In recent years, sustainability has moved beyond the scope of social and environmental responsibility alone to fully become one of the strategic levers of competitiveness also for small and medium-sized businesses. Customers, consumers, industrial partners, financial institutions and production chains are progressively directing their choices towards companies capable of managing environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts.
The Italian entrepreneurial fabric shows signs of growing sensitivity to the issue, but also significant structural delays. According to recent research, 94% of Italian SMEs do not yet report any information on sustainability, exposing themselves to an immediate competitive risk compared to European SMEs, where 88% already draw up a sustainability report. In a context in which Europe accelerates the integration of ESG criteria, Italy risks remaining excluded from strategic supply chains that require increasingly higher standards in terms of transparency and responsibility.
The benefits of an integrated sustainability strategy
This data highlights a significant gap between awareness and structuring: many companies have already started sustainable actions, but do not measure them or communicate them systematically, losing opportunities for valorisation and dialogue with key stakeholders. Yet, adopting an integrated sustainability strategy can generate tangible and measurable benefits, including:
- creation of value and innovation, also through process optimization;
- reduction of operating costs and better management of resources;
- strengthening the reputation and trust of customers and partners;
- greater attractiveness towards capital and investors;
- loyalty and attraction of talent;
- better management and mitigation of corporate risks;
- anticipation of regulatory and market demands along the value chain.
In this sense, sustainability represents an enabler of innovation and a tool for strengthening competitive positioning, differentiating oneself on the market and building value in the medium-long term. Investing in energy efficiency, circular economy, organizational wellbeing or more transparent governance models often means rethinking and innovating business processes and models, with positive effects on productivity, competitiveness and resilience.
Support small and medium-sized businesses along the way
For Italian SMEs, often characterized by limited resources but a strong ability to adapt, sustainability on the one hand responds to new market expectations, more aware customers, large companies that require ESG standards from suppliers, increasingly selective supply chains, on the other hand it allows to improve internal efficiency, reducing waste, energy consumption and operational risks. A further key element concerns the relationship with the financial system. Sector studies and analyzes show how companies with a clear and documented sustainability strategy are perceived as less risky, with potential benefits in terms of access to credit, financing conditions and quality of dialogue with banks and investors.
In a rapidly transforming economic context, sustainability therefore represents a concrete lever for Italian SMEs to strengthen competitiveness, credibility and resilience over time. There is no single model valid for everyone: it is a progressive path, adaptable to different sectors, sizes and territories.
It is in this perspective that the Italian Network has launched a path dedicated to small and medium-sized enterprises with the aim of supporting them in integrating sustainability into corporate strategies and increasing awareness of the economic and competitive benefits that derive from it, in order to accompany companies towards a more solid positioning oriented towards the creation of sustainable value.
Read also:
Circular Economy: a growth strategy for Italian SMEs
Italian Business & SDGs Annual Forum 2025: sustainability as a strategic lever for economic growth