ASU first sports association in FVG to draw up an integrated social sustainability report

The first Sports Association in the region (and one of the first in Italy) to pay close attention to sustainability, the environment and inclusion is at home in Udine. The Udinese Sports Association – ASU presented, on the morning of June 23, its project for an integrated social sustainability report. An important innovation that comes in the year in which the sports club celebrates the important milestone of 150 years since its foundation. A far-sighted choice also supported by numerous partners who will contribute to its implementation in the coming months. The presentation press conference, hosted by the PalaPrexta in via Lodi 1, in Udine, was attended by the vice president and regional councilor for sports, Mario Anzil; Chiara Dazzan, councilor for sports for the Municipality of Udine; the president of Coni Fvg, Andrea Marcon; the vice president of Net, Giandavide D'Andreis; Fiorenza Campion, head of communications and brand identity for Cafc SpA; and Professor Andrea Garlatti, full professor of business economics at the University of Udine. Also present were Filippo Pesce, vice president of ASU, and Nicola Di Benedetto, general manager of ASU and project manager of the initiative.

" A round of applause for ASU, the first sports club in Friuli Venezia Giulia to have embarked on the path of the Integrated Social Sustainability Report, a tool that will clarify intentions, results and impacts, and will strengthen the relationship with institutions, citizens and investors. The regional administration strongly supports this project and will make available to CONI the necessary economic resources in order to disseminate this innovative management and managerial approach of sports organizations to technicians and sports managers, also through the launch of a training course dedicated to good practices for sustainable and responsible management of companies and events ", declared the vice president and regional councilor for sport, Mario Anzil.

" The Municipality of Udine has enthusiastically welcomed the project, right from the start, and is already implementing concrete actions to support it: from the redevelopment of the lighting at the entrance, to the safety of the cycle/pedestrian path leading to the facility, " said Chiara Dazzan, Councilor for Sport for the Municipality of Udine . "Initiatives like this are of absolute public interest and can become a model to follow for many other sports organizations. ASU is in fact a fundamental presence in the area. A virtuous example of how a sports association can contribute to collective well-being from various points of view. It has the ability to operate 360 ​​degrees in the world of sport, not limiting itself to achieving significant results or boasting competitive prestige, but managing to give back to the community, as it does for example with activities for the disabled, the latest in chronological order being the EISI project. This new initiative represents a further step in this direction ."

A DOUBLE CHALLENGE – In the current context, sports organizations are facing a double challenge: on the one hand, generating a positive impact on the social and environmental level while remaining faithful to their mission; on the other, communicating, in a clear and transparent way, the results achieved, to the various interlocutors – citizens, families, businesses, associations and institutions, public and private. It is in this context that ASU, on the idea of ​​its general manager, Nicola Di Benedetto, has decided to draw up the first integrated sustainability report of a sports association in FVG, among the first in Italy. « In the year in which ASU celebrates 150 years of history, I like to underline how it has used its time (one of the few certain things is its flow) promoting its values ​​with courage and innovation, always looking to the future. Today it does so once again with this new challenge, continuing to promote the principles and practice of sports, generating a positive impact not only for the benefit of members, but also of the company and the community in which it operates – underlined Filippo Pesce, vice president of ASU -. The world of sport is in fact one of the main vehicles of positive values ​​in society. If we add to this values ​​such as sustainability, respect for the environment and inclusiveness, then sport can become the best possible testimonial for a more just and aware society. We therefore want to generate real value, strengthen the bond with those who support us and create new opportunities, sharing and promoting a sustainable, attentive and inclusive sporting model. In doing so, we will be accompanied by numerous partners, whom we can only thank .

WHAT IS A SUSTAINABILITY REPORT? – The Integrated Social Sustainability Report is in fact a key tool for transparently communicating intentions, results and impacts, improving the management of stakeholder relations, corporate reputation and investment decisions. Sustainability reporting provides essential data and analysis to evaluate performance and increase transparency on risks and opportunities. From a technical point of view, it implies measurement, communication and accountability with respect to sustainable development objectives. The preparation of the Integrated Social Sustainability Report of ASU will follow the general method indications provided by the International Integrated Reporting Framework and will benefit from the methodological support of the Department of Economic and Statistical Sciences of the University of Udine . As Andrea Garlatti, full professor of business economics at the University of Udine , pointed out: « We have long been living in a world in which we tend to calculate the cost of everything without understanding the real value – human, social, environmental – of what we do or produce. The context is, however, rapidly evolving towards a request to explain and understand the value that institutions create for people at various levels and profiles: I therefore believe that this initiative by ASU is not only innovative, but also of great relevance as an example ".

ACTIVITIES PLANNED UNTIL DECEMBER – The ambitious ASU program, called “A future of responsible sport” will be implemented from July 1st to December 31st 2025 in collaboration with numerous local institutions through various innovative projects, which will be added to the Association’s daily work. Among the main objectives is to promote greater attention to environmental issues, also thanks to the support of Fondazione Friuli .

In this perspective, ecological containers for separate waste collection will be purchased, the use of which will be accompanied by interactive training activities aimed at young athletes, carried out through Edugame and thanks to the partnership with Net SpA; regarding the important support of the Udine subsidiary Giandavide D'Andreis , vice president of Net SpA, stated: «We are proud to support ASU in this important journey towards an increasingly sustainable, inclusive and local sport. Together with highly valuable institutional partners such as the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, the Municipality of Udine and CAFC, we want to help make the culture of sustainability a natural component of daily sports life. Sport can and must be a strategic ally in the ecological transition: Net is ready to do its part with competence, passion and a spirit of service».

Another concrete step towards sustainability will be represented by the distribution of aluminum water bottles, donated by CAFC , with the aim of reducing the use of single-use plastic within sports facilities. But the initiative does not stop there. During the summer, CAFC will also promote educational and interactive activities aimed at young athletes, through Edugame, a virtual game that teaches in an engaging way where water comes from and how to take care of it.

"CAFC's mission - explained Fiorenza Campion, communications manager - places a strong focus on environmental education. Whether it's schools or sports environments, we want to raise awareness among new generations about the value of water, a precious and irreplaceable resource. Donating a water bottle is a symbolic gesture for us: it represents a concrete commitment to offering what is authentic, true, sustainable" .

The program also looks at the training of sports managers, supporting the creation of a course, the first in Italy (entitled: “ESG Sportplan: foundations for an ethical and sustainable guide of ASDs”), within the CONI Fvg School of Sports, thanks to the sponsorship of the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia . « This project fits fully into the growth path of sports clubs, in line with what is also required by the recent sports reform. The world of sports is constantly evolving and today it is essential to change the approach compared to the past. Initiatives like this promote a more modern and efficient management of clubs, bringing benefits to the entire movement. We are happy to be a partner of this ASU initiative that can be made available to all sports organizations in the area, because we truly believe that networking is crucial for the future of sports» , declared Andrea Marcon, president of Coni Fvg.

The initiative also focuses on promoting sustainable mobility: in collaboration with the Municipality of Udine, awareness campaigns will be launched aimed at athletes and families to encourage car sharing and the use of public transport for travel related to sports activities. These are just some of the initiatives that will be implemented in the coming months.

In the photo, from left you find: Nicola Di Benedetto, ASU general manager; Andrea Marcon, president of Coni Fvg; Mario Anzil, vice president and regional sports councilor of the Fvg Region; Filippo Pesce, vice president of ASU; Andrea Garlatti, full professor of business economics at the University of Udine; Chiara Dazzan, sports councilor of the Municipality of Udine; Fiorenza Campion, communications and brand identity manager of Cafc SpA; Giandavide D'Andreis, vice president of Net.