CARLA VILLA
Professor of Cosmetic Products, University of Genova , SICC Board of Directors Member

SUSTAINABILITY TODAY
Past legislative initiative, strategies and measures (1, 2), together with the increasing attention and involvement of professionals and consumers (3), have ensured that the environmental and human care became a fundamental goal in any industrial chemical sector. The theme of the environment and, more generally, of sustainability has assumed a strategic role in the activity of companies, which go on striving to identify new opportunities for growth and for increasing their competitiveness. A confirmation of this widespread trend and value is the increasing number of companies that, in line with the orientation of USA (4) and European Union (5), have joined the “Responsible Care” Program targeting this sector worldwide (6, 7).

Today, in business management, the logic of pure profit is abandoned to integrate concepts of social and environmental responsibility, moving from egocentric toward eco-centric perspectives, where sustainable development represents the main goal: to improve the quality of life respecting the carrying capacity of the environment. This is considered strategic not only for the positive eff ...