ASviS and Axa Italia have launched a digital platform that catalogues more than 300 locally-driven sustainability projects across Italy, creating what organizers describe as a "technical memory" for replicating environmental and social innovation nationwide.
Why This Matters
• New call opening June 9: Citizens, businesses, public agencies, nonprofits, and universities can submit their own sustainability projects for official recognition.
• Youth leadership: 21% of catalogued initiatives are designed and led by people under 31, marking a generational shift in environmental stewardship.
• Long-term commitment: Nearly half the projects have been running for over 5 years, and 41% have operated for a decade or longer—well beyond pilot phases.
• Accessible models: The platform allows users to filter by geographic location or specific UN Sustainable Development Goal, making it easier to adapt proven strategies to new contexts.
A National Repository for Local Solutions
The BEST—Buone Esperienze di Sostenibilità dei Territori platform was unveiled May 18 at Politecnico di Bari during the 6th stop of the Festival dello Sviluppo Sostenibile 2026. Backed by the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASviS) and insurer Axa Italia, the portal functions as an interactive database where local governments, private companies, academic institutions, and community groups can both submit and search for initiatives tied to the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
A multidisciplinary evaluation committee reviews submissions and issues certificates of recognition to projects deemed suitable. As of the launch, the platform already hosts between 200 and 300 case studies, many drawn from previous ASviS territorial reports. Acceptance rates stand at 96%, underscoring rigorous pre-screening and quality control.
Enrico Giovannini, scientific director of ASviS, emphasized that policy coherence remains critical to national well-being and noted that Italy must revise its National Sustainable Development Strategy by the end of 2026. The platform is designed to support that process by offering evidence-based, field-tested models for policymakers, investors, and project managers.
What the Data Reveals About Italy's Sustainability Landscape
The figures paint a picture of a country quietly committed to long-horizon transformation. Among the projects catalogued for the 2025/2026 report, 49% have time frames exceeding five years, while 41% stretch beyond a decade or operate indefinitely. This durability suggests that many initiatives have matured beyond the experimental stage and are now embedded in institutional or community routines.
The projects collectively involve a network of more than 1,200 entities—ranging from municipal councils and regional authorities to cooperatives, foundations, and start-ups. Geographical diversity is notable: the platform's filtering tools allow users to search by province or municipality, revealing pockets of innovation in both northern industrial zones and southern coastal towns.
Goal 13—climate action—dominates the catalogue, accounting for 50% of all practices. Goal 4—quality education—follows closely at 49%, while Goal 10—reduced inequalities and Goal 12—responsible consumption and production each represent 45%. Goal 3—good health and well-being—captures 39% of the entries. These priorities reflect Italy's twin challenges: decarbonizing an export-driven manufacturing base while addressing persistent regional and generational divides.
Youth as Architects, Not Just Beneficiaries
One of the most striking findings is the role of young Italians. 40% of the initiatives target people under 31, whether as program participants, trainees, or stakeholders. More significantly, 21% of the projects are conceived and managed by under-31s, a figure that challenges narratives of youth disengagement.
This generational participation aligns with broader data from ASviS: a spring 2026 survey found that 90% of Italian students and their families consider the 17 Sustainable Development Goals important or very important, signaling widespread consensus on environmental and social priorities even as political debates remain polarized.
The May 18 event in Bari underscored this dynamic. Umberto Fratino, rector of Politecnico di Bari, described his institution as a "hub for the future," committed to fostering an equitable and accountable educational ecosystem for the next generation. Parallel to the conference, volunteers collected over 37 kg of waste and nearly 4,000 cigarette butts from the campus, which were then displayed as a visual prompt for behavioral change.
What This Means for Residents
For anyone living in Italy—whether a municipal administrator, small-business owner, or community organizer—the platform offers immediate utility. Instead of reinventing solutions, users can search by SDG number or geographic area to locate proven frameworks, then adapt them to local conditions.
Starting June 9, a new Call Buone Pratiche 2026 will open, allowing stakeholders to submit projects via an online questionnaire. Those that meet evaluation criteria will receive a recognition certificate, which can bolster funding applications, partnership proposals, and public credibility.
The platform's design prioritizes "scalability"—the ability to transfer a successful model from one context to another. A supply-chain sustainability program developed by IMA S.p.A., for instance, was recognized in the 2025 report and now appears in the BEST catalogue. The initiative, known as IMA Sustainability Program X Supplier, trains vendors on ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) standards and integrates them into a broader ecosystem. By making the program's structure visible and accessible, the platform enables other manufacturers to replicate the approach without starting from scratch.
Southern Italy as Laboratory, Not Laggard
The choice of Bari as the festival venue reflects a strategic reframing. Rather than treating the Mezzogiorno as a perennial development problem, organizers positioned it as a testing ground for integrated social and technological innovation. European cohesion funds earmarked for southern regions are increasingly being channeled toward projects that blend climate action, digital infrastructure, and social inclusion—a convergence that ASviS describes as "digital humanism."
The platform's filters reveal that Goal 11—sustainable cities and communities—intersects with many other objectives, particularly in southern municipalities where urban planning, proximity services, environmental management, and social cohesion are tightly intertwined. This clustering suggests that the most successful initiatives address multiple goals simultaneously, rather than pursuing single-issue agendas.
How the Platform Supports Decision-Making
By aggregating and certifying local practices, BEST functions as a knowledge commons. Public administrators drafting municipal sustainability plans can benchmark their proposals against similar contexts. Investors evaluating ESG portfolios gain insight into field-level implementation challenges. Academics studying policy diffusion can trace the adoption patterns of specific interventions.
Axa Italia views the platform as an extension of its core mission. Beyond underwriting risk, the insurer sees itself as a catalyst for social innovation, supporting infrastructures that reduce vulnerability and amplify collective resilience. The partnership with ASviS allows the company to link its financial resources to measurable territorial outcomes.
Practical Next Steps
For those interested in exploring or submitting projects:
Visit the BEST platform and use the geographic or goal-based filters to identify relevant case studies.
Mark June 9 on your calendar if you manage a project that aligns with the Agenda 2030 framework. The online questionnaire will require details on scope, duration, partnerships, and measurable impacts.
Review the evaluation criteria published by ASviS to understand what the multidisciplinary committee prioritizes: longevity, replicability, stakeholder diversity, and alignment with multiple SDGs.
Connect with peers whose projects appear in the catalogue. The platform includes contact information to facilitate cross-learning and potential collaboration.
As Italy prepares to update its national sustainability strategy later this year, the BEST platform offers a bottom-up counterweight to top-down policy frameworks. The message is clear: viable models already exist across the country, tested by time and embedded in real communities. The task now is to amplify, adapt, and integrate them into the institutional mainstream.
