Sustainable innovation: believe in people, think long-term and save the planet

Let's make it green!

The importance assumed by the environmental issues has increased over the years with the level of economic development gained by the rich western countries. The fact the natural landscapes are diminishing cannot be hidden or ignored. More and more people are getting aware of the negative effects of human activities, with no exclusion. “Environmental consciousness” is getting part of the daily life and is slowly making people more responsible or, at least “conscious”, of the risks the environment is facing. Some people really believe this is a serious problem and are actively involved in improving the situation because they understand what is going on; others just try to change their behaviour because imposed by the government and some people simply ignore the evidence and continue their life normally, feeling they cannot do anything about it. In other words, people have different ways of thinking, and display sometimes contrasting behaviours, deriving in most cases from a lack of understanding
Scientists are already doing a good job by alarming the planet with the latest news and discoveries about the exact quantity of rubbish a person produces everyday. Wake up people's mind and make them think about this problem is really the first step for the improvement of the environmental conditions.
Living in an economically wealthy society makes more difficult for people to perform an environmentally sustainable behaviour. In fact, surrounded by amounts of new products everyday, huge quantities of food at disposal at each corner, shops offering the latest commodities and the overall possibility to get everything you want, even more than you could imagine, life is too easy and comfortable to make a change, going against what the society offers you. Why should people decide to limit the consumption in their lifestyles? Unfortunately, people's good sense is not enough to make them understand the importance of safeguarding the planet.

However, moved by their ethical sense and consciousness as well as by external inputs (commercial and non-), consumers have started to ask companies for products with a lower impact on the environment.
In answer to the challenge of the environmental issues, also companies have displayed different behaviours from one another, as consumers did. Some have decided to ignore the situation and postpone the problem, going on with the same way of doing business, while others have adapted their products development and management activities to the safeguard of the natural resources. Proactive companies understand the great opportunity given by sustainable development for growing and improving the quality of their business, giving high priority to the environment, with the investment of decreasing the polluting impact, for instance by the reduction of waste and the entering in the market with green products. These products are goods that do not damage the environment during all their life cycle; for example, a package made with recyclable materials.
Conscious of the enormous value of nature, Valcucine has implemented restores renewable raw materials and has founded Bioforest onlus. Besides, we work for eco-sustainability by designing products that are 100% recyclable, as dematerialised as possible, with zero emissions of formaldehyde, that guarantees a long technical and aesthetic life and that uses wood that does not come from the destruction of primary forests.

The problem today is that most firms still believe a green approach is not necessary to make profits, while it is more and more clear how the future depends on the way consumers and companies relate to the environmental issues.
In order to relate properly to environment and be ‘truly green', it is important to be innovative, which is to be able to change and adapt to future trends and needs. Be creative, passionate about what you do and a good observer of the world around you. In practice, taking risks, making improvements in how business operates in terms of process and people. Believe in people, think long-term and save the planet might be a good trademark, or your personal ‘motto' to keep in mind when you loose your way in sustainable business.