Fourgreen Manifesto

Awareness makes us free because it means understanding reality.

It frees us from frameworks, preconceived ideas, or hearsay, allowing us to understand the problem and giving us the freedom and responsibility of choice: to act or not to act according to conscience.

Science and Mathematics create awareness because they present us with indisputable results: 2+2 always equals 4 and an apple always falls downward. We are constantly exposed to numerous pieces of information about the climate impact of our actions — for example, “you pollute like 10 cars in one year” or “you need to plant 1,000 trees to offset your impact.” This makes it difficult for us to understand with certainty whether such information is real, estimated, or even exaggerated.

The lack of certainty in data naturally leads us to doubt and prejudice about its real nature, and it “authorizes” us to take it with detachment, avoiding decisive action. For this reason, one of our founding principles is knowing our climate impact after having calculated it scientifically and with certification: we do not have and do not want “alibis.”

We know our climate debt and consciously commit to act. It is time for choices, and even not choosing is already a choice.

Science and recognized methodologies are the only models we believe in.

The cause of current climate change is exclusively human responsibility, as demonstrated by numerous international scientific studies. You could even say we live in a new geological era created by us: the Anthropocene.

In this era — the only one in human history where humans have managed to affect the Earth’s geological processes — we have become powerful. Of this, as a progressed human civilization, we are proud. But, as Uncle Ben Parker used to say: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

Awareness of the damage generated by our “power” motivates us to act, and to do so we have decided to follow exclusively the calculation, reduction, and compensation models that Science and international directives use.
There are no shortcuts or compromises.

There are no shortcuts or compromises.

We are convinced that the transition process toward carbon neutrality must be a just and fast journey, without compromising current socio-economic development.

It should not destroy current economic activities but transform them through available technology to make them compatible with sustainable economic, environmental, and social development.

North American unions introduced the concept of a Just Transition in the 1990s — the idea of a fair and inclusive energy transition that does not abandon anyone and supports communities where the impact of decarbonization will be greatest.
This is not just about jobs: the consequences will be broad and cross-cutting across all dimensions of social and economic life.
A fair approach to the energy transition must therefore include the protection of diverse economic activities with a redistribution of benefits.

But this should not be an excuse to procrastinate. For this reason, we introduced our concept of a Fast & Just transition: an environmental transition that is fair and as fast as possible, using available technologies and ensuring the financial sustainability of ongoing economic activities.

Define a real, challenging, but not utopian path, using all available technology.

Technology, together with scientific research, is the only tool that can allow us to achieve prosperous development with reduced impact, compatible with the finite resources of the planet.

Not all technology is yet practically applicable to everyday business — whether due to early stages or excessive costs relative to real business capabilities. However, this should not exclude everyone’s commitment to adopt virtuous behaviors or to start pilot projects that can guide this path.
Even small actions make a difference when multiplied by millions of people.

We believe in the ‘butterfly effect’ and the power of positive example, which generates meaningful and lasting effects throughout the system.

Therefore, the path to emission reduction must be set in a concrete way over the shortest possible time, consistent with economic possibilities and actual technology deployment.

Compensation means restoring balance.

Even when we embark on a decarbonization path with innovative technologies and virtuous behaviors, not all emissions from our activity can be reduced.

These are called non-reducible emissions. For some businesses, unfortunately, these emissions may not be reducible for a long time.
Therefore, it is necessary to finance and support environmental protection projects that — elsewhere and in a verified way — absorb or avoid CO₂ emissions, indirectly compensating or removing emissions we cannot reduce within our own activity.

However, compensation should remain a tool, not the goal. The priority remains reducing or avoiding emissions first and using compensation only as a last resort.
We do not accept total compensation without real reduction first.

A company is sustainable when it also takes responsibility as an enterprise.

Sustainable growth — with a long-term perspective — meets the interests of current generations without compromising those of future generations. This model considers three interdependent dimensions: economic, environmental, and social.

ESG criteria (Environmental, Social & Governance) are non-financial parameters that commit companies to ensuring:

• environmental sustainability of their business,
• social responsibility toward involved communities,
• fair and inclusive governance.

Applying these principles means translating them into actions, adapting them to each specific sector. For this reason, we have directly applied the general ESG criteria to the food & beverage sector to enable companies to adopt good practices concretely. The goal is environmental, social, and governance sustainability that is clear and immediately applicable.

Not abstract rules or principles — but concrete actions.

Sustainability must be an achievement, not a claim.

The environmental transition journey must be announced and shared with stakeholders, clearly and verifiably showing the real corporate commitment, avoiding the use of sustainability as a marketing ploy.

Results communication must be periodic and complete: it’s important to share successes and the goals not yet reached. This enables analysis of causes and subsequent action.

This is not a race to look better — but to do better together