Fedrigoni honored with Platinum Medal by Ecovadis

The agency evaluates operations and management systems from the standpoint of environmental care and social responsibility. This result places the Fedrigoni in the top 1 percent of companies in the same industry worldwide for ESG performance.  

 

Fedrigoni achieved the score of 85/100 and 100/100 on environmental impact reduction policies. Several factors influenced the latter score including 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 tying a significant portion of MBOs to the achievement of ESG targets (between 15 percent and 25 percent depending on the role) also contributed to the score.  

 

It also achieved absolute CO2 emissions drop by 1.5 percent by the end of 2021 against a 5 percent increase in volumes produced (baseline 2019). Clean water returned to the environment exceeded the target set for 2030 (97 percent against 95 percent target).  

 

Waste recovered from a circular perspective and not sent to landfill has risen to 89 percent (from 84 percent at the end of 2021), and suppliers selected according to ESG criteria have risen to 88 percent (from 81 percent at the end of 2021), an increase of 100 percent in the last 12 months (44 percent in May 2021), moving closer to the 2030 target of 95 percent.  

 

‘If the Gold Medal obtained in 2021 certifies the structured commitment and first good results achieved,’ commented Marco Nespolo, CEO of Fedrigoni Group. ‘The Platinum Rating, with such a high score, shows that the path taken is bearing excellent fruit and places us in the top 1 percent of the world market with regards to our reference industries. The Platinum Medal represents an important milestone, which is a source of pride for us. However, it is not an end point, but rather an incentive to improve further.’ 

 

Chiara Medioli Fedrigoni, chief sustainability and communication officer of Fedrigoni Group, added: ‘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.’ 

 

In the social sphere, since 2020, the injuries frequency index has decreased by 35 percent (May 2022), making the 10-year target of -67 percent more than achievable. The 2030 target of 30 percent women in managerial positions is also likely to be increased, as it already stands at 27 percent (May 2022).  

 

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.  

 

Since 2014, 100 percent of the cellulose used has been FSC certified, and suppliers are also selected based on the existence of projects to restore and conserve biodiversity in the forests from which they source.  

 

Finally, about human rights, over the past year Fedrigoni has defined the set of behaviors to which every person in the group must strive and has renewed its corporate Code of Ethics, in line with the United Nations’ ‘Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights’, launching an internal awareness campaign toward its 4,500 people.  

 

An initial mapping (Human Rights Impact Assessment) was then conducted in 2022 on the risks of potential human rights violations at Fedrigoni's production sites around the world, which will be used to define a subsequent action plan.