The World Sustainability Foundation makes it possible to actively contribute to conservation and humanitarian initiatives simply by purchasing products certified as sustainable by Friend of the Sea® and Friend of the Earth®
Milan-based World Sustainability Foundation (WSF) is a nonprofit with global social solidarity goals. Land enhancement, protection of marine and terrestrial resources and habitats, and the development of campaigns to protect endangered species are just some of the commitments of the new entity active in the Third Sector.
A not-for-profit arm of the World Sustainability Organization (WSO), the Foundation was established precisely on the initiative of the Organization born in 2014 at the behest of Paolo Bray, now also president of the World Sustainability Foundation.
WSO, an official member of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), is the only organization proposing two consumer-friendly logos, Friend of the Sea® and Friend of the Earth®, which can potentially certify sustainability for the whole food range (seafood and agro) as well as non-food products and services (textiles, cosmetics, detergents, tourism, transportation, and many others).
“The establishment of the World Sustainability Foundation is an important step confirming our willingness to expand the nonprofit side of our activity. That said, it is clear that the mission of the World Sustainability Organization itself is also driven by our nonprofit aim to promote sustainable practices globally”, said Foundation President Paolo Bray.
The World Sustainability Foundation, which has been operational since 2022, aims to protect and enhance the environment by spreading the culture of sustainable development. It will also carry out online awareness campaigns.
Creating a collaborative network between States, institutions, research centers, Universities, and companies certified by Friend of the Sea® or Friend of the Earth® is how the Foundation will work to achieve its goals. In addition, the World Sustainability Foundation will also be active in the field of education, relying on the help of experts and providing outreach materials and support to companies on sustainable production and new technologies.
The Foundation already counts conservation and some humanitarian projects in more than 40 countries worldwide supported by customers’ sustainable purchasing. From lemurs in Madagascar to rhinos in South Africa. From the global butterfly census, a citizen science project, to lobbying to reduce the risk of large ships colliding with endangered whales. Numerous successes have also been recorded, such as the campaign to require large food delivery groups to remove shark fin soup, a primary cause of the decline in populations of these species, from their menus.
The Foundation has so far been funded mainly by royalties derived from products certified sustainable according to Friend of the Sea® and Friend of the Earth® standards. Anyone can therefore support the Foundation’s projects by selecting certified products.
“We believe that companies in the various sectors should also contribute and support conservation projects”, comments Paolo Bray. “We have a Biodiversity Offsets or Biodiversity Compensation program that allows companies to certify their backing for biodiversity, supporting the Foundation’s projects, and thus partially compensate for their impact on the environment”.
The Foundation plans to double the number of projects supported in 2023, expanding its influence to cover 100 countries worldwide.
For more info visit: World Sustainability Foundation
