With this in mind, on 9th April, Markas hosted the event "Investing in sustainability: a driver of growth and transformation" which took place at Garden House in Milan.
The aim was to create a space where clients and suppliers from various sectors could discuss on embedding sustainability into their daily operations, strengthening synergies and cultivating a culture that goes beyond the boundaries of any individual organization.
ESG in practice: comparing three different experiences
The morning began with a keynote address on ESG by Prof. Marco Frey, a full professor at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa and one of Italy's leading authorities on the subject. This was followed by a roundtable discussion which brought together different yet
complementary perspectives.
On the environmental front, the experience shared by Alessio Calandrelli, senior manager at the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, highlighted that the first step of any ESG journey is the ability to measure yourself. Before setting ambitious targets, an organization needs a clear picture of where it stands, concrete indicators, systematic data collection, and the ability to use that data to drive corrective action. When it comes to a hospital, this is translated into detailed energy audits across all sites, leading to targeted and measurable improvements.
Giorgio Galli, Head of Quality and Sustainability Initiatives at UNA Italian Hospitality, focused on the social dimension of sustainability, highlighting diversity, accessibility and inclusion as strategic levers. To make its properties more inclusive, the group has built partnerships with disability associations that carry out internal audits and guide concrete improvements to spaces. This is an example of how external input can be a strategic resource, capable of shaping decisions that would rarely emerge from within.
In terms of governance, Daniela Vitali, Head of ESG & Sustainability at Südtiroler Sparkasse, explained that sustainability needs to be embedded in strategic planning. This requires the involvement of senior leadership and a culture that actively draws on contributions from across the organization. This approach has already delivered tangible results, such as the Sparkasse Energy project: two photovoltaic parks launched in 2023 to power the group's own branches and diversify its business model, turning environmental commitment into measurable economic value.
Elisa Montanari, CSR Ambassador and Communication Team Leader at Markas, brought these three dimensions together by reminding the audience that working with partners who share the same sustainability values is fundamental to all of this. After all, a strong ESG strategy cannot be separated from the quality of the relationships a company builds along its value chain.
Sustainability as shared responsibility
Bringing clients and suppliers together to rethink the same issues created the right conditions for encouraging new ideas, strengthening existing relationships as well as forming new and unexpected connections. The networking followed by lunch turned reflections into concrete knowledge exchange and, in some cases, into potential future collaborations. For Markas, this event confirmed that sustainability, when it's truly embraced, it is not a topic that affects individually every single company but instead it is a collective action!
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