Every year, Benefit companies devote a great deal of energy and investment to producing their Impact Report: an official document that outlines the activities carried out, the objectives achieved and the value generated for people, society and the environment. However, very few people actually read it. It remains a document confined to a small circle of industry professionals, consultants and internal stakeholders. The WRÅD brand sought to address this very contradiction: if sustainability aims to change the world, why does it continue to be communicated through formats that people avoid? It therefore set itself a concrete challenge: to transform this reporting into content capable of capturing the public’s interest.

This is how ‘Real-World Puzzles’ came about – a publishing project that transforms WRÅD’s 2025 Impact Report into a book of games and puzzles designed to entertain, connect and stimulate dialogue. So, if impact reporting can become something to take with you under your beach umbrella, then perhaps it is not just the format of the report that changes, but also the role these tools can play in making change more accessible, understandable and widely embraced.

‘Puzzles for the Real World’ uses the most iconic puzzle formats – crosswords, rebuses, anagrams, quizzes, brain teasers and trivia – to raise awareness of responsible design and to showcase the projects, research and cultural references that have characterised WRÅD’s work throughout 2025 and beyond. The themes range from design to fashion, from health to responsibility, from history to systemic transformation, inviting the reader to participate actively. WRÅD chooses play as a design tool to transform complex information into shared experiences.

“Companies, including many of our clients, invest enormous amounts of resources in drafting these documents,” says Giorgio Fermanelli, Director of Impact at WRÅD. “But if nobody reads them, what’s the point? This project arose from a real need we identified. Most of the brands we work with told us of their frustration at the limited real impact these reports had.”

The publication was launched and handed out to passers-by on 15 July at the Edicola Erno newsagent’s in Rome. However, this initiative does not replace WRÅD’s standard social report, which remains freely available online on the company’s website, but rather complements it perfectly, presenting the data in an interactive and inclusive format.

In this way, a document typically analysed in the office or during briefings is transformed into a magazine that can be read anywhere, even under a beach umbrella. This choice represents a clear strategy for WRÅD, a design and consultancy firm founded by Matteo Ward in 2015 and which, in 2025, became part of Inside Out (IO), a global holding company dedicated to improving human and planetary health. Operating at the intersection of culture, business and policy, WRÅD helps organisations rethink the role that products and services play in society. Clients who have worked with WRÅD to rethink how they communicate their impact initiatives include EssilorLuxottica, PVH, Ferragamo, Vestiaire Collective and Montura.

At a time of profound regulatory change for the sector, the Slow Fiber association has reached a total of 38 members with the addition of eleven new manufacturers. These are: Cardinalini & C. SpA, a long-established Umbrian company in the textile and clothing sector; Brugnoli, a Busto Arsizio-based company specialising in circular-knit fabrics for over 70 years. Tintoria Mancini, a Biella-based company in Sandigliano which has specialised for over 50 years in the dyeing of cashmere, wool, vicuña, alpaca and silk in staple fibre, tops and skeins. Maglieria Gina, a family-run business in Dairago (MI) which has been producing circular knitted fabrics for over 40 years. I.T.T. Industria Tessile Tintoria Spa, a company that has specialised in the dyeing of fine fibres and fabrics for over 50 years. Tintoria e Stamperia in Lambrugo (CO), which for over 80 years has been involved in dyeing and finishing, primarily of shuttle-woven fabrics made from artificial and synthetic fibres. Tessitura F.lli Bortolotto, in the province of Treviso, has been producing artisanal fabrics since 1963. Quality Biella has been offering integrated services for textile quality for over 50 years: mending, quality control and garment manufacturing, combining artisanal expertise with technology. Filatura Luisa 1966 has been producing high-end combed yarns in Masserano (BI) for 60 years, combining quality, innovation and sustainability. Roberto Collina Maglieria, a world-class family brand, has been producing high-quality knitwear in Crevalcore (BO) using state-of-the-art machinery since the early post-war period. Achille Pinto, a company based in the Como district, has been producing fabrics for clothing and finished garments for over 90 years.

The new members come from historic ‘Made in Italy’ districts and from regions where manufacturing expertise remains a living heritage, to be preserved and promoted: large industrial groups and small artisan workshops, companies from north-western and central Italy, businesses operating across different stages of production, from spinning to knitting, from dyeing to weaving: a diversity that reflects the richness and complexity of the Italian textile supply chain.

The values of Slow Fiber: not an ethical choice, but market demands

The new European regulations on sustainability – from the ban on the destruction of unsold stock to mandatory due diligence throughout the supply chain, right through to rules on transparency and traceability – set out a framework in which the founding principles of Slow Fiber are no longer merely an ethical choice, but a response to the new European regulations.

“Slow Fiber was founded with two interlinked missions: to foster a culture of understanding within the supply chain and to support small artisans, the custodians of skills that we risk losing. Our companies, which are predominantly family-run, rely heavily on craftsmanship and a deep understanding of the skills involved in every single stage of the supply chain. Only in this way is it possible to achieve quality. And without quality, there is no future for the Italian textile industry. Today, with 38 member companies, we see that this vision is gaining increasing traction within the sector. And we are only just getting started,” said Dario Casalini, founder and president of Slow Fiber.

