Benefit Corporations: from growing numbers to the challenge of local impact

Relations with local authorities

One of the key themes that emerged in Padua concerns the relationship between Benefit Corporations and local authorities. Mobility, housing, social inclusion, community welfare, energy and urban regeneration are some of the areas in which businesses can put their expertise and capital at the service of local needs. The Mimit is dedicating a specific initiative to this topic, aimed at local public administrations, (https://www.mimit.gov.it/it/benefit/societa-benefit-per-la-pa-locale) with the aim of fostering forms of collaboration and co-design between local authorities and businesses geared towards the common good.

This topic will also be the focus of the section dedicated to promoting Benefit Corporations at the Ministry’s stand at the ANCI assembly. The idea is to complement public instruments with private resources and expertise geared towards social impact, creating local networks in which the statutory objectives of Benefit Corporations can meet the practical needs of towns and communities.

 The partnership between the public sector and Benefit Corporations is already yielding concrete projects across Italia, ranging from the regeneration of former industrial sites into co-housing schemes to the development of renewable energy communities, from zero-impact school transport to the maintenance of urban green spaces and the design of digital platforms for community welfare. You can also view an interactive map of Benefit Corporations already operating in individual local authorities on the dedicated Mimit page.

Venexus connects regions and businesses

One example comes from the Veneto region in the form of Venexus, a digital platform that implements Regional Law 10/2024 and connects local authorities and other organisers of projects for the common good with Benefit Corporations and ESG-focused businesses interested in supporting them.

Projects are entered into a register that can be consulted by businesses, which can identify initiatives that align with their own objectives and sign a letter of intent recorded on the blockchain. The platform also provides for the monitoring of social and environmental impacts.

This step is significant because it seeks to resolve one of the model’s most practical challenges: transforming the objective of the common good from a statutory principle into a specific, fundable and measurable project. Under this framework, the local community identifies a need and the business can then identify an initiative consistent with its own mission.

Eleven finalists, increasingly cross-sectoral fields

The Padua stage also confirmed the cross-cutting nature of the phenomenon. The eleven finalists operate in a wide range of sectors: technology, energy, corporate welfare, social housing, sustainable construction, healthcare, the silver economy, design and health and safety at work. The total number of entries received by the Benefit Competition across the first four stages reached 301. This figure highlights not only the growth of the sector but also how sustainable innovation increasingly depends not only on major players, but also on organisations deeply rooted and active within the local community.  

Their prevalence is now widespread across various sectors as well. According to the 2026 National Survey, the highest concentration of Benefit Corporations is found in the professional services sector, with 1,510 companies, followed by telecommunications with 866 and manufacturing with 633. At a regional level, Lombardy leads the way with 1,721 companies at the end of 2025, ahead of Lazio, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna.

Optimens, technology that doesn’t exclude older people

Optimens, an innovative start-up from Trieste operating in the silver economy, took first place in Padua. The Calliope project offers personalised cognitive training programmes aimed primarily at older people. Its distinctive feature is the decision to “digitise the service, not the person”: users access the service via a standard phone call, without needing a smartphone or digital skills, whilst the operator uses the platform.

The aim is to help maintain cognitive wellbeing whilst combating social isolation and the digital divide, whilst keeping human relationships at the heart of the initiative.

Maarmo received an award before becoming Benefit

Maarmo’s second-place finish introduces another significant factor. The company has not yet formally acquired the status of a Benefit Corporation, but has been recognised for a project deemed to be fully consistent with objectives of common good. This is the first time that a company which is not yet a Benefit Corporation has been named among the winners of the Competition.

Through Ubriaaco, an experimental project launched in 2023, Maarmo recycles grape marc and residues from red wine production to create new finishes for radiators. The initiative aims to transform waste from the wine-making process into raw materials for design products, combining the circular economy with Italian craftsmanship.

Rego: safety becomes a shared culture

Third place went to Rego, a company specialising in the manufacture of fall-arrest systems for work at height. With “Babbo, a Stasera – Community di chi dice Basta”, the company takes safety beyond the technical realm, transforming it into a cultural and awareness-raising initiative.

The community brings together businesses, professionals, clients, organisations and institutions, complementing the network with courses, seminars and partnerships with universities and the third sector. The Regolino Ets Foundation, established in 2025 to promote education, research and accident prevention, is also part of this initiative.

Next stop: Naples

With Padua, the Benefit Competition reaches the fourth of its five regional stages. The next and final event is scheduled for 4 February 2027 in Naples. Applications are open from 19 October to 14 December 2026 and can be submitted by completing the form available in the section dedicated to the Benefit Competition on the website of the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy. (https://www.mimit.gov.it/it/benefit/competition#come-partecipare)