Italy is looking to put sustainability at the heart of business, the problem is that many Italian companies have little or no CR strategy

London 22/05/2012

The recently published Ethical Corporation briefing highlights that Italy has set out a plan of addressing their debt, restarting growth and focussing on sustainability. However, the third task may prove the hardest.

The main problem is sustainability isn’t something that many Italian companies ‘do’.

Italian companies compare poorly in corporate responsibility terms with their northern and western European counterparts.

In the 10-page management briefing James Osbourne, head of corporate responsibility at Lundguist , highlights that “30% of the largest Italian companies don’t present any CR information on their website or in a report. By comparison, there are none among Europe’s top 100 firms (that provide no information)”.

After the ousting of Berlusconi and appointment of the technocratic government of Mario Monti was a signal to the world that change may just be around the corner.

But it takes the commitment of the companies to actually start making the difference. And that’s where the difficulties lie. Only 5% of the companies listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Europe Index are Italian compared with about 30% British and 17% German.

In a survey conducted by Ethical Consumer organisation in a 2011 survey, there was said to be a “vow of silence” among top-end designers over issues such as animal testing, labour standards and use of chemicals.

The Italian Government is going to be key in creating this change of attitude. But should, as reported, Monti not run for the continuation of his prime-ministerial role then the potential for change may only last until April 2013.

The briefing highlights that the next few years are critical for CR in Italy. The fear is if Italian companies don’t ‘buy-in’ to sustainability now, it may be a long time until they are incentivised to do so again.

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Ethical Corporation was established in 2001 and provides business intelligence for sustainability to more than 3,000 multinational companies every year. Ethical Corporation publishes the leading responsible business magazine, website, and research reports.

For more information on this briefing or Ethical Corporation contact:

Tommy Derrick

Marketing Executive

Ethical Corporation: Business Intelligence for Sustainability

thomas.derrick@ethicalcorp.com

+44 (0)207 375 7213