Abstract

What we are experiencing is a period of transition for sustainable development. Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs is an urgency confirmed by the international community in 2015 on several occasions and through the voice of different opinion leaders: in the words of the United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-moon, «the challenges and commitments are interrelated and call for integrated solutions». In this context all the social actors are called to rethink their role and prerogatives. For many of them, especially for businesses, the moment is very difficult and rich of opportunities at the same time. The article highlights the need to find a «way» to turn these indications and these pervasive signals into a constant action towards sustainable development. What is needed is a method indeed, that is not only a tool, but a way of structuring a process that addresses the fundamental reasons (why), the aims and the resources (what) and the methodology (how).