10. SPII’s Charter of Values – #Ethics
There can’t be sustainability without ethics.
The last and the first thing you do are often the most crucial. This is why we have left #Ethics as the final Value in our Charter of Values.
It was a document we wrote because we wanted to make more concrete and official the efforts of our company towards topics of work, life, and the future we believe are important.
We were committed to making a difference in the world by prioritizing them, and the Values Charter is a testament to this commitment.
These Values have always been with us, but writing them down gave them consistency. It was like writing them in stone.
We would be more bound than ever to them.
Since we started the process of analysis, questioning, discussing, and selecting the Values that we wanted to represent SPII, and that SPII had to represent with its doing, so many things have changed.
It’s been about one year since then, and during this time we have celebrated our 75th birthday, we have finalized an acquisition, and our CEO has changed. So many things are different now…but we are happy and proud to state that our values are not. And they won’t.
So now that we have reached the last value of the lot, the last article about this topic, we must congratulate ourselves: because we chose them well. Only values that truly come from a Company’s soul can endure change and turn out more accurate than ever.
Probably, the reason is that we chose them with #Ethics.
There is no value without #Ethics
We believe ethics is the perfect conclusion to this journey because it is also the beginning.
Ethics is the value without which no other value can exist. There can be no #Sustainability without ethics. But also there can’t be #Trust, #Vision, or #Inclusion.
The reason for it lies in the definition itself: Ethics is a branch of philosophy that deals with moral principles and values that guide human behavior.
It is concerned with questions of what is right or wrong, good or bad, just or unjust, and what actions or behaviors are acceptable or unacceptable in different situations.
It is not just limited to individual behavior but also applies to the behavior of groups, organizations, and society as a whole, because it helps individuals and organizations to make decisions and actions that are morally justifiable.
You see then why ethics is the basis itself of a Charter of Values like ours? It exists because our main goal in creating it was to help us take ethical decisions.
Do the right thing
The idea that ethics and other values are intertwined is not new, but what we want to do as a Company is use it to distinguish between right and wrong.
How can you do what is right, if you don’t know what “wrong” means? You need to know both, to think about it, to draw the line.
However, this is not always easy or popular. Often, we are faced with difficult decisions, and the ethical thing to do is not the easy one. Sometimes we must consider the long-term effects of our actions, even if it means sacrificing short-term gains.
For example, in the current economic climate, many companies are struggling to stay afloat. It may be tempting to cut corners or lay off staff to save money, but these decisions may have long-term consequences that ultimately lead to the company’s failure.
SPII recognizes this and struggles to be open to discussion and improvement, even if it means making difficult decisions.
In the end, our message is clear: ethics, like sustainability, is not just a buzzword for us.
It’s one of the values that guide every decision we make.
By prioritizing these values, companies can create a sustainable future that benefits everyone.
This is what we want to do. This is what we promise to try doing, despite all the changes that may happen.
It’s going to be a beautiful journey – we will follow these tracks wherever they go, wherever we can.
See you next time,
Ilaria Cazziol
