Interview with Elisa Bottoni from the Istituto per il Credito Sportivo e Culturale

On the occasion of our series dedicated to the professionals leading the sustainable transition in Italy, we had the pleasure of interviewing Elisa Bottoni, Sustainability Specialist at the Istituto per il Credito Sportivo e Culturale S.p.A.

The result was an insightful conversation, rich in vision, pragmatism and forward-looking perspectives on the future of sustainable finance.

From origins to a commitment to sustainability

Claudia: Elisa, let’s start with your background. How did you first approach the world of sustainability?

Elisa: My interest began at university. I was studying political economy, but the environmental economics exam was a real turning point. That’s when I realised that economic theory cannot be separated from natural capital: if we destroy it, neither growth nor equity can be guaranteed in the future. My thesis focused precisely on the economic costs of climate change. Afterwards, my career moved away from these issues for a while, until the first directive on non-financial reporting brought sustainability into the conversation within the bank. I volunteered to take on this new area and, since 2017, it has become my full-time work.

What does “sustainability” mean today? 

Claudia: Today sustainability is talked about constantly, sometimes a bit superficially. If you had to explain it in your own words, both to someone working in a company and to someone unfamiliar with the topic, how would you define it?

Elisa: The key concept, in my view, is balance. We talk about economic, environmental, and social sustainability, but also about the quality of everyday life. Sustainability is the ability to ensure fairness between generations and between the present and the future. Growth cannot be guaranteed only for some, nor at the expense of tomorrow. It is a matter of justice and collective responsibility.

The role at the Istituto per il Credito Sportivo e Culturale

Claudia: What aspect of your role are you most passionate about?

Elisa: Working in an institution with a public mission that finances sport and culture is already a great privilege. These sectors hold enormous social value: they generate cohesion, participation, and inclusion.

What inspires me most is the opportunity to contribute concretely to integrating sustainability objectives into the institute’s strategy and the support we provide to our beneficiaries. Working on tools that improve the energy and operational efficiency of the infrastructures we finance, while enhancing their positive social impact, gives real and tangible meaning to our commitment.

The responsibilities of the public sector

Claudia: Do you believe public institutions have a different, and perhaps greater, responsibility than private organisations when it comes to the sustainable transition?

Elisa: Absolutely. A public institution must pursue the common good and set an example: it cannot ask for sustainable behaviour if it does not adopt it internally first. This is why, years ago, we began equipping ourselves with tools to measure our environmental and social impacts, not only to comply with regulations, but to truly integrate sustainability into our corporate strategy.

A project to be proud of

Claudia: Looking back at the work done so far, is there a project or initiative that makes you say, “here we really did a great job”?

Elisa: Definitely, the work started in recent years to measure our carbon footprint. Thanks to our collaboration with Green Future Project, we now have a full picture of emissions across all Scopes of the GHG Protocol. This allows us not only to monitor consumption in real time but also to develop technical and scientific expertise that banks typically lack. Measurement becomes a strategic tool for planning future interventions.

Big challenges: data, complexity and the value chain

Claudia: I imagine there are also many challenges behind all this. What do you see as the biggest ones, both in data collection and in the phase we could describe as “and now what”?

Elisa: There are two main challenges: data collection and the “after”, meaning what happens next.

Data collection is complex because banks are not historically structured to monitor environmental consumption. It’s even more challenging to gather data from our suppliers and, above all, from our clients. We finance local authorities, sports associations, parishes, which are organisations not subject to CSRD and that have never collected environmental data.

Raising awareness and supporting them through this journey will be a huge challenge. Moreover, sport and culture are not carbon-intensive sectors: there are very few references or international benchmarks. We are doing something truly pioneering.

Becoming a reference point for the sector

Claudia: From how you describe your work, I sense a lot of enthusiasm and determination. Do you aim to become a point of reference for the sector?

Elisa: That is exactly our ambition. We aim to become a reference point for Sport and Culture not only in financing, but also in developing models to measure their environmental sustainability and the social impact they generate for the community.

With regard to carbon footprint measurement, these sectors may not be carbon-intensive, but energy represents a significant part of their operating costs. Helping organisations measure and reduce their consumption means supporting them economically and preparing them for the future. If, by developing new measurement methodologies, we can also contribute to broader sector analyses, we will have reached an important milestone.

From data to action: the value of collaborating with Green Future Project

Claudia: Let’s go back for a moment to our collaboration. From your point of view, how does working with Green Future Project create value for you, both in the short and long term?

Elisa: The real value lies in the overall view. We now have a detailed picture of our direct and indirect impacts: energy use, mobility, business travel, suppliers.

Knowing where we stand allows us to understand where we want — and can — go. Measurement is never the final goal: it is the tool that enables us to act, improve, engage both internal and external stakeholders and, in the future, work on the carbon footprint of our clients as well.

Culture, resistance and economic vision

Claudia: I’d like to ask you this: Do you still sense strong cultural resistance around sustainability, both in companies and in society?

Elisa: Yes, in Italy and internationally. Sustainability is still perceived as a cost or a bureaucratic burden. In reality, it is an investment: what we spend today generates future returns, including financial ones. The core issue is the divide between present and future, those who invest today want immediate benefits. But sustainability works in the long term.

In my view, we need an economic revolution: integrating natural, human and social capital into production systems. Only then will sustainability stop being perceived as an obligation and become the norm.

A piece of advice for young people approaching sustainability

Claudia: I’ll close with a question that is really close to my heart: if you could speak directly to young people approaching sustainability today, what would you tell them?

Elisa: I would say two words: coherence and courage.

Coherence, because sustainability is not a trend tied to the media cycle of the moment. It must be pursued consistently.

Courage, because those working in this field may face scepticism or resistance. But change is possible, and it often starts with young people. The most innovative and transformative ideas always come from them.

Conclusione 

The interview with Elisa Bottoni was a journey through strategic vision, operational pragmatism, and genuine passion for sustainable development. A clear example of how a public mission institution can lead the transition, innovate, experiment, and create lasting social and environmental value.

In a context where data, metrics and new skills are becoming essential to turn sustainability into concrete decisions, experiences like that of the Istituto per il Credito Sportivo e Culturale show that moving from measurement to action is truly possible.

For organisations wishing to embark on a similar journey, engaging with those who work on these issues every day can be the decisive step towards beginning to measure, reduce and enhance their impact.