Shot forward for benefit societies: focus on territory

In just three months - from January to March - 220 companies changed their statutes to include, in addition to profit, common benefit. They have thus become benefit companies through a true genetic mutation to combine business value with social and environmental impact. According to the latest snapshot of the Observatory of the Brindisi-Taranto Chamber of Commerce and Infocamere with the freeze frame to the first quarter, the number of SBs now numbers 4,813 companies - 22% more than in the same period last year - with a further leap from 4,593 at the end of 2024. While at an overall level they represent 1.57 per thousand of the total number of companies in our country, the incidence of SBs is higher for large companies (19.8‰), followed by medium-sized (9.6‰), small (3.2‰) and micro enterprises (1.3 per cent). The phenomenon is increasingly consolidating ten years after the law that introduced them into the Italian legal system with the 2015 Budget Law, which came into force in January 2016. At the same rate, their presence is also growing in Statista and Sole 24 Ore's Sustainability Leaders list, where this year benefit companies account for around 14 per cent of the total against 11 per cent in the previous edition.

"Being SB today means making a precise field choice in the name of sustainability and playing ahead in times of uncertain regulations to create a shared value that is also a winner in terms of competitiveness," explains Mauro Del Barba, one of the promoters of the law and outgoing president of Assobenefit. He will soon pass the baton to Marco Morganti but will remain honorary president.

According to national research released in February, the choice to become a benefit pays off: between 2021 and 2023, these companies recorded 26% growth in turnover compared to 15.4% for traditional companies. Not only that. They invest more in innovation, internationalisation and sustainability, pay more attention to gender equality and have more young people on their boards. And they create more jobs: 62% of them have increased the number of employees compared to 43% of traditional companies.

Del Barba identifies four stages in the evolution of benefit societies. "The first," he says, "was that of the pioneers who adopted the new paradigm because it was in fact already present in their DNA. At a second stage, companies took this path because they realised that looking at the common good in addition to profit made them more competitive'. The third phase is that of supply chains, "with large companies that have changed their statutes and started to drag their suppliers and customers along with them". The fourth, which is gaining ground, 'is that of institutions that increasingly see SBs as an element of social progress in the area'. Two regions, Puglia and Veneto, have led the way with ad hoc laws to promote and enhance this type of enterprise. At the city level, it was Rome that took the lead last year with the Impresa Comune project. 'Other centres, such as Milan, Bologna, Florence and Taranto,' Del Barba points out, 'are also considering similar initiatives.

The leading sustainability benefit companies belong to the most diverse sectors. Among the large ones are, to name but a few, Camst (catering), Lati (technical thermoplastics) and Reale Mutua (insurance). Small and medium-sized ones include Acquevenete, one of the first five water utilities in Italy to become Sb, Gentili Mosconi (fashion) and Cgn, Italy's leading provider of tax consultancy services.