Since 2014, Lugano has developed a sort of tradition raising awareness of littering by participating in the Clean Up Day event, promoting important communication campaigns, publishing the Municipal Ordinance on the protection of public areas (littering and vandalism) and receiving the no-littering city label in 2017. Lugano was also awarded the City of Energy® label at the end of 2019 for the concrete and exemplary results achieved in the development of its municipal energy policy. The certification is not a point of arrival, but a starting point for implementing new measures and rationalising the city's activities, while continuing to capitalise on ideas and projects. Lugano also intends to increase public spaces, in particular green and leisure areas, so that they are accessible to the public all year round, reaching at least 25,000 square metres by 2024. In designing the public spaces themselves, Lugano pays attention to preventing, fighting and preventing heat island phenomena by implementing a series of measures, such as the increased presence of shade areas, vegetation, water and permeable surfaces. Last but not least, in 2021 Lugano has launched a pilot project to limit freight traffic and harmful emissions in the city centre: a first in the Canton of Ticino.

The Congress and Event Division of the City of Lugano gives some suggestions (online) about how to organize a sustainable event. Furthermore, the City has invested in soft mobility and events’ participants can benefit from over 24 km of cycle paths. In addition, the convenient and innovative bike sharing system (which covers Lugano and the Lugano area), thanks to approximately 450 small and manageable bicycles, allows people to move easily around the city both on the home-to-work and leisure routes. Furthermore, visitors staying in hotels, youth hostels and campsites are offered the Ticino Ticket, which allows them to use public transport throughout the Canton free of charge and to receive attractive discounts on boats, panoramic mountain lifts and the main tourist attractions in Ticino.

Lugano has adhered to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by launching the #LUGANOSOSTENIBILE project in 2021 with the aim of achieving environmental, economic and social sustainability objectives by adopting responsible behaviour in everyday life. Awareness-raising action on the concrete steps that everyone can take will be followed by virtuous initiatives of which the City will be an active promoter. Lugano has successfully completed the first phase of the UNICEF certification process to obtain the label of Child Friendly Municipality and is proceeding with the next phase. It is also working on new support projects that will involve the most vulnerable groups and young people, to whom the activities of the proximity operators are already directed. Sustainability also means accessibility, proximity and inclusion. The www.lugano.ch website was completely redesigned in 2020 to improve the experience of its users: it is geared to the needs of those who consult it, it is simple and immediate. At the same time, there is an online help desk where many administrative tasks can be carried out at any time, 24 hours a day.