The Alphabet of Sustainability

A game of chess where the players are the institutions, the governments, and the companies, and we, as individuals, are the pawns. A global game in which the chessboard is our planet.

With this metaphor, Francesco Morace defines sustainability and opens his book “L’Alfabeto della sostenibilità” (“The Alphabet of Sustainability”), the first part of which testifies the benefits that the choice of being sustainable delivers, despite the initial costs.

The book tells the story of the protagonists of this game: businesses belonging to different fields, of different dimensions, from the smallest family companies to the big multinationals. Many of the latter became the so-called Knights of sustainability, companies that were born earlier in history that has taken the big leap of sustainable innovation becoming creators of the common good, not to be confused with the Bishops, organizations that were already born with this specific objective.

The author doesn’t overlook the key role of single individuals, not only entrepreneurs but also consumers, voters, citizens, and recipients of the change in value that’s now happening: new imagery increasingly oriented to a better quality of life that companies must satisfy by bringing together the culture of profit with social capital.

The companies that the authors decided to mention for propitiating the Smart & Sustainable approach are 26, as the letter of the alphabet. By implementing the Smart&Sustainable approach, these organizations view inclusion, sustainability, and cooperation as the core of their activities, and they succeed to implement the double ecological and digital transition that the paradigm pursues.

Chiesi fits right into this alphabetical list. Described as “The Knight fighting for active and sustainable care”, its history is traced in the book step by step: from its birth in 1935, the year in which Giacomo Chiesi, between an office and a still, began his first experiments, to the foundation of the first factory in 1955 following the interruption caused by the war; from his sons Alberto and Paolo, who began the path of internationalization, to his four grandchildren, heirs to what can now be defined as the global leader in the treatment of the respiratory system; from the affirmation of the company in the 30 countries to which it brings its historical products in the respiratory and cardiovascular areas, to the recent decision to enter the world of rare diseases, supporting patients and their families.

Chiesi is described as a company that puts the well-being of people, not only of its customer-patients but also of its employees, at the center.

As a B Corp, it is committed to ESG issues and pursues the concept of Shared Value: the creation of economic value for the business associated with the progress of society.

Chiesi is also a Benefit Company in Italy, the United States, and France, and has therefore integrated, in its Articles of Association, common benefit purposes and 4 specific purposes dedicated to its patients, community, employees, suppliers, and the environment in which it operates.

Chiesi's commitment as a B Corp company is also demonstrated in the relationship with its suppliers, with whom the company signed a Code of Interdependence, sharing with them a virtuous approach respecting people, communities, and the environment. 

The awareness-raising and communication campaign launched by the Group in 2021, #ActionOverWords, earned praise from the authors. They again emphasize the organization's ability to act by mentioning the promise that the company makes to all its stakeholders to care for the planet and all the people who inhabit it: We ACT is the name of the engagement and mobilization program on sustainability issues involving the more than 6,000 people in the Chiesi Group.

Committed to creating a positive impact on society and the environment through the Chiesi Foundation, it is clear why Francesco Morace included the biopharmaceutical company in his list of 26 ways to be sustainable.

The book leads to a conclusion that Chiesi can only share: Marzia Tomasin emphasizes the power of words, which enable us to change the world, motivate us, push us to action, and which are the bearers of that vital impulse that is an expression of truth. One of these words, perhaps the most important, is sustainability.

"We ensure that we always work responsibly, sustainably, and transparently towards our patients, who are at the heart of our business, and their caregivers, our employees, the planet we occupy, and the communities in which we work," is how Giovanna Usvardi, Head of Global Communication & External Relations of the Chiesi Group, defines our governance in the dedicated podcast that you can listen or download.