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No, this is not a club or fashion reference, but do not be disappointed because the subject is really in fashion, we are talking about the reinforced concern - we would say, political and legislative - with environmental sustainability.

It is common ground for (almost) everyone that climate change and environmental degradation represent an existential threat that has been talked about for several years, but which has been acted upon timidly. According to data revealed by the European Commission, 93% of European citizens consider climate change to be a serious problem and, in fact, the environmental phenomena we have witnessed in recent years do not seem to leave any room for doubt.

Aware of this issue, and aware that protecting our natural habitat benefits people, the planet and the economy, in December 2019 the European Commission presented the European Ecological Pact, which sets the ambitious goal of making the European Union climate neutral from 2050, recognising that it is necessary, to this end, to take action in different sectors (energy; industry; transport; etc.) and adopt a climate legislative framework.

The Commission has remained true to its commitment, and since 2019 it has put forward several "climate-friendly" legislative proposals. Take for example the Directive on corporate due diligence on sustainability, the Directive on the energy performance of buildings, or the Directive on empowering consumers for the ecological transition.

Of course, we could not talk about climate transition without talking about the digital transition, another priority at the top of the political agenda of the Commission, which recognises the symbiotic relationship between the green and digital transition, and which in a recently published report clarifies how both can reinforce each other, in particular through the use of emerging technologies (e.g. Artificial Intelligence; Blockchain).

However, and as can be expected, environmental sustainability is not only a priority of the European Union, we are also "in fashion" and have defined climate transition and sustainability of resources as one of the thematic agendas of the Portugal 2030 Strategy, approved the Roadmap for Carbon Neutrality 2050, published the Climate Framework Law, just to give some examples.

This European and national framework already seems to be promoting some changes, starting with the advertisements we (necessarily) see promoting cars with a more sustainable performance, detergents with biodegradable ingredients, furniture with a circular life, recycled and second-hand clothes, etc. There are many corporate websites with policies of environmental responsibility and reports on the success of the measures adopted to ensure compliance with the duties of diligence in matters of environmental protection.

At .PT sustainability is not a recent concern. Since 2019, environmental responsibility is one of our strategic spaces (Strategic Reflection on the Future of .PT) and we have been voluntarily adopting several "green" measures. In addition to this, we are a founding member of "Digital With a Purpose", a movement to join forces between several leaders with the aim of meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement and the sustainable development objectives until 2030 supported by digitalisation.

But let's go back to the beginning, to the title of this text, because we do not want its "lightness" to obscure our message, which is and can only be this: environmental sustainability is not a fashion, it is a necessity!