Environment, 95 per cent of medium-sized and large companies publish sustainability reports

Ninety-five per cent of medium-sized and large companies use the Sustainability Report/Report, followed by the Sustainability Plan (70 per cent) and the interactive mini-website (65 per cent). At the top of the list of topics is the environment with a focus on decarbonisation (95%) and circular economy (65%), but with great commitment also on diversity & inclusion (80%), stakeholder engagement (60%) and sustainable finance (40%). These are the main data emerging from the Report 'Communicating Sustainably' edited by Giulio Cupini, co-founder of SostenibileOggi. The report will be presented today in Rome at the meeting "Communicating Sustainability: New Narratives between Media, Web and Business" promoted by the Associazione Civita, a body that for 35 years has been involved in building a dialogue between culture and the business world also in the name of sustainability, in collaboration with SostenibileOggi, a platform founded by experts from the corporate world.

The report, which put some 20 medium-sized and large companies (including multinationals) operating in Italy under the lens, identifies the main trends in sustainability communication: 'Many sectors tend to privilege environmental aspects over social and governance ones,' the study points out.

Social media usage sees a two-speed trend: 'LinkedIn is the most used channel for content' related to social, environmental and governance (ESG) engagement, 'but presence on Instagram and Facebook remains marginal. Few companies manage to really speak to the new generations in a creative and engaging way," the report explains.

Territory makes the difference: 'Smaller, locally rooted companies often achieve the most credible and participative results. They involve citizens, they open their facilities, they tell the impact with authenticity. But they struggle to go beyond regional borders. The human voice is missing: sustainability is told through key performance indicators (KPIs) and certifications, but rarely is space given to the stories of employees, customers, or communities. The emotional narrative, the one that can build trust and identification, is still the weak link'.

"Sustainability is not just what you do, but how you share it. As long as content remains confined to technical budgets and self-referential channels, we will continue to talk ourselves down. We need a narrative turn that opens up to people, territories, relationships,' comments Livio Livi, co-founder of SostenibileOggi. For Simonetta Giordani, secretary general of the Civita Association, "it is not enough to pursue and achieve sustainability goals, but it is fundamental to communicate them correctly in order to inspire the right behaviour and amplify the goals achieved".