FAQ

Is the brand that recognizes sustainable processes for the realization of a product, the supply of a service, the management of a site and/or the expression of a concept. The mark promotes and rewards the knowledge, spread and application of the resources saving and of the environment & society safeguard supporting innovation, change and behaviours to create confidence between the collectivity and the offered products.

Both in the everyday life and during the realization of a product or service, it means taking care not only of the environmental aspects, but even of the social and economic ones, trying to find a balance. The term comes from ecology, where it refers to the ability of an ecosystem to maintain ecological processes, biodiversity and productivity in the future. A process is defined “sustainable” if it uses natural resources with a cadence allowing them to be naturally regenerated.
It is scientifically proven and evident that mankind is leaving in a non sustainable way, consuming the limited resources of the earth faster than the time the earth needs to regenerate them. Consequently, a social effort in order to adapt the human consumption of such resources within a sustainable level is a matter of fundamental importance for the present and future of the mankind.

Customer choices, whether professionals or consumers, are typically oriented by 7 factors: quality, price, brand awareness, customer retention, transparency, safeguard of the environment and of the collectivity. The entrepreneur replies to these needs optimizing and keeping under control the processes, as well as analyzing and reducing environmental and social impacts of its products and services. Sustainability must be a parameter through which consumers take their own choices.

It is an innovative marketing tool addressed to companies that have invested in specific sustainable products and services. This allows to value and communicate the investments realized in respect of the environment and of the community. The consumer likes it because is a distinguishable element that allows to take conscious choices and get out from a lot of technical acronyms.

Absolutely not. Make It Sustainable is not in competition with hypothetical certifications already owned by an organization. In fact they are a further evidence of the approach used by the entrepreneur for the realization of its products and services. Make It Sustainable increases the value of such certifications and is always present since related to what the entrepreneur “does”, indifferently by the owned certifications.

Make It Sustainable is the first certification that values the know-how of products and services realized in accordance with sustainability principles. It is the first certification highlighting and communicating concrete activities that organizations apply to safeguard the resources and the environment. It is not linked to defined restrictive numerical parameters but evaluates, through an innovative model validated by the University of Trento, the capability of organizations to grant, for a specific product or services, the balance among economic, environmental and social aspects.

– Values the investments realized consistently with sustainability strategy and the certifications already owned, if any;
– Communicates the commitment in respecting the environment and the collectivity;
– increases the reliability of specific products, services and sites;
– improves relationships with stakeholders and authorities.

The Make It Sustainable mark can be used if, for a specific product, service or site, the company takes into consideration the following “Core” requirements:
– environmental impacts, included the resources consumption and the energy saving;
– work conditions and practices;
– impacts on local communities and their development (local suppliers and workers);
– impacts on health and safety of customers and consumers;
– where applicable, the possible risks originated by the interaction with social institutions ( corruption).

If my product or service has been realized keeping into account the Core requirements, I just have to provide evidence. To value what has been done! This is the keyword. It can sounds banal but actually when we talk about a new certification, a big effort is required by the entrepreneur in order to align with the new requirements. On the contrary, Make It Sustainable is for the entrepreneur an innovative marketing-oriented tool that supports and promotes the know how of products and services realized consistently with sustainability principles. Precisely the specificity and non generalist approach are some of the core elements upon which the Make It Sustainable mark is based on.

Absolutely not. It is a third party certification that values and rewards activities and investments realized by the entrepreneur in the sustainability field. Besides, it informs the consumer in a clear and transparent way that the product or service has been thought, realized and managed consistently with the sustainability principles.

The strength and innovation of Make It Sustainable are the spread and sharing of the sustainability principles through the people (makers) who act and promote the resources saving and the safeguard of the environment and of the collectivity. From the manufacturer to the final customer passing by technical subjects including Ambassadors, Technical Partners, Experts, Auditors, Certification Body and Academies. This allows Makers to take advantage from the direct and indirect communication of all the community members and to contribute to the development and success of the initiative in spreading and applying sustainability principles.

It is definitely focused on promoting the brand through all the modern communication means, from Facebook to Youtube, Twitter, Google+, Linkedin and Slideshare. People for people through their stories, experiences, product and services. An approach that goes beyond the B2B or B2C and embraces the H2H, human to human, since what is very important is the valorization of the experience and know how of the entrepreneur oriented to safeguard the environment and the collectivity, as well as to make conscious the choice of the single consumer.

The Make It Sustainable mark is owned by ICMQ Istituto, non profit organization. Consistently with the strategy of resources sharing, the Make It Sustainable mark is licensed to qualified certification bodies. Thus, it is not exclusive of a single operator.

Yes, it is possible. According to the customer needs, the certification follows two possible approaches: the first of process and the second of product. In the latter we talk about Make It Sustainable Plus and the application of the mark on the product is allowed. In this case, considering the evidences provided by the entrepreneur, the certification body validates one or more environmental/energetic features linked to the specific product or service.

Yes. The University of Trento, Internationally recognized in the sustainability field, has validated the certification model. Make It Sustainable uses International references in order to ease the spread and recognition abroad and is determined, through a non generalist approach, to improve the company reputation as well as the reliability in the market. In particular, the evaluation is aimed to verify if the principles quoted respectively in the ISO 26000 and GRI (Global reporting Initiative), are applied to the processes related to a specific product, service or site. Further elements contribute to the above analysis, as the realization methodologies (ISO 9004), the energetic approaches, the manufacturer assertions (ISO14021), the hypothetical evaluations of the lifecycle (ISO 14040) and the environmental aspects related to such activity (ISO 14004).

Specificity, Equity, Flexibility, Recognizability and Transparency.

• focused on specific products, services, concepts and sites (not on the whole organization). It intends to evaluate with higher reliability the effective application of the sustainability principles;
• rewards sustainable choices taken by the organization that grant a balance among environmental, social and economic aspects;
• does not address the market towards a specific product, but rewards the organization know how;
• is flexible according to the organization product or service, allowing an optimization of timings (even in case of hypothetical certifications already owned by the organization);
• does not require the elaboration of procedures or documents from the organization;
• refers to all the ISO 26000 fundamental principles in order to ease its spread and its International recognition. It also contributes to communicate the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) principles to the collectivity who can now perceive the important value through concrete and tangible products and services;
• Through the use of the mark, the certificate, its attachments and the QRCode, all the information regarding the boundaries of the certification are provided. All the specific activities the entrepreneur realizes are emphasized (as concrete actions to safeguard resources, reduce the impacts on the environment and on the collectivity, contribute to the spread of sustainability principles).