Beyond Reports: Bringing Sustainability to Life, the European Way

Yesterday we had the pleasure of attending The European Way, an inspiring event curated by Nativa during the Venice Climate Week, dedicated to exploring how European values can shape a regenerative economy for the future.

We were there thanks to our long-term partner Arena, who was invited to present its Planet Water vision. Arena’s CEO Peter Graschi shared how the company’s purpose-led work — including our joint clean-up missions with Healthy Seas — helps foster a deeper connection with water and a culture of care.

The event, built around an open and dynamic dialogue format, brought together forward-thinking companies, institutions and citizens.

Companies such as Chiesi Group, Davines, Kiton, Brembo, Sammontana, OVS, Nativa, and Arena shared their experiences and questions. Together with academic voices, civil society actors, and entrepreneurs, they explored some of the key pillars of what was called the European Way toward sustainability:

• Social Pact
• Generations & Legacy
• Wellbeing Economy and Care for Limited Resources
• System Change

The questions raised by speakers and the public echoed many of the challenges we see today across the sustainability landscape. Here are just a few:

• How do we share the understanding that we are all in the same boat?
• How can we form new generations sensitive to sustainability?
• How do we bring customers on our sustainability journey?
• How do we build more knowledge and awareness on the consumption side?
• How can we take the good ideas from events like this into real-life impact?

These are vital questions — and many of them resonate deeply with our own journey and experience at Healthy Seas.

From Strategy to Action, from Head to Heart

We often say that sustainability strategies need both a brain and a heart. On one side, rigorous action plans and measurable targets are essential — and corporate sustainability reports remain key. But on the other side, engaging people — customers, employees, communities, new generations — emotionally and personally is just as important to make sustainability stick and grow.

In this shared journey toward sustainability, we too have learned that creating emotional connection and lived experience is key — not just reporting data, but inspiring action and care.

Together with our partners, we not only clean up the sea from ghost nets and marine litter and ensure circular solutions for recovered materials — we also create experiences, stories, and collaborations that touch people’s hearts.

We design clean-up missions that allow partners and stakeholders to experience first-hand the beauty and fragility of the sea and the real impact of marine conservation.
One of the people who experienced this first-hand is Andy Donaldson, open water swimmer and Arena ambassador, who joined one of our sea clean-up missions:
“For me, it was eye-opening,” says Andy. “Meeting such passionate people, seeing them work to protect what they love, gave me incredible energy. Because when you are there — facing a sea that has seen everything and still holds hope — you understand that sustainability is not a brochure word. It is an action, a step, a dive. And sometimes it is also a moment of silence, when you look around and know that what you are doing truly matters.”

We also bring corporate partners into schools and universities, where they can help inspire students on ocean protection, circular economy, and climate action — and equally, listen to what young people expect from business and society today.

In addition, we co-create campaigns and public storytelling that make sustainability tangible and relatable — turning complex data into gestures, emotions, and shared meaning.
As a journalist recently wrote after taking part in a joint Healthy Seas–Arena clean-up mission:
“It’s not about numbers, but about gestures. And these gestures — precise, patient, humble — speak louder than any press release.”

A Dialogue with the Next Generations

At yesterday’s event, there was also an important reflection on the role of companies in education. Many speakers called for more collaboration with schools and universities — but often with the mindset of teaching future generations.

When I took the floor during the open dialogue as Healthy Seas representative, I shared a complementary view: companies should also go to schools to listen. In one of our recent projects with DWS, Deep Blue Legacy, we explored exactly this idea. After cleaning WWII shipwrecks from ghost nets, we worked with students to reflect on the legacy we leave for the planet and for them. The students wrote letters to their future selves, reminding us of their hopes and frustrations. Other experiences were equally enlightening for the corporate partners involved — shifting their perception of the young generation from one of skepticism to one of genuine admiration and renewed empathy.

From Venice to Europe, and Beyond

One final reflection from the event: the European model of sustainability is not just about regulations and metrics. It is also about a deep-rooted culture of care — for peace, for nature, for equity. It is about legacy and memory, and about choosing love over fear, as Arena’s Peter Graschi beautifully put it.

At Healthy Seas, we feel aligned with this vision. And we believe that in the years ahead, together with our partners and many other committed actors, we can contribute to transforming sustainability from a technical practice into a lived experience — one that resonates with customers, young people, communities, and ultimately helps shape a regenerative future.

As one person in the audience reminded us yesterday:
“We may or may not be failing on sustainability targets — but we are certainly failing on communication. We speak of ESG when we should speak of nature and water, of care, of meaning.”

This is also the space where we believe Healthy Seas — alongside many other committed actors — can contribute to building bridges between sustainability goals and the hearts of people. We were happy to be part of this meaningful event and to listen and learn from some of the most dedicated businesses in Italy and beyond.

Samara Croci