UNGCN Italy News - UN Global Compact Network Italia

UNGCN Italy

The circular economy should no longer be viewed as an emerging trend, but rather as a fundamental strategic lever for Italian SMEs seeking to remain competitive, strengthen their role within supply chains, and achieve sustainable growth in both national and international markets. In a context marked by volatile raw material prices, increasing resource scarcity, and an increasingly complex regulatory environment, the adoption of circular models enables companies to reduce risk exposure while creating new value opportunities.

The circular economy is a model of production and consumption that aims to keep products, materials, and resources in use for as long as possible through practices such as sharing, reuse, repair, refurbishment, and recycling. Its objective is to extend product life cycles and significantly reduce waste generation by reintegrating materials into production processes once their original function has been fulfilled. This approach transforms waste into resources, creating additional economic value and improving the overall efficiency of production systems.

Dear Participants of the United Nations Global Compact,

it is a pleasure for me to address you with this first letter of the end of the year. I take up with enthusiasm - and with a sense of responsibility - the legacy left by Marco Frey at the end of his long mandate, trusting that I can continue with you the path of growth, dialogue and commitment that characterized his contribution. We are approaching the end of 2025 feeling a strong duty to share some reflections at the end of a year which, for sustainability at a global level, was among the most complex of the last decade.

Yesterday morning, the Executive Director of UNGCN Italy, Daniela Bernacchi, participated in the first global Workshop on Voluntary National Reviews - organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

The main objective of the meeting was to bring together representatives of Governments, institutions and civil society organizations from around the world, involved in the implementation of Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs), to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, experiences and best practices, and explore specific issues and challenges related to the preparation of VNRs, in view of the upcoming High-Level Political Forum in New York.

On 26 February 2025, the European Commission presented the Omnibus I Package, a proposal to simplify - in all EU member states - the legislation in force in the sustainability and investment sectors, specifically the reporting directive (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, CSRD) and the corporate sustainability due diligence directive (CSDDD).

After a "Stop-the-clock" announced in April by the EU Council which contemplated the postponement of entry into force and the remodulation of the brackets for different types and sizes of companies, yesterday afternoon the European Parliament met in plenary and definitively approved the package.

The 14^th UN Forum on Business & Human Rights, the world's leading summit dedicated to promoting the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, has just closed in Geneva. The Forum brought together governments, the private sector, civil society, and international organizations to accelerate action on human rights.

The Forum provided a unique opportunity for multi-stakeholder dialogue to assess the effectiveness of existing regulatory frameworks on human and labor rights and explore strategies to improve commitments and actions in response to constantly evolving global dynamics.

According to estimates, 75% of participants came from the business world, but there was a lack of representation from suppliers and workers, who are the real protagonists of the subject. Among the issues that emerged most strongly in the discussion were the living wage – to which most companies are already committed – the link between climate and human rights, and the risks and opportunities associated with the use of AI to accelerate due diligence processes.

The 30th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP30), held in Belém, Brazil, from 10 to 21 November 2025, has just concluded, bringing together nearly 200 countries to discuss global climate policies. The conference reaffirmed the importance of multilateral cooperation and continuity with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, without introducing binding commitments on the phase-out of fossil fuels. The final agreement, known as the Mutirão Decision, was greeted with applause, but observers still considered it insufficiently incisive due to gaps in energy and mitigation policies.

As part of the initiatives promoted by the Italian Pavilion at COP30, held in Belém, Brazil, from 10 to 21 November, the UN Global Compact Network Italy, in collaboration with RemTech Expo, organised the event “Nature to Tackle the Climate Change Challenge: Businesses and Urban Regeneration.” In particular, the session curated by the Italian Network provided an opportunity to present the study “Italian Companies and the Role of Natural Capital Protection in the fight against Climate Change,” a research carried out in 2025 in collaboration with The European House – Ambrosetti and Ca' Foscari University of Venice, with the support of Edison SpA.

The meeting in Belém opened with institutional greetings from Francesco Corvaro, Special Envoy for Climate Change for Italy, and Alessandro Guerri, General Manager, Directorate-General for European, International Affairs and Sustainable Finance, Ministry of Environment and Energy Security of Italy.

Biodiversity still a weak point in corporate environmental strategies: only 42% of companies monitor impacts

Italian companies are becoming increasingly aware of the strategic value of nature, but biodiversity remains largely absent from environmental strategies. This is the message from the new report "Italian Companies and the role of Natural Capital Protection in the Fight against Climate Change", promoted by the UN Global Compact Network Italy in collaboration with The European House – Ambrosetti, Ca' Foscari University of Venice, with the support of Edison. The study has been presented during COP30 in Belém, at the Italian Pavilion, in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security.

The tenth edition of the Italian Business & SDGs Annual Forum, organized by UN Global Compact Network Italy, last 21 and 22 October, reiterated a now central message in the business world: sustainability is no longer an ethical or reputational choice, but an essential condition for economic growth and competitiveness.

