Terra Tuscany 2024: What real sustainability leadership looks like

Note to our community: After curating the agenda and speakers for the successful inaugural edition of Terra Tuscany, illuminem has stepped back from involvement in the 2025 edition due to commercial decisions made by the event's organizing company.

This article presents key takeaways from Terra Tuscany, organized by Terras in partnership with illuminem, and sponsored by TES. Stay tuned for more as we explore the topics further in the coming weeks.

Where action meets urgency

While planning Terra Tuscany 2024, we didn't want to provide just an idyllic backdrop for the iteration and re-iteration of commitments driven by an abundance of ambition but a shortage of information and understanding. 

Our mission was to break down silos and give thought leaders the space to engage in, at times, difficult conversations about where we are and where we need to get. That is why we brought together CSOs, policymakers, scientists, and sustainability professionals to explore the realities of our changing environmental, political, and financial landscape.  One thing became apparent, we can accelerate action and innovation by collaborating.

Terra Tuscany was a discovery of proven strategies and actionable solutions. Insights were shared by leaders like Sandrine Dixson-Declève (President, The Club of Rome), Nancy Mahon (Chief Sustainability Officer, Estée Lauder), Georg Kell (Founding Director, UN Global Compact), Michael Kobori (Chief Sustainability Officer, Starbucks), Patricio Lombardi (First ever Secretary of the Climate in the Americas), Emilce (Theologian, university professor, and Roman Curia official), Roberta Boscolo (Climate and Energy Leader, World Meteorological Organization), Dr. Elena Morettini (Global Head of Sustainable Business, Globant) - people ingrained in shaping the future of sustainability. 

How do we move from strategy to action

On the summit's first day, we heard a call for a power shift: CSOs need to be CEOs when it comes to driving decision-making. Sustainability can no longer be treated as a side task, but as the core of the business strategy. This requires making well-researched, valid business cases for more sustainable operations.

We were reminded that 50 years have passed since the "Limits to Growth" report, and businesses are still waiting to adapt to the inevitable change in their environments. But time is running out: companies must adapt now to safeguard their future, as mitigating emissions is mitigating risk. Sustainability isn't just about preserving nature - it's about ensuring livable conditions by tackling poverty and the widening gaps of inequality. To make real progress, we need a holistic approach to sustaining life.

How do we engage stakeholders and governments

The need for collaboration was a running theme throughout the gathering. It was further reinforced that partnerships with governments are key to scaling climate action. Without these partnerships, even the best sustainability efforts will struggle to reach their full potential and miss adequate funding, space, stakeholder buy-in, and wider trust.

One powerful example of stakeholder engagement was linked to creating ultra-dense, biodiverse green spaces in urban areas. The project connected communities with nature and generated 230 million social media impressions, showcasing how good storytelling impacts stakeholders and the general public.

And still, negotiating land for these projects sometimes took an absurd 18 months. Shouldn't these small, high-impact projects be fast-tracked, especially in a climate crisis? Red tape like this only slows down solutions we desperately need right now. The message was clear: businesses cannot go at it alone anymore. Real collaboration between the public, private, and philanthropic actors, including financing and policy support for industry, is essential for accelerating impact.

How do smart businesses streamline sustainability

For businesses serious about sustainability, simplicity is power. One essential workshop focused on reducing the complexities of sustainability reporting. It urged companies to focus on data-driven decision-making and streamline their internal processes to move from planning to execution faster.

This theme was echoed in the Sustainability Leadership Masterclass, which highlighted the importance of avoiding one-size-fits-all ESG strategies and explained that sustainability teams often face overwhelming reporting demands. In larger companies, this workload has been allocated to a specialist team that works closely with CSOs.

The growing biodiversity challenge was also discussed, emphasizing that businesses must create authentic, context-driven sustainability strategies to have a genuine impact. 

There needs to be more than just adhering to a generic set of best practices or focusing solely on reporting to drive change. ESG, if it is to be allowed to fulfill its role, cannot be siloed internally or externally but should drive business strategy by demonstrable financial benefit, whether cutting costs or increasing revenue. 

How do we achieve transparency and trust in the carbon market

The topic of transparency and verifiable impact took centre stage in a panel of solution providers. The discussion focused on carbon markets and biodiversity credits, with examples of nature-based solutions like reforestation and wetland restoration as critical tools for driving conservation. The key issues raised were how we can verify the impact of offset projects and ensure that financial and other resources reach the communities directly affected.

The panel, spurned on by the audience, highlighted that too much money is being lost in layers of intermediaries, and businesses must take responsibility and have the means to track their investments. Companies need to ensure their sustainability initiatives benefit the climate and local communities, not only for positive impact but also to maintain credibility. Trust and transparency are non-negotiable when building practical, long-term mitigation strategies.

Changing the rules: How Terra Tuscany set the agenda for companies ready to lead

Terra Tuscany 2024 wasn't just about lofty ideas but about shaping those ideas through honest, sometimes uncomfortable conversations.

We are at a point in history, even if repeating itself, where business is confronted by large-scale adaptation. This adaptation is ultimately forced by economics, and only by collaboration between political and financial actors can a positive change occur.

For sustainability and business leaders, it's not just attending events like Terra Tuscany that's crucial, but engaging in daily exchange across silos. Those who don't? They will play catch up. The further down the road we are, the more complex (and costly) ignoring the implications of climate change will become. That is why thought leadership matters.

In the coming weeks, we will explore some of the most pressing topics raised at the summit in depth. We invite attendees to continue their conversations and build on the momentum. We are already innovating to offer a continuous platform for this kind of exchange, further reflecting the spirit of collaboration and expertise shared by the Terra Tuscany community.

The willingness of participants to engage, collaborate, and give so much to each other is a testament to the power of collective leadership in shaping a sustainable future.