Sustainability Group Tackles Growing Problem Of "Greenwashing"
Fraudulent Environmental Claims Are Misleading Consumers and Investors
VENICE, Italy, Oct. 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Business and political leaders as well as scientists and representatives from academia met recently in Italy to discuss the growing problem of "greenwashing" and its impact on investors and consumers.
Organized by Alcantara S.p.A. in partnership with Venice International University and the support of Social Impact Agenda for Italy, the one-day international symposium focused on the need to curb false or misleading claims that certain products or policies were eco-friendly.
"Greenwashing is capable of creating cases of unfair competition and misdirecting investments that otherwise might have been dedicated to genuine sustainability projects," said Alcantara Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Andrea Boragno. "This is why greenwashing needs to be stopped and why representatives from government, finance, education, the media and other institutions gathered together at this symposium to discuss the problem."
The sixth annual International Symposium on Sustainability entitled "Greenwashing and Sustainability – A growing trend that needs to be addressed" took place recently on Venice's San Servolo Island."
Symposium participants discussed the need for more transparency and the implementation of technical and certification standards. Comments from symposium panelists and speakers included:
Simona Bonafe – Member, European Parliament: "The European Union is determined to achieve the goals of climate neutrality set for 2050. However, there can be no climate neutrality without a new, truly circular model of production and consumption.
This is why it is necessary to adopt clear rules and set authentic limits for the use of environmentally harmful materials and for methods that allow the environmental impact of products to be measured."
Gionvanna Melandri – Chairwoman, Social Impact Agenda for Italy: "All those who for decades have been working towards ecological and social transition must now face a new problem - the risk that compliance reported to ESG is seen by some companies exclusively as a marketing opportunity."
Enrico Giovanni – Italy's Minister of Sustainable Infrastructure and Mobility: "Finally, after years in which some governments had banned the use of the term, sustainability has become a central theme and standard to measure social and economic policies."
Timothy Nixon – CEO, Signal Climate Analytics: "Only 10 percent of companies are truly transparent and many others do not fully understand how many opportunities lie in the process of transformation towards sustainability."
Monica Billio – Professor of Econometrics, CA' Foscari University of Venice: "In recent years, both Europe and the U.S. have seen an ever-increasing demand for sustainable investments with a strong ESG aspect."
Anotonello Ciotti – Chairman, Committee of European PET Manufacturers: "Achieving sustainability must be a commitment which requires support for global sustainability goals, above all bearing in mind that the world population is due to increase by 2 billion over the next 30 years. We need to promote the introduction of new technologies and implement a unified system that allows for the certification of recycled content."
About Alcantara S.p.A.
Founded in 1972, Alcantara is one of the leading Made in Italy brands. The registered trademark of Alcantara S.p.A. and the result of unique and proprietary technology, Alcantara® is a highly innovative material offering an unparalleled combination of sensory, aesthetic and functional qualities. Thanks to its extraordinary versatility, Alcantara is the chosen material for leading brands in numerous specialist fields: fashion and accessories, the automotive industry, interior design, home décor and consumer electronics. These features together with a serious and certified commitment in terms of sustainability, make Alcantara a true icon of contemporary lifestyle. Having analyzed, reduced and offset all CO2 emissions linked to the company, in 2009 Alcantara was certified "Carbon Neutral." To document the company's journey in this field, Alcantara conducts and publishes an annual Sustainability Report, certified by BDO and available on the company website.
Headquartered in Milan, Alcantara also has production facilities and a research department in Nera Montoro in the heart of Italy's Umbria region (Terni).
For more information:
facebook.com/alcantara.company
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SOURCE Alcantara S.p.A.
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