What will truly be considered sustainable in 2025? Sustainability has become one of the most overused buzzwords of our time, a term as widespread as it is, perhaps, misunderstood.
Technology serving the environment still has significant costs for the Italian business sector. The trends tell of a truly sustainable future, but we need to create the conditions for them to be adopted globally.
Just a few years ago, we talked about an “ecological footprint,” a term referring to the number of forested acres, pastures, arable land, and marine areas needed to replenish consumed resources and absorb the waste we generate.
Over the decades, we've made significant progress. Just think of waste sorting, catalytic converters, and reduced plastic consumption.
Yet, as always, we know there’s still room for improvement.
This is what makes sustainability such a relevant topic today, compelling us to ask ourselves what we do in our daily lives to strive for improvement.
Corporate strategies are increasingly geared toward environmental responsibility, but at what point do these green ideals risk turning into mere marketing strategies?
What do we mean by this? Let's look at a practical example.
In production, which is less polluting: a reusable aluminum water bottle or a single-use plastic bottle?
The carbon footprint of an aluminum bottle is actually significantly higher in the production phase. It requires a substantial amount of energy for both extracting and processing the material. In fact, an aluminum bottle needs to be reused considerably – at least 50–100 times – to offset its initial environmental impact compared to plastic bottles.
Given this, it’s worth asking ourselves what real environmental benefits we are actually achieving.
When does a choice put safety at risk?
The fire protection industry has long offered truly sustainable systems.
However, even here, a contradiction exists between apparent and real sustainability. Truly sustainable systems often require significant investments, so their implementation is frequently put aside in favor of other fire protection solutions with lower economic impact.
So let's consider another practical example.
A potential fire in a warehouse protected by an inadequate fire protection system doesn’t just destroy goods—causing obvious financial damage—it also creates pollution and could endanger lives, an immeasurable cost that no financial savings can ever justify.
Is sustainability a luxury? The disparity between what's possible and what's prioritized
The truth is that sustainability can also come with a high price tag.
One solution could be raising awareness of these systems, creating tangible expectations of safety that positively influence economic evaluations.
In this way, significant investments in research and development could broaden access to more sustainable technologies, improving current outcomes and extending their benefits over time.
Technology serving the environment: solutions that really work
There are exemplary systems that are genuinely sustainable and effective, but they also require a different implementation approach from all stakeholders involved in fire prevention and the construction of risk-containing facilities, such as data centers, historical archives, automated warehouses, cold storage units, and laboratories.
These include inert gas fire suppression systems, such as Inergen, which offer a 100% eco-friendly solution for protecting enclosed spaces.
This gas, composed of naturally occurring elements in the atmosphere (nitrogen, argon, and carbon dioxide), does not harm the ozone layer or contribute to the greenhouse effect. Its uniqueness lies not only in its zero environmental impact but also in its complete operational safety, leaving no residue after use.
Similarly, oxygen reduction systems (ORS) represent an even more advanced evolution in sustainable fire prevention, creating a controlled inert atmosphere that prevents fires from developing without the use of harmful chemical agents.
For all other fire protection needs, there’s the most ancient and widely used element: water.
In many industrial contexts, water remains a truly sustainable alternative that ensures effective protection.
If environmental regulations work hand in hand with fire safety standards, it will undoubtedly be possible to develop innovative solutions driven by the right ideals—solutions that do not compromise the effectiveness of protection systems.
Beyond greenwashing: the path to genuine sustainability
The journey toward fully sustainable fire safety is constantly evolving, and the existence of these technologies proves that it is far from being a utopian ideal.
Environmental regulations can become a powerful driver of innovation when they are viewed as opportunities for growth rather than restrictive constraints.
The real challenge for the future lies not only in technological advancements but, above all, in a cultural shift. It’s essential to move beyond seeing sustainability as a mere marketing tool and instead recognize it as a necessary investment in our shared future.
This is how we can talk about genuine sustainability.