The future of life on earth
When talking about environment and future on planet Earth, the experts and young people have quite different opinions. The young are far much worried. Even more than the adults – who, by the way, in these latest years have grown more sensitive to this issue. In fact, if 51 per cent of Italian people declares to be worried by climate change, the percentage grows to 64 per cent if we ask to Generation Z, born in the years between 1995 and 2010. They share a pessimistic view of the future – for them, the theme of sustainability is connected to that of intergenerational justice. They are aware of the fact that they will be penalized and that they will inherit a world, worse than that bestowed on previous generations, to their parents and grandparents.
To try to change the unsustainability of a system that is already out of control, thus avoiding the collapse of the planet, there is only one way left. Today, the only possible progress is the one suggested by 2030 Agenda, which is the highest moment reached in human history, to project together the future we all should like to have.
The future on Earth is at the core of Goal 15 of the document drawn up in 2015 during Paris Agreement on climate change. The aim is that of protecting and restoring terrestrial ecosystems, using forests in a sustainable way, stopping desertification and land degradation, safeguarding biodiversity. Because an ecosystem is as rich as rich and healthy is the variety of species that make it.
Being a company that in the latest thirty years has been founding its roots on passion for wood and on promoting a healthy, near-to-nature lifestyle - starting from the choice of the materials used for our homes – ITLAS is bestowing particular attention to this goal as well as to the aims set by the Agenda.
Such as the promotion of sustainable management for all forests, thus halting deforestation, restoring degraded woodlands and increasing reforestation significantly everywhere.
But also the commitment to grant conservation of mountain ecosystems with all their biodiversity, in order to improve their capacity of producing benefits essential for a sustainable development.
And more: fighting the illegal sale of wild species and financing sustainable management of woodlands.
In its first Sustainability Report (for the years 2017/2019) the company gave an account of any action that it took in this direction. Together with the policy (which has been going on for several years) of buying only from forests that are certified and sustainably managed, there is also the purchase of 609 cubic metres of Beech timber, recovered after storm Vaia of 2018 – all PEFC™ certified. Of course, it has been a production plan supported by a specific marketing action (which, at a first sight and for all those who do not know the company’s history) could look as a mere commercial action. However, the purchase of that timber allowed the forest to be quickly cleaned by felled trees, so preventing the trees from rotting on the ground, thus spoiling raw material and causing further damage to the environment.
Moreover, at the end of 2018 the involvement in the Solidarity Chain project launched by PEFC™ Italia, in order to support environmental and economic emergency brought forth by Vaia, met the standards of Goal 15. The no-profit board involved the certified companies (Itlas has been PEFC™ certified since 2007), asking them to buy wood coming from the felled trees instead of importing it, at a fair price. This wood is traced all along the supply chain until the final consumer and it carries its own logo, which had been especially created for this initiative.
