L'integrazione della sostenibilità nei processi di gestione aziendale. Apprendere lezioni da alcune B Corp italiane nel settore Food and Beverage

The current global economic system is primarily driven by profit maximization, and this leads most companies to disregard any negative impacts or consequences on the environment and society. However, the increasingly damaging effects of climate change have raised awareness among citizens, companies, and institutions that the current way of living and conducting business is no longer sustainable. This received much more importance in a world with a growing population estimated to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050. Considering specific sectors, for instance, the Food and Beverage industry is responsible for 26 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions. The development of more sustainable farming, growing, and food production practices become necessary in mitigating their impacts on the environment. In this context, the B Corp movement started to flourish guided by values of ethics, fairness, transparency, and approaches to environmental and social sustainability. B Corp companies balance economic and financial goals with environmental and social ones, considering all stakeholders in their decision-making processes. This research aims to identify the characteristics and the developments of the B Lab movement in the F&B sector challenged by several sustainability paradoxes. To achieve this objective, the thesis addresses a literature review on the B Corps and then analyses the managerial processes of some B Corps by conducting interviews with sustainability specialists.