SUSTAINABILITY
& COMMUNICATION

THE OBSERVATORY

The permanent observatory on sustainability and communications (Osservatorio Permanente su Sostenibilità e Comunicazione), promoted by SIC in collaboration with the Format Research Institute, aims at monitoring the companies approach to social, environmental and financial sustainability every year and at anticipating possible developments focusing on the way sustainability is communicated.
Analysing the data from the 2018 edition, which was presented by SIC last June in Milan, the picture is very clear: companies are getting more and more sustainable (78,7% of companies define themselves as sustainable) but they do not communicate it very much (only 11,5% communicate their financial, social and environmental performances).

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COMPANIES ARE GETTING MORE AND MORE SUSTAINABLE

78,7% of the companies interviewed define themselves sustainable’: whether they actually are or not, sustainability is certainly a value.

49%quitesustainable 1,5%not sustainable at all 19,7%not verysustainable 29,7%verysustainable

THE THREE DIMENSIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY

88

ENVIRONMENT

88% of companies consider the environmental compatibility of the product, project or service they are developing

  • 28,5% A Lot
  • 48,5% Quite Enough
  • 10,9% Not much
  • 12% Not at all

46

WELFARE

46% of companies offer specific programs to their employees, besides the ones according to the law.

  • 29% Inclusion
  • 28,5% Maternity leave support
  • 19,1% Promotion of diversity
  • 17,3% Paternity leave support
  • 4,6% Internal daycare
Other: 1,4%

62

Community

62% of companies design plans for local and/or political communities to support non-profit organisations

Support to national and/or international non-profit organisations

Support to the local community

REPUTATION, EFFICIENCY, COST CONTROL: WHY BEING SUSTAINABLE

Six companies out of ten state to have risen their credibility and improved their brand reputation since they are «sustainable»

Credibility increase and improvement of the brand reputation

58.3%

Internal process efficiency

57%

Cost control

49%

Diversification of the kind of clients

40%

Sales increase

39%

Profit margin increase (company's profit)

36%

COMMUNICATING SUSTAINABILITY, BETWEEN WORDS AND DEEDS

Just slightly over 1 company out of 10 (meaning only 11,5%) communicate their financial, environmental and social performances to the public

11,5%Communicate to the public 88,5%Do not communicate to the public
How companies communicate to the public 11,5%
  • 3,4% Draw up the sustainability financial statement
  • 2,2% Draw up the environment financial statement
  • 5,9% Draw up both the sustainability and the environment financial statement

Permanent observatory on sustainability and communications

The permanent observatory on sustainability and communications (Osservatorio Permanente su Sostenibilità e Comunicazione), promoted by SIC in collaboration with the Format Research Institute, aims at monitoring the companies approach to social, environmental and financial sustainability every year and at anticipating possible developments focusing on the way sustainability is communicated.

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