Born in Turin on "ESG Laboratory - Environmental Social Governance" thanks to the collaboration between Intesa Sanpaolo, the Chamber of Commerce andOrder of Accountants and Accounting Experts. This initiative, presented at the Intesa Sanpaolo skyscraper in Turin with the support of VISA, is based on a system and service logic. In collaboration with the Turin Chamber of Commerce, they will come promoted projects and themes related to innovation, inclusion and social impact. Accompanying actions for SMEs will be implemented with the Order of Accountants and Accounting Experts of Turin. The ESG laboratory will cooperate also with trade associations, universities, specialization schools, research centers and local ITS.
What will the ESG laboratory in Turin do?
Il ESG laboratory of Turin is configured as a accelerator for the sustainable growth of SMEs, promoting the creation of both social and environmental collective value. In this context, attention to the environment, the transition towards a digitized and sustainable economy become crucial for the manufacturing system. The goal of the laboratory is to promote and support investments and growth opportunities for SMEs, combining the needs of companies with the skills of the best stakeholders.
The ESG Laboratory in Turin will provide advice, information, assessments and identification of actions necessary to support SMEs along the transition path towards sustainability. This will be possible thanks to the collaboration with partners of excellence as Circularity, the first Italian industrial symbiosis platform dedicated to the circular economy, Native, the first B Corp and Benefit Company in Europe that integrates the purpose in the DNA of the organizations, e CE LAB, a partnership between the Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center and Cariplo Factory to promote the evolution of the Italian economic system and disseminate new models of value creation in the collective interest, accelerating the transition towards a circular economy.
Entente: similar initiatives have been launched in other cities
Intesa Sanpaolo already has started initiatives similar to Brescia, Padua, Venice, Cuneo, Bergamo, Bari, Taranto, Naples, Palermo and Rome. The idea was born in collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, a Group company that explores future scenarios and trends, develops applied research projects, supports high-potential startups and accelerates business transformation according to the principles of open innovation and the circular economy.
ESG Labs represent a important point of reference for SMEs who wish to improve their sustainability profile and are part of a broader plan to support the Intesa Sanpaolo Group for investments linked to the Pnrr. These workshops aim at involve human capital to the maximum of businesses and promote collaboration with innovative startups and digital transformation.
Intesa's investments for the environmental sustainability of SMEs
La environmental and social sustainability has a significant impact on the growth and competitiveness of pmi, and for this reason Intesa Sanpaolo has allocated 8 billion euros to investments in the Circular Economy as stated in its Business Plan 2022-2025. In 2020, a ceiling of 2 billion euro was launched for S-Loans, an innovative line of medium-long term loans that support companies' efforts towards greater sustainability, with a reduction in interest rates linked to the achievement of objectives ESG. In particular, the S-Loan Climate Change, Tourism and Agribusiness, with the 80% SACE Green guarantee, are initiatives designed for SMEs and Mid-Caps who wish to invest to counter the effects of climate change and reduce their environmental impact through green investment projects. Since these initiatives were launched, the Direction Piedmont North, Valle d'Aosta and Sardinia of Intesa Sanpaolo has approximately 400 million disbursed euro.
Linked to the commitments already undertaken within the framework of the PNRR, the Group has set a provision of important resources, equal to 76 billion euros, to support companies that invest in renewable energy. Through the innovative S-Loan CER line of financing, the Bank rewards companies that not only invest in renewables, but also undertake to make unconsumed energy available to the community, offering them a rate discount. Furthermore, customers can access consultancy and advisory services supported by technical partners to develop the best investment project and set up new Renewable Energy Communities (CERs), also benefiting from information and dissemination activities with institutional partners.
"It is our intention offer businesses a service that is not only informative, but that helps them concretely to achieve those sustainability objectives that the market expects, for example by involving them in best practice experiences. Producing in a more sustainable way is rapidly becoming a decisive aspect for continuing to have a competitive role in the supply chain and in the near future it will also weigh on the rating. The Laboratory helps us to prepare companies in time, thanks also to the collaboration of two partners – the Chamber of Commerce of Turin and the Order of Accountants – who are a fundamental point of reference, in particular for micro and small enterprises, the most defenseless on the ESG front” he declared Stefano Cappellari, Regional Director of Northern Piedmont, Valle d'Aosta and Sardinia of Intesa Sanpaolo.
