Carolina Taddei, from Bliss Corporation in Italy, looks at the relevance of being a sustainable business and gives examples of what companies can do to make a difference.

The United Nations Commission on Environment and Development defines the concept of sustainable development as that which ‘satisfies the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own’. Amd to avoid the collapse of the terrestrial ecosystem, it is necessary to create a new model of society, based on criteria of greater responsibility in social, environmental and economic terms.

Economic sustainability is about the ability of an economic system to produce income and work in a lasting way. It concerns the protection of the ecosystem and the renewal of natural resources. Social sustainability is the ability to ensure that human well-being is equally distributed.

However, sustainability is a dynamic concept, involving the relationship between the environment, people and technology. As we move through this collective journey, no resources at our disposal must be neglected as we allow the environment to provide man with the very precious resources at his disposal.

This is a concept that goes beyond the idea of environmental sustainability linked only to recycling, reuse and biodegradability. It offers us a broader vision where it becomes clear how necessary it is that we reshape the consumption that the market has promoted for decades, through the creation of new, superfluous needs.

Inevitably, to make progress on the environment, in terms of sustainability, it requires not only the personal commitment of each individual, but also of economic resources aimed at making the idea of change something tangible. The drama that our world has shared in recent years with the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic has shown us how difficult it is to live in a world where the primary supplies are in short supply. This has a negative effect on the global economy and makes us become aware of what it means to live in a world where resources are not infinite.

When we talk about the circular economy, we are referring precisely to this, namely the capacity that we all, as people and as companies, should be able to gradually acquire, decoupling economic growth from the consumption of resources. It becomes necessary, every day, to think of production models capable of reducing waste and reusing materials within infinite production cycles. Every company should therefore strive to achieve these results, since sustainability is now seen as a strategic element, capable of triggering new competitive dynamics and playing a pivotal role in competition.

No company can ignore the obvious market value that is obtained by adopting an ethical and proactive attitude to the protection of our environment. A sustainable business also enjoys numerous advantages in terms of social sustainability, which nourish the trust that internal and external stakeholders have in the company and help reduce costs.

The Bliss Corporation group is an example of a modern reality that is committed every day, and ever more strongly, to providing value and a positive social and environmental impact for all stakeholders. To this aim, 2022 will be a rich year for projects aimed at strengthening what we could define as the ‘DNA Sustainability’ that any company should have.

One of the main objectives that Bliss Corporation aims to achieve is to create value for stakeholders at all levels. This involves:

• Understanding what is the sustainability DNA of the company;
• Identifying what needs to be changed to achieve real sustainability goals and identify who are the people who have a critical role in doing so;
• Developing a roadmap of change with a clear set of metrics to measure the success of the sustainability projects in which we are engaged.

To this end, Bliss Corporation is involved in several sustainability projects.

• 3Bee develops systems to improve bee health and management. Bliss supports this business by purchasing a monitored hive and the honey it produces;
• Regala Un Albero (Give a Tree): Bliss is committed to supporting the creation of healthier environmental ecosystems by giving each employee and partner of the company a tree, with the aim of protecting biodiversity, helping the development of local communities, for which trees are a very important economic and social resource, and to protecting the erosion and impoverishment of soils.

Bliss Corporation also supports associations that protect the environemnt such as:

• Tartalove: an organisation for the protection of turtles.
• Liberi Di Galoppare: protection against horses, ponies, donkeys and mules and hinnies.

The company is also supporting the Retake Roma project aimed at reducing the environmental impact of activities in the city.

Adopting sustainability as an entrepreneurial principle allows Bliss to include environmental and social considerations capable of generating value in the long term. In practice it means efficiently and strategically managing the available resources, whether natural, financial, human or relational. It involves its employees in the decision-making process, makes them feel an integral part of the project and encourages them to make the company's main activities sustainable, make all routine and daily practices and operations efficient, support local companies in the choice of suppliers, and monitor its supply chain.

Photo: Carolina Taddei.