Imaginarium: How Creative Industries Are Rethinking Sustainability

Sustainability, sustainability, sustainability: there is no organization, there is no company, there is no person who does not talk about it. On the other hand, the issue is too urgent and this summer we had yet another proof: the climate, gone mad, has burned the earth or flooded it, without half measures. Water has been scarce, showing a series of critical issues, which have made us reflect on waste, climate change, health.

It is important then to gather those who can have good solutions, those who can really move things. And this is how the work of Water Foundationthe philanthropic organization for the preservation of water and its governance at a global level, now becomes even more valuable: with Imaginariumits annual event at the headquarters of the Riccardo Catella Foundation in Milan, which this year also sees alongside it Vanity Fairtakes stock of the state of affairs, involving the creative industries to see how they have rethought their businesses and productions in terms of (urgent) sustainability.

The protagonists of Fashion, Architecture, Economy, Showbiz were invited because taking stock together is necessary, to work in a synergic way.

And then, after the initial greetings of Gabriele BonfiglioliCo-founder & President of Acqua Foundation, Louise PanconesiChief Sustainability Officer of Luisaviaroma and Simone Marchettidirector of Vanity Fair Italywe get to the heart of the matter with Charles Capasapresident of the National Chamber of Italian Fashion, who explains how Italian fashion is sustainable and how institutions could and should help the fashion system to become even more virtuous.

Only a few years ago, big brands looked askance at sustainability. And in fact, clothes that called themselves sustainable were often not attractive enough to captivate the public. Today, this is no longer the case and Matthew Ward (WRAD Co-founder and author Junk-Armadi Pieni), María Fernanda Hernández Franco (Acqua Foundation Advisory Board & Sustainability Director, Temera) ed Eva Kruse (Founder Global Fashion Agenda) give a concrete example with their stories and their work.

But exemplary ideas must then be turned into a system and Louis of the Old (President Sylva Foundation & Chairman of Continental Europe for Corporate and Investment Banking in Citi), Francis Pieri (Co-Founder & Managing Director, Temera) e Pier Mario Barzaghi (Head of ESG, KPMG Italy) are committed to ensuring that the world of finance also supports and gives strength to promising initiatives.

The discussion broadens and becomes a truly holistic approach, with Kelly Russell Catella (Managing Director, Fondazione Riccardo Catella and Head of Sustainability & Communication, COIMA) e JJ Martin (Founder La Double J) who focus on how sustainability can contribute to creating a new sense of well-being and community.

And, for a more aware and attentive community, we need, consequently, cities that are up to the task: these are what architects think of. Mario Cucinella (Founder & Design Director, Mario Cucinella Architects) e Paul Brescia (Co-Founding Partner of OBR Open Building Research), who exhibit their futuristic projects.

But what becomes clear at Imaginarium is that everything contributes to creating a better future: Art does it, as well testify Patrizia Sandretto King Rebaudengo (art collector and patron), Michelangelo Pistoletto (artist) and Elena Mazzi (artist); Culture does it and it can be the driving force of a new thought as he tells Francesca Colombo (General Director of Culture BAM – Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano, Riccardo Catella Foundation); Sport does it and Massimiliano Rosolino (swimmer and Olympic champion) is an example of this; Music does it, so much so that Chiara Galiazzo (singer) presents his video dedicated to the health of the glaciers, and the musicians of the Orchestra del Mare, led by Arnoldo Mosca Mondadori (president of the Foundation of the Spirit and the Arts), raise their notes to shed light on social sustainability; young entrepreneurs like Salma Bougarani (Co-Founder & CEO Green Watech) e Diana Yousef Martinek (Ceo Change Water Labs), who, thanks to the support of Cartier Women’s Initiativehave invented start-ups capable of preserving water, so precious for the entire world.

And it is precisely for ensuring clean water for those who don’t have it that Acqua Foundation is committed to supporting the non-profit organization WeWorldwhich has been working with Cambodian children for years, who too often find themselves living below the poverty line.

It concludes Julius Boccaletti (Honorary Research Associate at the Smith School of Enterprise University of Oxford, scientific director of the Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Climate Change) with a decalogue against the blue washa document aims to become a point of reference for identifying and combating commercial practices that exploit the issue of water sustainability in a deceptive way.

There is a lot that can be done, but what is being done, listening to the interventions of Imaginarium, is already a lot: this seems to be the right path to follow.

For more information: https://imaginarium.acquafoundation.com.