Global Compact International Yearbook 2015

Good Practice
Financial Markets
conference participants reflected on the
importance of economic activities linked
to those sectors and to their founding
values.
To commemorate World Savings Day
in 2012, Banca Popolare di Sondrio
prepared a book, “Andrea Credaro – I
taccuini di un frutticoltore di fine Ottocento“
(translated title “Andrea Credaro
– The Notebooks of a Fruit Grower at
the End of the 19th Century“), which
was written by Vera Nella Credaro and
Augusto Pirola. The work focuses on the
Sondrio farmer Andrea Credaro, who
lived in the 19th century and was the
father of the famous Minister of Public
Education, Luigi Credaro. This book
was intended to be a celebration of the
Valtellina farmer, for whom work was a
daily commitment, made more difficult
by the harsh conditions of terraced
vineyards – a unique characteristic
of the land in the Province of Sondrio.
The book was presented to the public
on World Savings Day on October
31, 2012, during a roundtable discussion
entitled “Working under the sky
bent over the ground.” In attendance
were young farmers, students from the
agrarian institutes – even from outside
the province – teachers, experts, and
fans of the farming sector, all of whom
received a copy of the book as a gift.
“Craftsmanship, protagonist of the economic
system, between history, tradition
and future” was the subject of World
Savings Day in 2013, which was dedicated
to crafts companies operating in the area.
The events helped to establish contact
with people and families and paid respect
to local uses and customs, with special
attention given to recent changes under
globalization. The public conference,
held by the architect Giorgio Merletti,
President of Confartigianato Imprese,
highlighted the fundamental values of
craftsmanship: good will, industriousness,
commitment, self-denial, sacrifice, and
creativity. During that public event, an
exhibition of the art crafts of Sondrio was
set up in the bank and remained open
to the public for several days.
For the 90th World Savings Day, celebrated
in 2014, Banca Popolare di
Sondrio promoted a conference held
by Carlo Sangalli, President of Confcommercio
– Imprese per l’Italia, on the
subject “Companies that do not save
themselves: How commerce and services
contribute to the country’s future.” The
services sector of the country includes
commerce, tourism, transport, and services,
which together form more than
40 percent of the country’s GDP. Thus,
it is an important sector comprised of
diverse companies creating visibility for
the region and contributing toward the
country’s attractiveness. The intention
was to highlight the tangible difficulties
met by businesses during the ongoing
economic crisis. But it was also intended
to show the will of entrepreneurs to
maintain ideas and relations with people
and property, to exchange goods and
opinions, and to create links. The event’s
slogan was “You switch off signs but not
what lit them up.”
These bank initiatives for the public help
to spread the savings concept, which
is vital for banks, the economy, and
work – something that entrepreneurs
know only too well. Banca Popolare di
Sondrio has always sustained economic
and social value and supported the areas,
companies, and families with its original
vision of a people’s cooperative bank.
Global Compact International Yearbook 2015
139