Investing in sustainability creates competitive advantage

How deeply is sustainability built into corporate strategy, and how much is still a matter of compliance? Gianni Squitieri, Expert Member of the Sustainable Development Foundation, who sits on IPACK-IMA's Scientific and Technical Committee, discusses what separates a genuine transition from minor adjustments, the European regulations that will shape the next two years, and what is at stake for the packaging and processing industry on the road to IPACK-IMA 2028.

Gianni Squitieri

What distinguishes a genuine sustainable transition from simple compliance today?

The worsening climate crisis, on which the scientific community increasingly agrees, calls for profound, structural action at every level of society. Industrial strategies can no longer ignore it and limit themselves to minor adjustments: adjustments of that kind condemn companies to inevitable decline. On the contrary, as many studies have shown, those who invest in sustainability very often gain an undeniable competitive advantage.

China's electric vehicle industry is a clear example. Through a forward-looking industrial strategy, it has become the undisputed global leader, while the European automotive industry is struggling because it failed to take up this challenge.

What does that mean in practice for a company?

Embracing the complexity of sustainable development means placing sustainability at the heart of the overall strategy, while redefining both governance and the business model. In concrete terms, it means setting the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions throughout the entire value chain, from the design stage to the end of the product's life.

Between now and 2028, where will the balance be struck between reducing environmental impact, protecting the product and economic sustainability?

The next two years will be particularly important, especially with the forthcoming approval and implementation of major European regulations. I am thinking of the Circular Economy Act and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation.

These rules can bring about a real shift across the entire industrial system: a system in which reducing environmental impact, energy consumption and raw material use, extending product life, reuse, recovery and recyclability become the foundation of a new production model.

What is at stake for the Italian packaging and processing industry?

For the Italian packaging and processing industry in particular, these rules can be fundamental, not only to confirm its global leadership but to give it an even stronger outlook for the future. The worsening climate crisis on one side and persistent international crises on the other make this action all the more necessary.

The words of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were prophetic. In 2025, she described circularity as a priority for the European Union and the key to making the most of its limited resources, reducing dependencies, strengthening the resilience of European industry and supporting its competitiveness.

Sustainability thus becomes a strategic choice, one that concerns competitiveness, the use of resources and companies' ability to look to the future. It is one of the themes through which the Scientific and Technical Committee accompanies the community on the road to IPACK-IMA 2028.

The Scientific and Technical Committee is the body set up by IPACK-IMA to guide the content of the road to 2028. Chaired by Luciano Sottile, it brings together experts from industry, academia and the supply chain.

Its work follows four lines: observing emerging trends before they become established, translating expertise into clear and accessible content, connecting the different supply chains, and accompanying the community step by step towards the 2028 edition. Meet the CTS members: www.ipackima.com/industry-hub.html