In May, there will be two appointments with Homo Faber Economy, the project for the city of Venice promoted by Ca' Foscari University in partnership with Fondazione di Venezia and Upskill 4.0, always focused on the major theme of sustainability. The first was last week and took up the conclusions of the focus group Crafts, fashion and sustainability that had been held in April.
Giulia Pordd, ESG and Impact Manager, again led us through important new reflections on the importance of the value of individuals and networks, and how the global brand Venice can be a driving force for those artisan experiences that also want to evolve in terms of sustainability.
A value connector, rather than an instrumental one, suggests Pordd, is needed to succeed together in engaging customers who are increasingly tied to niche markets, sophisticated and looking for parameters related to environmental, social and economic impact. It is with them that a dialogue must be established, creating a new storytelling.
New audiences, new needs, new languages, new experiences: one must create joint affinities with one's customers, perhaps through network projects that can amplify our offerings accordingly as well. The experience must not only be digital, but also physical and also transform into personalized paths.
Change together is always less strenuous. According to the "Theory of change," a desired long-term change occurs through a sequence of intermediate steps, starting from an initial situation until the final goal is reached. There are many relationships between activities, outcomes and end goal. For Giulia Pordd, it is convenient to first focus on the change to be achieved collectively and then worry about the investments to be made and negotiate values.
Lanificio Bottoli was the artisan company featured in the second part of the meeting. Founded in 1861 in Vittorio Veneto, it has been producing high-quality fabrics since 1861. Its production facility is set in the countryside on 5,000 square meters, with a production capacity of more than 2,500 meters of fabric per day. Ecological fabrics made from selected wools, Lanificio Bottoli uses fleeces exclusively in their natural shades. No dyes, no dyeing is used. Summer fabrics are made from raw organic plant fibers without dyes, creating 100 percent Italian products.
In terms of sustainability Lanificio Bottoli is a true pioneer because it has been doing this since 2000. Today it boasts collaborations with big fashion brands such as Missoni, Etro and Ballantyne. Roberto Bottoli is also the coordinator of the Veneto Fashion Table, which has always been a meeting place to communicate and bring out different experiences and common problems.
Sustainability according to Bottoli does not have to be something ideological, but every company must, if it wants to embark on this path, which is anything but simple, translate sustainability from generic terms to something practical.
For Andrea Saviane of Confartigianato Città Mettopolitana di Venezia, the certification process that attests to a company's level of sustainability often results in bringing out characteristics that already exist in companies that need to be classified under the right headings.
Then as always perseverance and constancy pay off, even in the area of sustainability.
Project "Homo Faber Economy" - Code 2120-0001-727-2023 - CUP H77G23000350002 - PR Veneto ESF+ 2021-2027 - DGR. 727/2023 VENICE I.C.O.N.A.