“Regenerate to recover”

With the buzz of our successful participation in the B Corp Italian Summit 2020 in July still fresh in the memory, here at Way2Global we’re more determined than ever to change the world and through the revolutionary ethos of a sustainable, generative and fair economy supported by Benefit Corporations.

That’s why we’re again appealing to all companies to change from resource predators into value generators for the planet.

But where do we start, we hear you ask? Well, we’d like to recommend a worthy initiative devised by a Benefit Corporation colleague with one of the biggest hearts around: Primo Barzoni and his team at Palm.

“Rigenerare per ripartire” [Regenerate to recover] is a project from the Palm Work & Project social co-operative and charity and aims to find common ground between the economy, ecology and socio-economic systems. And our very own CEO, Laura Gori, has the honor of being a sponsor of the initiative.

An innovative, socially minded joiner’s workshop working with the RagazziSpeciali group, Palm Work & Project was set up by Primo Barzoni with the help of his family in 2003. The aim behind the project was to support the orientation and integration of young people and adults into society in disadvantaged areas by providing them with dignified work, with the long-term objective of helping them find a sense of independence and begin a virtuous cycle of financial self-sufficiency.

Sadly, the co-operative had some of its equipment stolen during the COVID-19 lockdown. Yet now that the measures are being eased, Palm Work & Project is currently focusing on renovating the wooden furniture (from PEFC-certified supply chains) in the food and refreshment areas Pollenzo University of Gastronomic Sciences (UNISG). The group is adopting a systemic design approach and prioritizing upcycling in order to produce environmentally friendly furniture for the community, inspired by regenerative, circular economy principles.

We want to call on all companies to join with us by taking part in a crowdfunding campaign organized on the La Rete del Dono platform.

With a modest collective effort, we can generate a lasting, amplified positive impact:

• ensuring that the new academic year at UNISG can begin smoothly;
• helping the PALM W&P co-operative to expand its social mission, creating employment for vulnerable people and promoting its regenerative activities;
• acting as a driver of social improvement in local areas by activating a process of sustainability and circular economics.

In addition to the gratification that comes with contributing to the creation of a virtuous cycle featuring multiple Benefit Corporations, companies that donate to the project will be given tangible recognition from UNISG, as specified in the call to action.

The fundraising target is €15,000.

If we surpass the target, any excess will be donated to the co-operative in order to replace the stolen equipment and enable them to resume creating employment and providing training for vulnerable people in the local area, through socially and environmentally innovative projects that benefit the community.

We were genuinely touched by the versatility and diversity of this noble project, which uses a simple model to generate a social impact in various different fields and make a decisive contribution towards the attainment of several of the Sustainable Developments goals set out in the UN’s 2030 Agenda:

• Green economy and circular economy (SDGs 12 and 13)
• Support for vulnerable people, creation of inclusive employment (SDG 8)
• Support for the academic world and universities (SDG 4)
• Promotion of interdependence between B Corps and of partnerships between companies (SDG 17)

In accordance with our goal of leading by example, we’ve decided to step up to the plate and support the project. We’ve always been on the front line with other Benefit Corporations who want to harness the power of business to help the common good.

Our goal is to work in partnership with the Benefit Corporation network, drawing on the shared values within the movement to help us emerge out the other side of the crisis triggered by the pandemic and promote the construction of a new, social capitalist model. It is a goal inspired by the principle of interdependence, which can be best summed up by an old African proverb: “If you dream alone it is only a dream. If you dream together it is reality that begins.”

All Benefit Corporations signed a Declaration of Interdependence when joining the movement. And that ethos has now been strengthened by the creation of the “B Interdependent” initiative from B Lab Global, which aims to provide new inspiration and re-invigorate the leadership of the Benefit Corporation community in its relationships with the world of business.

We’re huge believers in the value of this initiative – we want to engage with the companies in our supply chain and inspire them to start operating in a responsible way, to use their business as a force for good and to provide help wherever and whenever it is needed in order to help us get through this crisis.

So, what are you waiting for? To help build a better world, simply click here!