“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
The survival and well-being of all depends on how far we are able to make
sustainable development a fundamental part of global ethics”
“Our Common Future” report, 1987
WCED
At AWorld, we commit to creating a tangible and positive impact on society and environment, by bringing sustainability into the daily lives of individuals and organisations all over the world. To achieve this, we have developed an innovative platform chosen by the United Nations as the digital representative of the ACTNOW campaign, aiming to create engagement and guide communities toward a lifestyle that truly promotes a Culture of Sustainability.
This preamble is important because it explains that our business practices must be based on common and shared principles, on values that protect the community and the environment that surrounds us first and foremost. This means that we commit to acting, at every moment of our lives, to fulfil fundamental responsibilities in the areas of human rights, labour, environment, and the fight against corruption.
The Ethical Code is an asset and a resource for us and all our stakeholders. We designed it to be transparent, clear. It is based on the trust and mutual respect that bind us. It is the result of deep reflection, which we work to cultivate every day. All the criteria that follow, the decisions and actions that will result from them, must be viewed through the lens of the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. Nowadays, these are fundamental and actual principles.
We started by questioning what an “Ethical Code” or “Code of Conduct” is. For us, it refers back to the concept of norm and even ethics, the branch of philosophy that studies what allows us to distinguish human behaviours as just or morally permissible compared to behaviours considered morally inappropriate. In practice, ethics are exactly what should guide our actions and decisions.
We know that typically, this document is quite lengthy and complex, but we hope you will read it with care. Ethics reflects a sense of human existence, the profound meaning of acting as individuals and as a community in the Universe that welcomes us.
Ethical codes play a fundamental role in the culture and identity of an organisation; they are the litmus test of the reality in which one operates and the guide for every action and decision for all involved parties. Usually, it is just a document.
Instead, we make it our Manifesto, our common heritage: we present it in the form that is most natural to us, that of
a Journey, a thematic journey just like in our platform, a path that changes, enriches, and guides. We choose this format because it represents the communicative format that embodies our concept of growth and collective awareness: simple and direct. This Manifesto involves us at AWorld and all our stakeholders, those with whom we come into contact and to whom we address, with the aim of forming a single community.
Our aspiration is to strengthen and foster a relationship of trust and dialogue with the entire community.
For us at AWorld, it is essential to establish a transparent agreement with any actor involved or required to fulfil our mission. In the following episodes, we will read the terms of this agreement: it is important and in the interest of the entire community to know what it entails, to respect it, and adopt it as a reference point.
It holds validity both within Italy and internationally, acknowledging cultural, social, and economic diversity.
The environment is a primary resource that we commit to safeguarding; it is our common home.
We plan every activity by seeking a balance between operational needs, environmental requirements, and present and future social implications.
We recognize that ecological transition can be a complex process for individuals and organisations: our task is to promote the creation of a Culture of Sustainability, to encourage everyone to genuinely engage in maintaining the transition as a priority.
This is our way of doing business and creating value, and we are ready to forgo profit if ethical conditions are not fully respected.
At AWorld, we commit to improving the environmental impact of our activities and preventing risks to populations and the environment. We commit to doing this not only in compliance with current regulations but also by looking beyond, to innovation and scientific research, promoting and experimenting with it: as an Innovative Start-up, this is naturally part of our essence and falls within our ethics.
We believe that science and research are the linchpin for addressing current issues, along with collective awareness of the priorities and direction they must follow. We rely on the scientific method and seek evidence that improves the conditions of our Planet.
We commit to preventing denialism, indifference, lack of information, or its distorted use regarding these issues from slowing down or even hindering our collective and conscious actions.
We are all bound to respect the principle of equality, understood as equal social dignity, without distinction of gender, race, language, age, nationality, religion, political opinions, sexual orientation, health status, personal and social conditions, and without engaging in any form of discrimination.
We safeguard everyone from psychological violence and counteract any discriminatory or harmful attitude or behaviour towards the individuals, their beliefs, and their preferences (for example, in the case of insults, threats, stalking, deliberate isolation, or excessive intrusiveness).
We do not tolerate in any way harassment and behaviours or speech that may hurt people’s sensibilities (including the exposure of images with explicit sexual references or any kind of insistent and repeated allusions).
Privacy is fully respected and protected, adopting standards that specify the information circulating in the AWorld Community and its related processing and storage methods.
Anyone who believes they have been subjected to harassment, discriminated against for any reason, or violated in their right to privacy can use the protective tools provided in the Our Actions Episode.
We diligently respect current laws and our Ethical Code.
For the AWorld Community, moral integrity and honesty are both rights and duties. In no case can the pursuit of a particular interest justify dishonest conduct. Honesty is not exhausted in words but finds its fulfilment in actions and is conceived in its broadest sense, which also includes the intellectual sphere.
Every decision made must be adequately verified and, in any case, verifiable. We always provide complete, transparent, understandable, and accurate information so that everyone can make autonomous and informed decisions about alternatives and consequences, in complete freedom.
We commit to carrying out our tasks and duties as stipulated, always in an atmosphere of honest dialogue and transparency. We do not contemplate the exploitation of conditions of ignorance or incapacity of the other parties.
We do not spread false information, neither within nor outside the Community, concerning any of its members, with the awareness of their falsity. We maintain the confidentiality of information and do not seek private data, except in the case of explicit and informed authorization and compliance.
We are, first and foremost, the custodians of these principles and values that guide our actions. Each individual has the moral responsibility to embrace and safeguard them as rare and precious assets.
Therefore, everyone should always be in a position to report, with respect for the personal integrity of others, doubts or concerns regarding the non-compliance with one or more parts of this common Manifesto or the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda in their simple complexity.
For this purpose, we provide ourselves with a completely anonymous tool, accessible through the AWorld website. Through this form, called My Voice, the community can express itself freely, voluntarily, and anonymously regarding behaviours or actions that may damage mutual trust.
We create and maintain a Reference Unit, composed of three individuals, which can act in response to this tool, assessing the potential presence of a real danger and its severity.
It should not be conceived as the Unit responsible for enforcing common rules. We all are. Instead, it is a neutral and operational tool to provide an appropriate response to any request.
The Unit can also be approached in case of “ethical” doubts, meaning conflicts between different principles. We acknowledge that a decision can be legal but not ethical, just as it can be ethical but not legal. Sometimes, it can be helpful to consult with those who share the same values but can offer different perspectives or alternative solutions.
This Ethical Code belongs to us, we share it, and we commit to safeguarding it.
It allows us to comply with current laws and regulations, but at the same time to see how we do so with different eyes.
It allows us to trace the guidelines and boundaries to guide our actions.
We make it our own. According to us, this is a significant act of responsibility and courage, which we ask of anyone willing to collaborate with us. It is not a trivial request, it should not be taken lightly or superficially, because it encapsulates the essence of what we do as individuals and as a company.
The Manifesto must be fully known, shared, and accepted by all members of the AWorld Community. It is a prerequisite for participation and continued membership. This choice is both courageous and ambitious, as well as voluntary and conscious.
By signing this Agreement, the AWorld Community not only formally but also
substantially recognizes the values expressed in this Manifesto. This commitment is
necessarily added to any other contractual form or relationship with AWorld.
We attach to this Manifesto a document – Appendix A – which must be signed by the authorised legal representative in the case of Organisations. It should then be sent via email to [email protected].
Find out now how to engage your employees with AWorld’s guide and start your company’s sustainable transformation.
Find out now how to engage your employees with AWorld’s FREE GUIDE and boost your company’s sustainable transformation.
Find out now how to engage your employees with AWorld’s FREE GUIDE and boost your company’s sustainable transformation.