Sustainability

In the face of increasing environmental degradation, it becomes essential that organizations understand sustainability as a strategic issue, intrinsically linked to their daily lives. This approach does not admit addressing this issue only in business operations, as it is, after all, an issue that involves the maintenance of life, and that is present in the daily life of our society.

Faced with this challenge, the former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, set himself the objective of mobilizing the international business community to adopt in their business practices, values ​​accepted in the areas of human rights, labor relations, the environment and combat corruption, reflected in ten principles and entitled “Global Compact”.

To be sustainable, organizations seek to innovate products and productive processes, within their processes and in their supply chain, one of the solutions to remain in the competitive global market, reduce costs, use natural resources efficiently, be sustainable and face international regulations and standards. Sustainability as a strategy for organizations, or sustainable business practices, is based on the generation of value without degradation of resources environmental issues.

The following are excerpts from the Declaration of the UN Conference on the Environment (Stockholm, 1972), paragraph 6:

We have reached a point in history where we must shape our actions across the world, with greater attention to environmental consequences. Through ignorance or of indifference we can cause massive and irreversible damage to the environment, of which our lives and well-being depend. On the other hand, through greater knowledge and wiser actions, we can achieve a better life for ourselves and posterity, with an environment in line with human needs and hopes (UNIDAS, 2017).

The term “Sustainability” is officially presented in 1987 at the World Commission on Environment and Development (CMMAD), of the United Nations (UN), being chaired by the former Prime Minister of Norway, Gro Harlem Brundtland. Defined as “[...] the ability to satisfy the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs ”

Believing that sustainable development, which implies meeting the needs present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs needs, should become a central guiding principle of the United Nations Nations, governments and private institutions, organizations and companies (NATIONS, 1999, p. 1, translated by the author).

Some sustainable practices of Giovanni Passarella:

• Decrease in the use of paper in production;
• Exchange of lamps for LED.
• Increase the number of windows to take advantage of sunlight;
• Elimination of disposable cups;
• Reverse logistics;
• Returnable packaging;
• Sharing software development costs with others companies;
• Control of electricity and water consumption;