Expectations around equality are increasing, but cultural barriers are still present. This gap shows up in everyday decisions, inside organizations as well as in society.

For Elisa Lanciani, Bitron Group People & Culture and Global HR Director of the Automotive Business Unit, the role of companies comes down to execution.

"Statements alone are not enough. What matters is whether they translate into mechanisms that can be applied and monitored over time."

At Bitron, this translates into work on processes. HR practices are being reviewed to make them consistent, measurable and less dependent on individual discretion. Digital tools support this effort by enabling data comparison across sites and making decisions more transparent.

The work is ongoing and checked over time. Results are tracked, gaps are identified, and adjustments follow.

"Behaviors and habits matter as much as formal rules." Lanciani says. This is why the company is also focusing on internal awareness. Specific initiatives address unconscious bias and how it influences decisions. The aim is to act on the criteria behind those decisions, not only on the procedures themselves.

The same approach extends outside the company: for the third consecutive year, Bitron supports "Viva la Costituzione, la Costituzione è viva!", an educational project promoted by Fondazione Articolo 49 and delivered through the InClasse platform. It is designed for primary schools and built around practical activities: students work on real situations, discuss them, and learn how institutions operate.

"For us, following this project over time means seeing how a generation develops," says Lanciani. "Students engage directly, they discuss, they test their ideas on participation."

This year, the project involves more than 20,000 students across Italy. The focus is on what it means to take part in a community, to understand rights and to act on them.

"The relationship between a company and its context does not stop at production," Lanciani adds. "It also includes initiatives like this, where education plays a direct role."

The return is not immediate. It becomes visible over time, in how people relate to institutions and to each other. For Bitron, continuing this path means staying consistent with the way it works.