2 min.
“The alliance amongst social banks, profit and non-profit enterprises has made it possible to support the weaker social strata of our country” - second day of the International Conference on Social Innovation for a Better World in our Time.
ROME - “In Bangladesh, we have experimented a hybrid and non-profit model for the creation of value through an alliance amongst social banks, profit and non-profit enterprises that allows us to support the weaker social strata of our country. Since 1995, one hundred million people from the rural areas of our country have created over 300,000 micro-enterprises selling telecom services. This is the result of true social innovation: it includes subjects that were previously completely excluded from the processes of economic and technological development,” explains Alfonso Molina, Scientific Director of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, during the second day of the International Conference on Social Innovation for a Better World in Our Time.
Innovation is also present in the critical shareholding project illustrated by Andrea Baranes from the Cultural Foundation for Ethic Responsibility of the Banca popolare etica. Mr. Baranes affirms: “We have purchased some shares in Italian companies that are accused of violating human, social and environmental rights. This will allow us to participate in the board meetings and present our strong disagreement over the foreign operations. Following a recommendation by various associations, we also purchased shares in Enel and Eni. The objective of an ethical bank is to show that the ownership of stock does not only entail the right to dividends, but also many responsibilities. Eni conducts many oil extraction operations in Nigeria, in the Niger delta, and burns the extracted gasses in open air. This activity was banned in Nigeria more than 30 years ago, but all oil companies continue to do so. We have opened up a debate with the company and this allows us to voice the opinions of all those people who can never reach the managers, stockholders and media.”
Continuing on the theme of social irresponsibility, Giovanni Fiori pointed out the case of Nike, which in order “to produce low-cost, high-profit shoes utilized child labour in developing countries”. Although not presenting any hard evidence, Fiori pointed out that “the growing relation, even in Italy, between respectful investments and enterprise value.” (afv)
