Sustainable Development Goals: taking care of the planet and its inhabitants

The UN Agenda 2030 establishes a global sustainable development strategy, articulated in 17 universal objectives, and based on the fundamental interconnection between economic, social, and environmental issues. By signing the agreement together with 192 other countries, Italy has committed itself to integrating the 169 development targets into its national growth plans. Each Italian organization is therefore called upon to make its own contribution, sharing responsibility for achieving the goals set, both locally and nationally.
 

Sustainable growth and environmental protection are the key issues of the UN objectives

The Agenda offers transnational guidelines for building a future of global peace and prosperity and safeguarding environmental balance. It is a concrete call for action for all governments of the adhering countries and a partnership that transcends the boundaries of individual nations, in the knowledge that we all live on the same planet and have a duty to act to protect it. Projects aimed at eradicating poverty, malnutrition and inequality go hand in hand with the need to raise the standard of health and education so as to foster economic growth and the achievement of a high level of global well-being. The other side of the coin, equally substantial, is the need to address the threat of climate change by taking protective action towards all the Earth's ecosystems.
 

Historical notes on the evolution of the focus of intervention and involvement of business entities

Since 1972 the United Nations has met periodically to discuss guidelines for sustainable development for the years to come. From its focus on human interactions with the environment, the dialogue then expanded, leading to the establishment of the World Commission on Environment and Development (later known as the Brundtland Commission), which also placed emphasis on protecting the interests of future generations. The first Earth Summit was held in Rio De Janeiro in 1992, when the first global action agenda was launched. 
 
The United Nations then established eight global development goals at the Millennium Summit in 2000, known as the Millennium Development Goals. In them we can recognize the roots of what would become the long list of goals formulated 15 years later: eradication of poverty and hunger, universal primary education, gender equality, reduction of child mortality and protection of mothers, combating epidemics, environmental sustainability and international cooperation for development. In 2012, work began culminating in 2015 with the formulation of the 17 current objectives, Agenda 2030.
 
The objectives represent a shared responsibility between governmental organizations and the private sector: only thanks to the involvement of companies, can global economic growth take concrete steps towards sustainability. For a company, adhering to the Sustainable Development Goals means taking the opportunity to have a positive and consistent impact, to play a conscious, structured, and beneficial role in the international development plan. Many companies have therefore chosen to design their business strategies on the basis of one or more SDGs, identifying areas of possible impact and active intervention, with the aim of making a difference and working together towards the objectives of 2030.
 

FERCAM has developed its future commitment on the basis of 7 sustainable development goals

FERCAM has long been committed to the best of its ability to implement initiatives consistent with the principles of sustainable development. Aware of the role that large companies can play on this front, we have identified a set of specific objectives to which we can and wish to make an active contribution. Each item has therefore been divided into concrete actions, included in the company's strategic development plan and illustrated in our Sustainability Report. 
 
Here are the objectives according to which FERCAM will act in the years to come:

• GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
  FERCAM is committed to health, safety, and well-being. Our motto is: Work Well, Safely. Several company projects, including the analysis of factors determining the health of FERCAM employees, have been outlined on the basis of this target.
• 7. AFFORDABLE AND CLEAN ENERGY
  FERCAM wants to continue to improve its energy performance, through actions such as supplying energy from renewable sources like photovoltaic systems, increasing efficiency through LED relamping and the adoption of advanced automation systems.
• DECENT WORK AND ECONOMIC GROWTH
  FERCAM promotes the well-being and growth of its employees, with constant training and professional refresher courses. Flexible working hours, distance learning, support for branch initiatives... there are many initiatives dedicated to the pursuit of this objective.
• INDUSTRY, INNOVATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE
  “Clean, smarter logistics”: with this spirit, FERCAM invests in technological innovation in order to increase the efficiency of its processes and environmental impacts, making them more sustainable and improving the quality of life of its employees.
• SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES
  FERCAM maintains constant attention to the territories in which it is present. Our commitment involves a project to monitor emissions linked to outsourced services and evaluating the adoption of technologies that reduce the impact of the services provided.
• RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION
  Where possible, FERCAM makes purchases according to sustainability criteria. We also aim to implement actions to raise the awareness of our service providers. FERCAM promotes the adoption of positive behaviours and actions to reduce the quantity of waste produced.
• CLIMATE ACTION
  FERCAM contributes to the fight against climate change and to the reduction of CO2 emissions, thanks to technological innovation and the promotion of intermodal transport, reduction of energy consumption in company buildings, investments to offset the CO2 produced.