Support for small companies

One of the cornerstones of Slow Fiber’s identity, right from its foundation, has been the protection of micro and small artisan businesses, including those with fewer than ten employees. These businesses are often unable to cope on their own with the costs and complexity of certification, traceability and regulatory compliance processes. Through the network, these businesses gain access to training, shared compliance services and support tools that they might not be able to afford on their own. “It’s not just about solidarity within the supply chain,” explains Marco Bardelle, vice-president of Slow Fiber, “it’s a question of the ecosystem. If small specialist artisans disappear, skills and craftsmanship that no large company can replicate in-house will be lost. Ultimately, larger companies that build their products precisely on that excellence will also lose out.”

Building on the success achieved in the textile sector, Slow Fiber is now turning its attention to another ‘Made in Italy’ sector that is in deep trouble: leather goods. The signs of crisis are alarming: it is estimated that around 190 companies – almost all of them SMEs – have closed in the Scandicci district of Tuscany alone, resulting in the loss of over 2,000 jobs and more than 7,000 workers being placed on short-time working or social safety net schemes (figures provided by Assopellettieri and Confindustria Moda). This downturn highlights the fragility of an entire production system in the face of pressure from the global market.

In today’s business landscape, the transition towards ethical and environmentally responsible business models is no longer merely an option, but a genuine differentiating factor. And JV International once again stands out for its excellence, securing the top spot with the Platinum Medal from the international corporate sustainability assessment platform EcoVadis. This achievement places JV International amongst the top 1 per cent of over 130,000 organisations assessed globally, confirming the strength of a business model that effectively integrates ESG principles into every aspect of the company’s operations.

This success is no accident, but represents the natural evolution of a solid and consistent strategic approach. In 2025, JV International had in fact joined the top 5 per cent of the world’s best-performing companies thanks to its Gold Medal. The move up to Platinum level therefore certifies a further and decisive leap in quality, demonstrating how ESG (environmental, social and governance) principles are not merely declarations of intent, but concrete criteria integrated into every single business operation and decision.

What makes this award so significant is the rigour of the EcoVadis methodology itself. The assessment is based on strict and recognised international standards, such as the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the United Nations Global Compact and the ISO 26000 standard. By analysing 21 specific criteria, the algorithm scrutinises four key areas: environmental management, labour and human rights protection, business ethics, and sustainable procurement throughout the supply chain. In this way, the certification body recognises not only future objectives but also the actual impact of day-to-day practices.

For JV International, this achievement confirms a vision that has been pursued since the company’s foundation in 2013. Specialising in the development of innovative solutions for the footwear sector and as a global licensee of Soles by Michelin for the design, production and marketing of soles, the company has built its growth on its ability to combine performance, innovation and responsibility.

Founded in Florence in 2019 by South Korean designer Dong Seon Lee and Italian product manager Giuliana Borzillo, ID.EIGHT has built its identity on a production model that uses over 70 per cent recycled materials and is entirely cruelty-free. During the recent Paris Fashion Week, the Tuscan brand took to the prestigious stage of the NEB Fashion Adaptor – a major initiative organised by EIT Culture & Creativity, a body supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, in close collaboration with the New European Bauhaus – to present its industrial vision and the evolution of a business model that places the circular economy at the heart of everything to an international audience.

The NEB Fashion Adaptor programme was launched with the specific aim of supporting independent fashion brands on their challenging journey towards business models that are truly circular and sustainable, and ID.EIGHT has been selected to join a select group of just 13 companies across Europe, identified as the most innovative and cutting-edge organisations in the field of eco-friendly fashion. Before an international audience comprising investors, industry experts and fashion professionals, the brand successfully demonstrated how it is possible to combine high-quality design, ongoing research into alternative materials and a deep commitment to environmental responsibility within a single, robust business venture. This strategic recognition marks the brand’s official entry into an elite European ecosystem, designed to support those companies that know how to transform sustainability into a genuine driver of economic growth.

ID.EIGHT also took centre stage last June at Pitti Uomo, the premier men’s fashion fair, where it unveiled its first barefoot trainer: NURI, an evolution of the iconic HANA model, which successfully combines innovation and sustainability. Featuring a wider toe box, designed to respect the foot’s natural shape, and a construction engineered to accommodate its movement, NURI supports the foot’s stride in the most natural way possible. Thanks to its lightweight sole and ‘pouch’ construction – a technique from the tradition of artisanal shoemaking that involves stitching the inner lining around the last like a glove – NURI offers exceptional softness and wraps around the foot to follow its movements.

This creative evolution is accompanied by equally significant commercial growth. Whilst continuing to consolidate its position in Northern European markets, ID.EIGHT has recently opened new distribution channels in Spain, further strengthening its international presence. This strategy is yielding particularly positive results and has led the brand to forecast a doubling of turnover by 2026 compared with the previous year.