The Italian proponent of sustainability and change.

Image by Andrea Grieco 

Andrea Grieco is the Italian proponent of sustainability. He is 30 years old and one of the first young Italians to have truly believed in the power of change and the power of sustainability.

From his experience supporting climate migrants in Morocco to his work as a lobbyist for the UN, he became a true human rights expert. Then his journey veered towards education on the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda, where he found his great passion.

So, what is he doing now? Currently he is a Sustainability and SDGs Specialist and works for WILL ITA, one of the leading communication editorial projects in Italy. It involves thousands of young people to make them aware of the economic and political situation in society.

Through the following interview, we had the honor to experience with him his sustainable path and his adventures around the world.

“I think that the future of sustainability will only turn around through human rights, fashion and finance. These are the three keys to the future of sustainability.”

Image by Andrea Grieco

Image by Andrea Grieco

Welcome Andrea, tell us a little about yourself, how did your interest in sustainability come about, coming from a law-related university background?

I am a Sustainability Consultant and SDGs Specialist. My path is unique, because I invented my job. There was no definition for Sustainable Business Strategist and I definitely come from a very different field. I began my journey towards sustainability by studying International Humanitarian Law and writing a thesis about migrants and refugees. Then, after graduation, I had the opportunity to work with climate migrants between Spain and Morocco and I thought everyone could talk about economic migrants, but who talks about climate migrants? This is how my revolution towards sustainability started.

How did this experience in Morocco influence your personal and professional development?

Personally, it was a great experience, but also very intense. I witnessed up close the human rights violations and tragedy of these climate migrants without having the opportunity to do anything. That has left a strong mark on me. From a professional point of view, I did something that anyone who wants to work in this field would do. I worked closely with an NGO, the most important one in Andalusia, and I had the opportunity to continue my formation on the 2030 Agenda. This is where I realized I wanted to be an activist, something I have always felt since I was a kid. In fact, my passion for human rights started when I was in middle school, because I had to write a research paper on Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. So, in Morocco, my path as an activist took off.

How did you get into working for the UN and how did it influence you in working with Amnesty International?

After finishing my experience in Morocco, I returned to Italy and continued my educational path on the 2030 Agenda and sustainable geopolitics at a UN agency in Rome. In light of the fact that I have always revolved around Amnesty International in Italy, when there was a need for support at the lobby office, they called me and that is where my experience started. Moreover, at that time working as a lobbyist in Italy was really complicated because of the political situation, but it was a really important journey. I carry with me the desire for change that Amnesty International activist Tina Marinari passed on to me, shaping me so much in my job. Then I worked with the Navy at the Hydrographic Institute where I was a lobbyist and managed a sustainability campaign for the Navy in the Arctic looking for micro plastics in the ocean.

Image by Andrea Grieco

Image by Andrea Grieco

Currently you are working with Will Ita and the SDGs of Agenda 2030 became the core of your work. Do you think the fashion industry is trying to respect these goals?

There is widespread agreement that the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries of the world. At this point, the fashion industry is also adapting its strategy to society's needs and must keep up with the times. In fact, a society that demands more attention to sustainability, to sustainable development goals, to transparency and traceability requires all industries to address this change. Even at the institutional level the support that should be there is not there, the European Union for example began to talk about sustainable fashion a year ago.

What advice would you give to the emerging brands of the moment involved in sustainability?

The first piece of advice I would give to emerging brands is to be transparent. Often the companies that are green or that are becoming green do not even communicate it. Indeed, it is difficult to stand out if everyone communicates sustainability. Therefore, the first step is to communicate their sustainable path, assuming they are doing so. If not, then it is time to start doing it. They may be simple tasks, but taking action in this direction is crucial.

What about those already established in the industry?

I would tell them to impose their strategy on the market. Because of their importance, they are able to change the use of a product and they should improve their sustainable path in small steps. For instance, the giants in the fashion industry could reduce their collections and make their pieces more long lasting. They can also figure out a way to make their goods more affordable to consumers in terms of price, such as making installments or taking back one item by providing another in exchange.

Do you think a platform like our Sustainable Brand Platform that assesses brands' sustainability levels is useful in the market?

Definitely. Your platform covers a place in the market that is missing and is especially useful for consumers who do not know how to navigate their way through the search for sustainable brands. Last year, research on sustainable fashion tripled, so it is clear that a real trend is being forged in this direction. In addition, a platform like yours also supports the brand owner to declare its process transparent and to remain under control. In fact, since a brand belongs to a list of other sustainable brands, it will have more incentive to remain that way and improve itself. I think that the future of sustainability will only turn around through human rights, fashion and finance. These are the three keys to the future of sustainability.

So, do you have you any projects at the moment?

Many. There is one project in particular that is very close to my heart. It is an overview of climate migrants, who are victims of a big normative vacuum, because they are not considered by anyone. Then I have an editorial project in mind coming out soon about the SDGs.

Image by Andrea Grieco

Image by Andrea Grieco

This article has been written by SBP creative team.

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