#ELBA2035: INTERVIEW WITH FABIO MURZI
As anticipated in one of our posts last week, today marks the start of preparations for the Webinar taking place on the 1st of July, entitled “Sustainable Development: How Much Value Resides in Local Territories? A Shared Vision and Co-creation of Local Initiatives for Italy’s Relaunch”.
Aside from offering many interesting occasions for study and debate, this event will begin creating a platform of shared notions ahead of the drafting of the Manifesto for Sustainable Development of the Island of Elba, which is at the heart of the #ELBA2035 initiative. Thus, from today to the 1st of July, every three weeks we will publish on our blog and social channels the interventions of the Stakeholders we identified together with Ernst & Young (our partner for the initiative), who will speak about Elba, sustainability and development.
Today we would like to start with an interview conducted by Paolo Chillè, a journalist who has the island and its stories in his heart, with Fabio Murzi, the president of Acqua dell’Elba. The interview starts with themes relating to the difficult moment the whole country has experienced from the end of February onwards: a crisis which also touched the artisanal perfumery sector, lately one of the most productive enterprises based on the local territory, forcing it to implement a series of strategic decisions: ‘The first decision’, says Fabio Murzi, ‘was to shut all of our flagship stores to protect the health of our sales assistants, even though we were not forced to do so. In our central headquarters, we subdivided operations on the basis of two shift rotations, so that we were able to maintain social distancing and avoid the possibility of new infections’.
‘Our work thus continued, albeit with reduced working times, principally geared towards two objectives which saw an interesting percentage increase, namely online and foreign sales, highlighting the public’s affection towards the brand and the values it represents. Now that the shops are reopening, our company in Marciana Marina intends to underscore the importance of a positive and dynamic approach during the next phase after the storm: we have started to do so already with our spot dedicated to the importance of tourism, which was broadcast on national and local TV channels, and we support anything else which may come to the aid of Isola d’Elba’s development.’
As previously mentioned, the logistic restrictions around organisation of events have compelled Acqua dell’Elba to postpone the third edition of SEIF – Sea Essence International Festival to 2021, however, as confirmed in the interview by Fabio Murzi, #ELBA2035 will carry on: ‘It’s a project beginning with a process of listening to the territory, then continuing with the identification of key themes, with the final aim is of drafting a Manifesto for Sustainability specifically dedicated to the island of Elba. We believe this may become an important driver for the future of all of us Elbans, and we hope it will lead to a unified, shared vision allowing us to develop huge potentials which are still unexpressed’.
Specifically addressing #ELBA2035 themes, Fabio Murzi highlighted certain essential points which clarify his vision of the island in 15 years’ time: ‘A vision centred on the improvement of the residents’ quality of life, since they are the only people who can help drive and fruitfully achieve sustainable development for our beloved Isola d’Elba. My hope is that by 2035 there will already be in place since some time an established socioeconomic, urbanistic and environmental plan which takes into account the objectives set out in the UN’s 2030 Agenda, as well as those proposed by the EU Commission’s Green New Deal. I also expect that by 2035, Isola d’Elba will have seen extraordinary development thanks to innovative enterprises, clean energies and many events connected to open air sports, arts and culture, and the valorisation of historical characters such as Napoleon and Cosimo I De’Medici.’