April 8, 2024
The business world is currently facing an unprecedented challenge regarding sustainability. The looming risks and international attention, particularly from the European Union, on ambitious goals highlight the undeniable obligation every company has to do its part for the community, the environment, and the market.
The introduction of new and continuously evolving sustainability regulations, such as the CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), CSDDD (Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive), DPP (Digital Product Passport), and EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility), imposes a significant burden of compliance on companies, creating particularly onerous challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
A crucial aspect of adapting to new regulations is data collection for reporting, which is a time-consuming and resource-intensive process. Gathering detailed information, from emission traceability to employee characteristics, is a significant commitment that requires a structured and organized approach.
The fundamental goal of the regulations is to provide clarity and clear, uniform standards to address the most urgent challenges, such as decarbonization, transparency, and traceability of the value chain. However, this goal can become an excessive burden for those unprepared to meet these challenges.
SMEs, especially family-run businesses, face challenges due to the lack of a sustainability culture and specific expertise.
The problem does not lie with the regulations themselves, given the necessity for clarity on the issue, but rather with the complexity of data collection and the lack of tools, such as management software, to facilitate this process in a dynamic and integrated manner. Currently, many companies face the challenge of adapting their management systems, often not yet ready to handle the substantial flow of data required, necessitating manual collection and entry.
Additionally, data collection involves not only the company in question but also its entire value chain. Therefore, it is crucial to create synergies and promote collaboration. Sustainability is a value that requires everyone to do their part and can only be achieved through cooperation.
Simultaneously, there is an increasing difficulty in finding qualified personnel in this specialized sector. The growing demand for professionals capable of managing the collection and analysis of sustainability-related data highlights a skills shortage. Companies face a deficit of qualified personnel, impacting their ability to comply with new regulations and effectively implement sustainable practices.
In response to this skills shortage, there is an urgent need for dedicated training programs. University and postgraduate education should be revised and tailored to prepare students for this emerging field. Specific courses, corporate internships, and collaborations with the private sector can help bridge the gap between demand and supply of skills, ensuring the labor market is adequately prepared to meet sustainability challenges.
In this context, where sustainability becomes an increasingly key issue for companies, not only in terms of regulatory compliance but also in reassessing their value proposition, the mission of Progetto Doable is: "to help our clients, who are sensitive to sustainability criteria, meet their needs through services and products that offer ideas, methods, and tools derived from a collective pool of experiences." Progetto Doable presents itself as a strategic ally for companies, providing tools that do not aim to replace certifications and rating services but to efficiently gather all information into a single repository. This repository becomes a reference for companies and their entire supply chain, allowing them to bring together all stakeholders in the value chain and promoting the sharing of best practices and cooperation among them.
