through food. In line with the vision of the company “One Planet. One Health” and to adequately respond to the challenges and opportunities of the current food revolution, Danone has defined its Danone 2030 Goals and anticipated the transformation path of the entire company globally into B Corp. In Italy, Danone has already achieved the B Corp certification in July 2020 for its companies Danone, Mellin and Nutricia.
“It is the right time to start talking about our way of living social responsibility and to take commitments that can help to make our activities increasingly sustainable and to restore value to the whole system around us.”
Biagio Oppi, Head of Corporate Communication & Media Relations of Alfasigma
Alfasigma has prepared its first Sustainability Report in order to start a reporting process that is gradually more structured which, in the next few years, Alfasigma would like to materialize in a real Integrated Report. The 2019 Sustainability Report is a starting point strongly desired by the company in order to systematize and give the right resonance to the commitments made on many fronts over the last few years and to build a progressive “culture of sustainability” within Alfasigma.
“Banca Etica is one of the few banks in the world to publish on its website all loans granted to organizations and social enterprises. Thanks to the ESG assessments of loan applicants, we can report the positive impact in terms of the environment, society and rights of the money entrusted to us by members and customers.”
Alessandro Messina, CEO of Banca Etica
Banca Etica is a bank fully based on ESG principles (environment, social, and good corporate governance). Not (anymore) only non-profit: compared to the original positioning of March 1999, Banca Etica no longer has an exclusive focus on the Third sector, but has also opened up to responsible companies (organic agriculture, social innovation, innovative startups,…). Moreover, as a result of the crisis, in recent years, the supply of credit, and in general financial inclusion services for people, has grown.
The day ended with the proclamation of the Global 4.0 Restaurant project as the winner, and with the jury’s wishes to the team of students to open their restaurant as soon as possible with the hope of being invited to the inauguration! ?