This year the SDGs Forum took place in Naples, a city chosen to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Global Compact and to enhance the role of Southern Italy as a laboratory of innovation and sustainability. Naples has thus established itself as a symbol of a sustainable transition from below, capable of connecting institutions, businesses and local communities in a common path of responsible development.

The study “The Perception of Sustainable Development by Europeans” conducted in 16 countries highlights that Italian citizens' interest in SDGs and sustainable consumption is higher than the European average

Sustainability remains a fundamental value for European citizens and, to an even greater extent, for Italian citizens. This is what emerges from the new study “The Perception of Sustainable Development by Europeans,” conducted by the European Country Networks of the UN Global Compact and presented on September 24 in New York, during a side event of the Leaders Summit 2025.

The year 2024 was the second year in which the Global Compact Network Italy Foundation drafted and published its Social Report to share, with its stakeholders, the work carried out and the value generated.

The document provides detailed information on the various aspects of the Foundation such as the Value Proposition and the Mission of the Italian Country Network; the structure with which it is organized, to achieve its statutory objectives; the description of the initiatives and special projects carried out during the year, as well as an overview of the economic and financial situation.

In the various sections of the document, the story of the lively growth of the Network narrates of another year of commitment and activity, alongside companies and organizations, on the path towards the promotion of the Ten Principles of the UN Global Compact and towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

The digital transition can and must become a tool for accelerating sustainability in agrifood supply chains, helping to make production systems more equitable, inclusive, and resilient. To achieve this goal, it is crucial that businesses adopt a strategic approach to digitalization, consistent with the Objectives of the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations and supported by effective public-private partnerships. This is the message shared by UN Global Compact Network Italy and the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations during the side event organized in the margins of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), held on July 21 in New York.

Twenty-five years ago, nearly 50 pioneering companies joined forces with the United Nations to align their operations and strategies to advance a more sustainable world.

On 26 July 2000, then-UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan launched the UN Global Compact with a bold vision: to unite businesses around the world in advancing human rights, labour standards, environmental stewardship and anti-corruption. This was the beginning of a powerful partnership between businesses, Governments and civil society to create a more inclusive and ethical global market.

With less than five years to go until 2030, the year set for achieving the 2030 Agenda, the world is behind schedule in achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets. Humanity is facing unprecedented geopolitical, economic and environmental challenges, which are redefining the role of businesses and the scope of their commitment to sustainability from an environmental, social, economic and governance perspective.

On the occasion of International Women's Day, UN Global Compact Network Italy, Borsa Italiana and Women in ETFs are promoting the event “International Women's Day | Ring the Bell for Gender Equality - Closing the Gap: Accelerate action,” the ceremonial event organized annually by more than 100 stock exchanges around the world to dedicate the opening of financial markets to the theme of Gender Equality.

The event will be held March 7 in Milan at the headquarters of Borsa Italiana. Attendance in person is strictly by invitation, but the ceremonial will be live streamed open to all on the UN Global Compact Network Italy YouTube channel.

At the High-Level Political Forum in New York, the UN Global Compact Network Italy (UNGCN Italy) unveiled its Position Paper on Transformational Governance. This document, developed in collaboration with 54 leading Italian companies, highlights innovative strategies for embedding sustainability into business operations.

UN Global Compact Network Italy publishes the English version of the Guidelines “How to develop a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Policy”, produced in 2023 as part of the D&I Observatory and in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Italian Association of Staff Management (AIDP).

The document presents the main trends on DE&I among the Italian private sector and shares useful recommendations for drafting and adopting corporate policies on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, through the perspective of processes, contents as well as roles and responsibilities related to its implementation. The document also presents a number of best practices collected between the Observatory’s participating companies, with reference to their own DE&I policies, strategies and projects.

In the framework of the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 28), UN Global Compact Network Italy presents the results of the research “Italian business commitment towards net-zero”, developed with the support of Ipsos.

The study outlines the state of the art regarding the Climate Action of Italian companies and, in particular, their contribution to the reduction of carbon emissions and to the net-zero target. It analyzes which are the main drivers, challenges to be faced and opportunities to be seized, also through thematic focuses.

With the 2022 Activities Report, we go through another year of engagement alongside enterprises and organizations, promoting sustainable development through the Ten Principles of UN Global Compact and the 17 SDGs of the UN 2030 Agenda. In 2022, about 1,900 people were involved in our programmes and events. More than 80 thematic experts and professionals have spoken in support of the Network’s initiatives. 40 business cases have been presented during these occasions.

Dear Participants of the UN Global Compact,

With 2023 underway, there’s no doubt we live in a fragile, fractured world. The war in Ukraine, energy and food crises, climate change, extreme weather, threats to democracy, the ongoing pandemic and many other headwinds like inflation, currency fluctuation and looming recession undermine our efforts for a sustainable world.

These are global challenges we must rally behind addressing. Let’s make sure that 2023 is a year that turns the tide back to progress. Solutions are always near. We have a number of important opportunities in front of us that can contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive world.

With the world facing extraordinary crises, the UN Global Compact and its 62 Local Networks are supporting companies to take measurable, accountable actions for a sustainable world. It’s the right thing to do and good for business.

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