Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important component of corporate strategy. This is also reflected in the research conducted by Erika Bric, who chose Maddalena S.p.A. as the case study for her Master’s thesis at the Faculty of Management of the University of Primorska, completing her academic journey with the highest honours.
“Sustainability Strategy Development and Implementation in a Selected Organization”: from its very title, Erika’s thesis addresses a particularly relevant question for businesses today: how can sustainability evolve from a set of good practices into a fully integrated business strategy?
The research aims to connect two increasingly interconnected dimensions: sustainability and strategic management. It is based on the recognition that environmental and social challenges, growing stakeholder expectations, and an evolving regulatory landscape are transforming sustainability from a primarily ethical choice into a genuine strategic imperative for organizations.
And it is precisely in this context that Maddalena’s sustainability journey became the subject of the study. For the empirical part of her research, Erika analysed the Maddalena Sustainability Report 2022/23, complementing it with a semi-structured interview with Arianna Arizzi, the company’s Marketing & Sustainability Manager. This methodological approach allowed her to complement the published data and results with insights into decision-making processes, organizational dynamics, the challenges encountered, and the factors that have shaped the evolution of the company’s sustainability strategy.
The research thus reconstructs a journey that began in 2020 with an initial mapping exercise, which revealed a particularly significant finding: Maddalena was already sustainable in many of its practices and values but, as described in the thesis, still in an “unconscious” way, not yet fully structured within an ESG strategy. In October of the same year, the Board of Directors formally approved the launch of a structured sustainability journey, marking the beginning of the progressive integration of sustainability into the company’s governance and business processes.
A Journey in Ten Steps
One of the most interesting aspects of the research is the reconstruction of Maddalena’s sustainability journey in ten steps, from the initial mapping and strategic approval to the definition of objectives, the development of a shared culture, project implementation, reporting, and continuous improvement.
It is therefore not a model designed “on paper”, but rather a progressive process, capable of adapting over time to the organization’s needs and stakeholder expectations. The thesis highlights how Maddalena’s experience demonstrates that, particularly for SMEs, an effective sustainability strategy can develop through learning, adaptation, and progressive formalization, without necessarily following a rigid, predefined model from the outset.
Sustainability, however, becomes truly strategic when it translates into measurable choices and projects. Alongside the environmental dimension, the social and governance dimensions also play a key role, contributing to value creation for a wide range of stakeholders. The thesis also highlights how Maddalena’s value creation model considers different forms of capital and connects the economic, environmental, and social dimensions.
Sustainability is a Collective Effort
Among the conclusions of the research, one particularly resonates with the way we work: sustainability cannot be the responsibility of a single business function. Cross-functional involvement across different areas, shared responsibility, and the ability to collect and systematically manage ESG data are essential to turning objectives into action.
In Erika’s analysis, the challenges encountered in building a stable structure and making data collection increasingly systematic become an important lesson: sustainability requires participation and shared responsibility. This conclusion is also reinforced in the final thesis presentation, where strategic integration, cross-functional collaboration, and shared responsibility emerge as key factors in making the sustainability journey effective.
A Journey that Continues
The value of research also lies in the questions it leaves open. Erika identifies several possible developments to further strengthen and structure the sustainability journey: enhancing strategic analysis tools, considering the introduction of a Sustainability Balanced Scorecard, and further defining the sustainable business model, linking sustainability, value creation, and competitive advantage.
These are valuable insights, as they reinforce a fundamental principle: sustainability is not a destination, but a process of continuous improvement. For Maddalena, becoming the subject of academic research therefore represents much more than recognition. It is an opportunity to look at its sustainability journey from an external perspective, build on what has already been achieved and, at the same time, identify new opportunities for further development.
It is also a concrete example of the value that can emerge from collaboration between business and academia, when research meets corporate experience and theory becomes an opportunity to engage with real-world practice.
A journey that, in the meantime, continues. Just a few weeks ago, Maddalena published its new Sustainability Report 2024/25, the third edition of the voluntary sustainability reporting process launched in 2020. The report presents the results achieved while already looking ahead to future goals, structuring the company’s ESG strategy around five pillars: People, Governance and Integrity, Supply Chain, Resources and Circularity, and Innovation and Water Resources.
Ultimately, this may be the clearest confirmation of what also emerges from Erika’s research: sustainability is not a project to be completed, but a journey that grows alongside the company, is measured, continuously challenged, and keeps evolving.
Erika, who has explored and analysed an important part of this journey with curiosity, depth, and a critical perspective, and who completed her studies with the highest honours, has the warmest congratulations of everyone at Maddalena S.p.A.
Ad maiora, Erika!
