The sustainability assessment is a fundamental working method for embarking on a sustainability journey, as it serves as a tool that captures the company's "as is" state, providing key insights to understand the strengths and areas for improvement within the business system.
Understanding how sustainable a company is means analyzing and managing variables that can become enabling factors to create economic, social, and environmental well-being simultaneously. However, achieving a harmonious management of all these aspects requires analyzing them through qualitative and quantitative tools, which provide a critical, up-to-date, and quantifiable view of the company’s sustainability level.

The assessment analyses allow us to explore different dimensions: the social dimension, through qualitative surveys on the employees' perceptions of various topics, their relationship with stakeholders, and the company's relationship with the local area; the environmental dimension, focusing on the impacts of the company and its supply chain; and the economic-financial dimension, which highlights the creation and distribution of the generated value.

It is, above all, a process. Thanks to the various tools used, those involved in the assessment process learn methodologies and new approaches to "look" at their workplace and increase awareness of current and actionable sustainability practices and policies.

One of our key objectives is to train the project team to adopt a systemic view of the company’s activities, processes, and functions. The involvement of people who experience the company daily is essential to ensure comprehensive and representative data collection for the entire business system.

The assessment process conducted with Maglificio Alto Milanese, as part of a project carried out in collaboration with Servizi Confindustria Varese, lasted about three months and developed through periodic meetings between the project team—comprising various professionals and business functions—and the Askesis consultants, each specialized in different areas of analysis. This allowed for specific and detailed evaluations, which culminated in a final document that provides a "comprehensive" view of the entire company and enabled all participants to deepen their knowledge of the company’s sustainability-oriented goals, tools, and actions.

One factor that certainly contributed to the success of the activity was the active involvement of the entire company. For Maglificio Alto Milanese, the sustainability assessment was not just an evaluation exercise but an important opportunity to bring governance representatives and employees together to reflect on their strengths and areas for improvement.

"The sustainability assessment process we undertook with Askesis," says Giorgia Grampa of Maglificio Alto Milanese, "offered us a valuable opportunity to deeply reflect on the sustainable dimension of our company. This process helped us identify not only the areas where we were already aligned with sustainability principles but also those where there was room for improvement. We were able to gain a deeper understanding of the concrete and strategic steps we need to take to integrate sustainability into every aspect of our business, with the goal of transforming into a Benefit Corporation. This will enable us to create a positive and lasting impact not only economically but also socially and environmentally, reinforcing our commitment to a responsible and innovative business model."

The Inclusive and multidisciplinary approach with which Askesis typically operates ensures a comprehensive and accurate evaluation, providing the company with the necessary tools to fully understand itself and decide how to move forward in the future.

Valentina Soggia
Sustainability Consultant Askesis