Fedrigoni recently announced that it was awarded a platinum medal by the international ESG rating agency Ecovadis. The platinum rating reportedly places the group in the top 1% of companies in the same industry worldwide for ESG performance.

Fedrigoni achieved a score of 85/100, but on environmental impact reduction policies the rating rose to 100/100. The company reports that several factors influenced the latter score: transparent communication of targets and results, including emission reduction, endorsed by the Science Based Target Initiative; water consumption and waste management; a clear action plan to achieve the 2030 targets; and widespread accountability of all managers in the company by linking a significant portion of MBOs to the achievement of ESG targets (between 15% and 25% depending on the role).

Issues surrounding ESG targets now pervade the entire growth strategy. The company reports that absolute CO₂ emissions dropped by 1.5% by the end of 2021 against a 5% increase in volumes produced (baseline 2019). Clean water returned to the environment exceeded the target set for 2030, confirming responsible management of the so-called blue gold as important as ever in this period of extreme drought (97% against 95% target). The company shared results as of May 2022 that report waste recovered from a circular perspective and not sent to landfill has risen to 89% (from 84% at the end of 2021), and suppliers selected according to ESG criteria have risen to 88% (from 81% at the end of 2021), an increase of 100% in the last 12 months (44% in May 2021), moving closer to the 2030 target of 95%.

“We have been investing for 20 years to make our processes, products and relations with our people and the territories in which we operate more and more sustainable, and in the last two years we have further accelerated our ESG commitment. We are very aware of the challenges the country faces, both in terms of energy and CO₂ emissions reduction, and in the use of environmental resources, we work with many international technology partners and two research centers to improve our performance and give both customers and citizens sustainable solutions,” said Chiara Medioli Fedrigoni, chief sustainability & communication officer of Fedrigoni Group.

In the social sphere, the company is committed to creating an increasingly safe and inclusive work environment. One notable achievement concerns workplace injuries, which a policy of raising awareness of proper behavior has led to improvements faster than expected. Since 2020, the injuries frequency index has decreased by 35% (May 2022), making the 10-year target of -67% more than achievable. The 2030 target of 30% women in managerial positions is also likely to be increased, as it already stands at 27% (May 2022).

The company's commitment to its people and host communities also includes concrete actions on biodiversity and human rights issues. On the first front, since 2022 Fedrigoni has been working with the environmental consulting firm ETIFOR (a spin-off of the University of Padua - Italy) to assess its impact and develop an appropriate mitigation strategy. At the moment, a proximity analysis of paper production facilities has been completed and a study of processes and the supply chain is underway. Safeguarding biodiversity is an issue that the company has considered a priority for years. Since 2014, 100% of the cellulose used has been FSC certified, and suppliers are also selected on the basis of the existence of projects to restore and conserve biodiversity in the forests from which they source.

For more information, visit www.fedrigoni.com.