Sustainability is not only the right thing to do, but it also fosters long-term development

We are pleased to share the English translation of the interview with our founder, Andrea Gori, published by Il Sole 24 Ore, Italy’s leading financial newspaper. Please consult the original here. In this insightful conversation, Andrea discusses illuminem's mission to drive sustainability through data and information, the vital role of startups, and his perspective on the evolving relationship between business, AI, and the environment.

Translation from Il Sole 24 Ore
Andrea Gori is Italian and one of the "Impact Makers" recognized by the United Nations Climate Body, awarded to only 50 people worldwide. Andrea Gori – who will be at the Climate Fiction Days in Pistoia from March 17 to 22 – is the founder of illuminem, the sustainability data and information platform, and the youngest university professor at HEC Paris – Europe's top business school, according to the Financial Times – where he teaches GreenTech: “illuminem was born from the belief that access to sustainability data and information is key to accelerating the transition, and if we manage to show how a company, a school, or a community being more sustainable is not only possible but also economically more advantageous, we will have already broken down that invisible barrier that creates uncertainty and fear in the face of change.”

In a world where ideas are constantly being born and evolving, says Gori, who was a Global Green Champion and Leader at Boston Consulting Group, working on sustainable investments, innovation, and transformation for multinational companies and governments: “Startups represent the beauty of a country, the vitality of those who take risks and try to solve real problems. In fact, we should talk more about them.”

Being among the “50” means also investigating the shift from an economic system based solely on profitability to a value-based system: “By focusing on the long term, living the company not as a 'cash cow' in times of success or something to abandon during difficult periods, but by investing in creating value – for the investors who support us, the customers who believe in us, and for the community we live in, where we create jobs and innovation spillovers. I like to quote Saint Augustine when he said that perfection is not just in what we do, but in how we do it."

What does it mean to imagine the future in 2026? “The human-habitat relationship is changing,” responds Gori. “On one hand, we are facing a disastrous transformation of the 'Creation' (think of our snowless Alps or cities wiped out by natural disasters), we must act quickly if we don’t want to live in a world of ecological and social crises for many generations. On the other hand, technology offers incredible prospects. Perhaps 50% of our economic output will be generated by artificial intelligence, the amount of energy each territory must generate will need to multiply exponentially, while every citizen will need to rethink their contribution to a highly automated society.”

Being among the “50” means also investigating the shift from an economic system based solely on profitability to a value-based system: “By focusing on the long term, living the company not as a 'cash cow' in times of success or something to abandon during difficult periods, but by investing in creating value – for the investors who support us, the customers who believe in us, and for the community we live in, where we create jobs and innovation spillovers. I like to quote Saint..."

In this context, “a company like ours must provide answers (insights) on how companies and communities can thrive without generating negative impacts on the planet, how to use new technologies to decarbonize. When we tell stories of companies becoming pioneers of regeneration or make transparent the data of thousands of actors reducing their impact on biodiversity, land consumption, and improving their value chain/supply, we are tracing a collective vision for the future, where sustainability is not an option, but a reality.”