“Made in B Italy has a long history but, in summary, it reveals how “Model B” (in which ‘B’ obviously stands for Benefit), is necessary and urgent, and is an extraordinary opportunity for Italy. Italy, which, in the midst of one of its crises, never ceases to have extraordinary stories to tell and excellence to show.”
One of our special projects, together with “Language Industry 4.0” and “Green Translations”, “Made In B Italy” is a publishing creation to which we have dedicated two years of energy, research and creativity. It is the result of an idea hatched and developed together with Way2Global.
A multilingual book that contains the testimonies of Italian Benefit Corporations, companies that want to create value in addition to profit, and embrace the cause of the common good, making environmental and social sustainability a key part of their identity. Companies that are aware that there is now an urgent, inescapable need to change the traditional economic paradigm in order to save the planet from the brink of destruction.
Way2Global, founded as a Società Benefit and then certified as a B Corp, has based its very existence on the concept of sustainability. Its Statute still includes the objective of promoting its business in the spirit of the UN resolution that in 2017 defined professional translation as a sustainability driver to unite people beyond borders, languages and cultures. Indeed, it does so driven by the explosive, inspirational energy of its hyperbolic, but fascinating Unique Transformative Proposition: “Translation that unites the world”.
With these premises, in collaboration with other passionate Benefit Corporations such as Nativa, Treedom and AssoBenefit, we have decided to show that doing business differently, taking care of the planet and humanity, is not only possible, but is also a source of immense satisfaction and a driving force for healthy growth. This is the message that Made in B Italy wants to communicate in all of the world’s languages.
We translate change
Finally, sustainability seems to be a mainstream topic: everyone talks about it, consumers look for it, companies develop activities with a positive social and environmental impact and even politics is starting to demonstrate a slight awareness regarding this issue. Meanwhile, we are witnessing the collapse of the traditional concept of capitalism, which is inexorably revealing its shortcomings and the short-sightedness of a model based on maximizing profit for shareholders alone. Through the cracks of this outdated paradigm, we can start to glimpse a new concept of a more equitable, inclusive and regenerative economic system: the Benefit model, which protects the rights of all stakeholders. But there is still a long way to go.
A trailblazer of this approach and a passionate champion of Benefit Corporations, Way2Global was established with the idea of doing business according to the Benefit model — in an innovative, sustainable and advanced way, using the strength of the business for the benefit of the community and the planet. Going beyond the barren horizon of profit margins alone, our “translations that unite” strive to care for the environment and people, to help solve the great challenges of humanity, and to contribute every day to achieving the sustainable development goals of the UN 2030 Agenda. This is also where we started for “Made In B Italy”.
With our translation services we help outstanding Made in Italy companies take their business across borders, while with “Made in B Italy” we want to proudly export the vanguard of the new Italian civil society model of the Società Benefit, destined to set a new global benchmark.
Italy was the first country after the US to recognize Benefit Corporations, introducing the “Società Benefit” legal status with the Del Barba law in 2016. Today, there are more than 400 Società Benefit companies in Italy and over 100 certified B Corps, all of which are successful.
It is precisely the desire to promote the Italian record of the Benefit model’s early adopters, as well as our mission as an agent of social innovation, that has led to our enthusiastic decision to present ourselves, with our project, as global standard bearers of our Italian B model, to accelerate a paradigm shift that cannot be deferred and to have a virtuous global impact.
With the firm belief that networking through value sharing is the only way that we can change the system, we have gathered a selection of eminent partners for our project: Mauro Del Barba, the father of the Italian Società Benefit law , Prof. Stefano Zamagni, an economist internationally respected for his research on social economy; Treedom, the young “tree planters” who have turned environmental offsetting into a hugely successful business; Nativa, which first hitched onto the Benefit movement and imported it to Italy; AssoBenefit, the newly formed association dedicated to the development and strengthening of the Italian Benefit community; and Blonk, a publishing house that forms part of the Altiero Spinelli School in Milan.
“We have tried to construct a convincing portrait of a world that is changing the way we interpret the market, and consequently to construct the market. Starting from new, humane and sustainable bases”.
Want to know more about Made in B Italy? Fill out the form to read the introduction to the book!