“We are not islands”: Ilaria Capua interviewed for Bollettino Generali
Circular health, sustainability, resilience: the path to follow for a safer future
Today’s challenge is to acknowledge that health is a system of communicating vessels that can only be improved through responsible innovation aiming at restoring balance. Our wellbeing, in fact, cannot be separated from the environment that surrounds us or from how we interact with other people, with progress and with the natural world.
This is what Ilaria Capua, virologist and director of the University of Florida’s One Health Center for Excellence, said in an interview for the Bollettino, Generali Group magazine since 1893 whose latest edition is dedicated to resilience. Talking about circular health means, therefore, recognising the importance of environmental and external factors for human health. The system is tightly interconnected, circularity cannot be avoided. More than that, it is necessary.
The theme of environmental protection discussed by Ilaria Capua is confirmed by Generali’s long-established commitment for sustainability and the fight against climate change. The current emergency clearly showed the need to accelerate towards sustainable goals, being aware that the recovery from the crisis generated by Covid-19 can and must be a “green renaissance”. In light of the Green Deal promoted by European institutions, Generali has recently joined the European Green Recovery Alliance and, following the latest declarations by the US and China on climate neutrality, actively supports the resumption of a multilateral dialogue on climate issues where Europe can regain a central role.
For a long time, Generali has been integrating sustainability in all its operations, from governance to investment underwriting, making it an enabler of the Group’s strategy. This includes, for example, the allocation of € 4.5 billion to green and sustainable investments by 2021 and the increase by 7-9% of premiums linked to insurance products with a positive environmental and social impact. Moreover, through the Responsible Consumer programme and the EnterPrize awards for sustainable SMEs, Generali intends to drive the sustainable transformation also by engaging in dialogue with stakeholders.
In addition to the fight against climate change, the pandemic has accelerated another trend of our time: digitalization. In her interview for the Bollettino, Ilaria Capua discusses commuting and smart working, portraying a more balanced and inclusive future. In this context, Generali has demonstrated a strong ability to innovate: since the beginning of the pandemic, the innovation and digitalization investments made over the last few years have enabled the Group to activate smart working for more than 90% of employees all over the world, protecting their health and remaining fully operational.
The unprecedented historical moment we are living teaches us the importance of resilience, the ability to anticipate great transformations and adapt to change, driving it firmly and wisely. The Group’s magazine offers insights into the present and future, narrating the continuous transformation of individuals, society and the economy. It does so not only through the words of Generali’s own managers, but also with the contributions of well-established journalists, reporters and specialists, allowing for ample room for debate. Because all together – companies, institutions and individuals – we must, once again, turn this crisis into an opportunity and commit to building a more sustainable future.
