THE AGE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT - ENACTUS UNITO

We have entered a new era. Global society is interconnected as never before. Companies, ideas, technologies, people and, sadly, epidemic diseases are crossing borders with unprecedented speed and intensity. We share the euphoria of the new information age, but also the fears of possible environmental cataclysms on a global scale. Business practices as well as technologies and the size and structure of populations are changing rapidly. New opportunities and new risks are emerging. For these reasons, I believe that we have entered the era of sustainable development. This work aims to show that sustainable development is as much a way of looking at the world, with particular attention to the interactions between economic, social and environmental change, as it is a way of describing our aspiration for a life of dignity, combining economic development with social inclusion and environmental sustainability. As the term ‘sustainable development’ reaches further into popular consciences worldwide, as more institutions recognise sustainability as a major policy goal, and at a time of a heightened sense of urgency in many areas of environment and development, there is a continued need to reflect critically on what is trying to be achieved, whose interests and values may be dominant and what the costs and benefits of particular interventions, that is, policy responses and management decisions, are for particular people, business undertakings and local environments. The origins of the notion of sustainable development, the history and the major milestones until “Agenda 30” are traced in Chapter 1. The historical overview presented confirms that the context within which environment and development objectives are being pursued is changing rapidly, requiring continuous re-evaluation of the meaning of sustainable development. In addition, the sustainable development policies within the European union and the Green Deal will be discussed. In Chapter 2, the contemporary global challenges of sustainable development are considered together with the sustainable principles, frameworks and indicators connected to the business world. The topics that will be examined are: - Corporate Sustainability; - European regulations, laws, directives and principles that encourage companies to invest in the sustainable sector; - Sustainable budgeting and non-financial reporting; - The role of consulting companies in the sustainable sector; - Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR); - Global Standards for Sustainability Reporting (GRI); Finally, in Chapter 3, the concrete issues analysed in the previous chapters will be analysed, in particular sustainability as an opportunity for students to grow and put into practice subjects discussed during academic classes. There will be a detailed description of what Enactus is and the reasons that motivated me to bring this community to my prestigious university. I will tell the story of our association and its achievements in the 2020-2021 academic year. Our new era will soon be defined by new global goals, the goals of sustainable development. I am extremely enthusiastic to share these concepts and sincerely hope that this work will help identify ways and means to move forward in this new era, and that many young students will soon become creative and committed spokespeople for sustainable development in our world.