From the actual usefulness of corporate sustainability reports, to decarbonization processes, and then concluding with an analysis of recent European regulations. There were many stimuli that emerged within the conference entitled “The (in)sustainable lightness of being. The sustainability report as economic and reputational added value,” held in the auditorium of the Ape Parma Museum. Moderated by journalist Nicola Saldutti of Corriere della Sera, the meeting was situated within the many initiatives of Green Week and brought to light coherences and inconsistencies regarding this issue.
“The sustainability report is a way of telling what the company does, from the perspective of environmental, social and economic impact. There are 11,000 companies in Europe that are obliged to do this. – explained Irene Rizzoli, president of Cisita Parma and CEO of Delicious. – Interestingly, there are many other companies that would not be obligated, but still care to tell about their performativity. A question arises: is this tool an opportunity or a brake on their competitiveness?”
Rizzoli was clear about this aspect: “This is an opportunity. However, there is often overselling of positive performance within these budget reports. We need to focus on the synthesis and clarity of these reports.” In front of the large audience, the speakers then focused on the importance of going beyond rhetoric and slogans, and how there is a need for the development of collective intelligence that profoundly changes the business world. “Leading studies that have mapped companies that have reported on their sustainability have shown that usually doing so enables them to achieve better performance,” pointed out Pierluigi Marchini, professor of business administration at the University of Parma. “Through recent regulations, the European Union has set additional pointsfirm. – Camilla Negri, an associate at Mora Law Firm, went on to specify. -For example, companies will no longer be able to say ‘100 percent green,’ or praise the single feature of a product, making it appear to be owned by that given product in its entirety.”