“Decarbonization is not a luxury, nor a radical-chic idea: it is the only way to protect Europe’s productive system from the pressure of raw material dependency.”
This was one of the strongest statements emerging from the interview with Aliseo, a digital journal focused on global geopolitical dynamics and on bringing key issues related to international economics, energy and strategic security into the public debate, including through social media.
Alessandro Gorgoni, geo-economic analyst at Aliseo, outlined a very clear picture during the interview: today, talking about sustainability increasingly means looking at energy, industry, trade and global power relations within the same framework, rather than treating sustainability as a separate domain.
Sustainability within a new global disorder
According to Gorgoni, the current landscape is shaped by growing international fragmentation. The world that for decades operated within a relatively stable balance is giving way to a more uncertain phase, where national interests are once again becoming decisive.
The war in Ukraine, trade tensions between the United States and China, and recurring energy crises clearly show how sustainability is increasingly intertwined with geopolitical dynamics. The energy transition itself is becoming a field of industrial competition. Control over technologies and critical raw materials now represents a concrete strategic advantage.
Batteries, solar panels, wind turbines and lithium are not just tools of the transition. They are industrial assets. In this context, China has built a strong position thanks to its control of raw materials and manufacturing capacity, while Europe and the United States are trying to strengthen their technological autonomy. The energy transition therefore also becomes a matter of economic sovereignty.
The hidden environmental impact of conflicts
Another important point highlighted in Gorgoni’s analysis concerns the relationship between conflicts and environmental impact, a connection still rarely discussed within ESG debates.
The war in Ukraine represents a clear example. Not only because of the direct environmental impact of military operations, but also because of what will follow. Reconstruction will require massive amounts of cement, steel, energy and infrastructure, all highly emission-intensive resources that will make the environmental cost of the conflict visible for years to come.
Alongside armed conflicts there are also less visible forms of competition. One example is the global race to control lithium mines, which are essential for battery production. This technological competition shows how the transition can create new environmental pressures while attempting to reduce others.
A concrete risk, Gorgoni notes, is the relocation of environmental impact: many green technologies used in Europe are produced in industrial systems still heavily dependent on coal. As a result, part of the emissions are simply shifted along the global supply chain.
The European paradox: leading the transition without losing industry
Europe is currently one of the most active players in promoting sustainability, both from a regulatory and industrial perspective. From the Green Deal to the CSRD, the European Union has invested significant resources to position itself as a leader in the energy transition.
However, a clear contradiction remains. Europe’s share of global emissions is relatively limited, while the effort required from its industries is among the highest. According to recent estimates, Europe accounts for around 7% of global emissions, highlighting how climate challenges necessarily require international coordination.
This raises a strategic question: how much impact can a European transformation have if it is not matched by global commitment?
The risk is a misaligned transition, where some economies accelerate while others continue to compete through lower energy costs and weaker environmental constraints.
The real challenge therefore becomes the ability to balance environmental sustainability with industrial strength. Industrial transformation, particularly in sectors such as automotive, is already reshaping European value chains, showing how the transition is also an industrial and social challenge.
Supply chains, data and the new rules of competitiveness
Another key element concerns the growing role of traceability. With the introduction of the CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism), sustainability is becoming embedded in international trade rules, shifting from a reputational issue to a real competitive factor.
CBAM was designed with a clear objective: preventing carbon leakage, meaning the risk that European companies become disadvantaged compared to competitors operating in countries with less stringent environmental standards. The mechanism introduces a carbon cost adjustment on certain imported goods, helping rebalance competitive conditions.
This is already changing how companies operate. Knowing internal processes is no longer enough. Companies must now understand what happens across their entire value chain.
This means:
developing a structured understanding of their supply chain
monitoring emissions across production stages
verifying suppliers’ environmental standards
collecting reliable and auditable data
credibly documenting the real impact of products
ESG data management is therefore becoming a strategic capability. Not only for compliance reasons, but to remain competitive in markets where transparency and traceability are becoming basic operating conditions.
Energy, autonomy and competitiveness
Since the 2022 energy crisis, another key point of Gorgoni’s analysis has become clear: energy is not only an environmental issue, but also a matter of economic security.
Reducing dependence on fossil fuels also means reducing geopolitical vulnerabilities and exposure to international tensions. In this context, renewable energy takes on a broader role: not only as a decarbonization tool, but as a lever of industrial stability.
The case of Uruguay shows how a rapid transition is possible when a clear strategic direction exists. Within a few years, the country managed to shift almost all its electricity production to renewable sources through a combination of political planning, infrastructure investment and the expansion of wind and hydropower. At the same time, it highlights the structural differences between less industrialized economies and complex manufacturing systems such as those in Europe, where energy availability must support far more energy-intensive value chains.
For countries such as Italy and Germany, energy availability remains a fundamental condition for maintaining industrial competitiveness. For this reason, Gorgoni argues, the transition cannot be purely technological. It must also become an industrial strategy capable of reducing dependencies, strengthening infrastructure and increasing the resilience of the economic system.
Competitiveness: the key word
When asked which word he would associate most closely with sustainability today, Gorgoni answers without hesitation: competitiveness.
Not as simple cost reduction, but as the ability to remain relevant in an increasingly complex global environment. Technological innovation, industrial autonomy and regulatory quality are becoming central elements of this new economic competition.
Sustainability is therefore no longer perceived as a constraint but increasingly as a strategic lever. Not only to reduce environmental impact, but also to strengthen the ability of European companies to operate in an international context where energy, technology and access to resources have once again become decisive factors.
Perhaps this is the most significant transformation: sustainability no longer represents only an environmental direction, but one of the key frameworks through which value chains, industrial balances and global economic relations are being reshaped.