Do you speak the language of sustainability? Here a list of words for better understanding it

Sometimes we read articles or we listen to tv news and documentaries and we hear words or acronyms that we already heard but we don’t know what they actually mean. We understand that they are somehow related to sustainability, but we ignore how. Here a list of sustainable words with their meaning (work in progress)

ACCOUNTABILITY

It is a concept that expresses the degree of “responsibility” of an organization. Transparency in data sharing and provision of services give third parties the opportunity to understand the reputation of companies and therefore give trust.

ETHICAL RATING AGENCY

It is a company that selects potential participants in the Ethical Indices that allow third parties to invest in organizations that follow the criteria of social and environmental responsibility.

ANTHROPOCENE

This is the geological era in which we are living: in particular, the terrestrial environment in the anthropocene is strongly conditioned on a local and global scale by the effects of human interventions. The acceptance is often negative as it focuses on the increase of CO2 and CH4 emissions into the atmosphere.

ETHICAL BANKS

An ethical bank provides its customers with normal banking services by moving within particular criteria (differently defined from institution to institution) in the selection of investments on which to concentrate the savings collected; moreover, ethical banks often also operate in the microcredit sector by providing loans of very low amounts and relatively low interest to particularly disadvantaged customers. Attention to ethics in banking operations means that they guarantee the customer maximum transparency on which investments will be used.

LOW ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

There is a low environmental impact when, with the same energy used, the CO2 produced by the combustion of natural gas is 25-30% less than petroleum products and 40-50% less than coal.

B CORP

The term B Corp refers to companies that are part of a global movement that aims to change the business paradigm by focusing on maximizing the positive impact on the lives of employees, on the communities in which they operate, on the environment and on stakeholders. . The B Corp, in fact, voluntarily choose to produce in a virtuous way, creating social and environmental benefits, while achieving profits. Here you can find the BCorp

BETTER COTTON INITIATIVE

This certification attests, when you find it in reference to some brands, that the cotton used to make the garments is sustainable. Products made with cottons of this type contain at least 50% cotton sourced from retailers or brands that are committed to sourcing sustainable cottons and investing in BCI Farmers (farmers themselves committed to improving the sustainability of their cottons). However, this does not automatically mean that BC is traceable.

SUSTAINABILITY REPORT

This type of report communicates economic sustainability, social sustainability and environmental sustainability. It must be completed by companies of public interest or with more than 500 employees.

BIOLOGICAL

It refers to agriculture that is practiced by exploiting the natural fertility of the soil with limited intervals. With this type of cultivation synthetic products and genetically modified organisms are excluded.

BIODYNAMIC

Fertilization, cultivation and breeding are carried out in ways that respect and promote the fertility and vitality of the soil and the typical qualities of plant and animal species. With this type of crop, synthetic mineral fertilizers and chemical pesticides are banned. The land is managed following the cosmic and lunar cycles.

BIODIVERSITY

In ecology it is also called biological diversity and is the variety of living organisms, in their different forms, and in their respective ecosystems. It encompasses the entire biological variability of genes, species and ecosystems with genetic resources.

ETHICAL CODE

It is a code that clearly specifies the values ​​and responsibilities that companies share internally and externally.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR)

CSR is the set of behaviors that companies undertake to adopt to manage their activities in a responsible manner.

ECO-SUSTAINABILITY

Eco-sustainability is human activity that is regulated according to ecological assumptions within the concept of sustainable development. The renewal of resources is the fundamental element of eco-sustainability and is seen as the ability to self-transform in a cyclical manner. If a behavior allows subsequent generations to be able to take advantage of the same amount of resources that we have received, that behavior is eco-sustainable.

PHYTODEPURATION

Constructed wetland is a system that uses shrubs, plants and flowers as an alternative to traditional purification systems GOTS The Global Organic Texture Standard was developed by leading international organizations in the cultivation of organic agriculture to ensure the quality of production of organic textiles

GREEN

Term used to refer to a lifestyle or an ideological vision. Green is a style marked by not damaging nature and being well and healthy. It also indicates activism and support for those who protect the environment.

GREEN FASHION OR SUSTAINABLE FASHION

This type of fashion, around which an international debate is taking place, concerns the choice of materials, which are innovative and come from organically grown raw materials, with natural fibers and dyes. Even the accessories can be ecological, if made thanks to technology and materials developed with green criteria. Sustainability in fashion is also the treatment of human resources and workers.

GLOBAL REPORTING INITIATIVE (GRI)

Independent international institution that develops and disseminates the guidelines of the “Sustainability Reporting Guidelines” version 3.0 which reports the indicators that can be used and published by companies and institutions to communicate their economic and environmental performance.

ISO 14001

ISO 14001 provides, on a voluntary basis (therefore without legislative constraint), the managerial tools for organizations wishing to control environmental impacts. The ISO 14001 standard is certifiable, LETTER OF ASSURANCE It is a certificate of conformity drawn up by the auditing company that certifies the Sustainability Report.

NGO

It stands for Non-Governmental Organization and indicates any local, national or international organization or group of citizens that has not been created by a Government, NGO projects have, basically, absolute compliance with the criteria of correctness and equity.