The RadiciGroup’s roadmap to a sustainable future

An ambitious project, designed to enhance RadiciGroup's transparency and commitment to develop a responsible business along its entire value chain from an economic, social and environmental perspective and focus on the ever more widespread and stringent sustainability regulatory requirements. These are the features and goals of the sustainability plan presented by the group and called "From Earth to Earth", precisely to emphasize the intent to focus on the Earth and future generations.

The plan is part of a broader strategy: RadiciGroup has long been involved in numerous environmental and social issues and is increasingly structuring its governance according to ESG principles, as also evidenced by the results highlighted in its annual Sustainability Report, which will mark its 20th edition this year. In the context of a complex and constantly changing scenario, the group has therefore decided to capitalize on the goals achieved and look beyond them with a plan defining the medium-term targets and the actions to be taken to fulfil them and covering all areas considered to be "material”, i.e., relevant from the point of view of ESG and financial risks, opportunities and impacts. Indeed, the ultimate goal of "From Earth to Earth" is to support business continuity and the growth of the company and all its stakeholders.

“This plan represents a further important step forward in the sustainability journey that RadiciGroup embarked on many years ago. Besides making us more resilient and competitive, it embodies the ethical commitment we made long before others did,” commented Angelo Radici, president of RadiciGroup. “We have set forth tangible and measurable goals for our business: the challenge now is to work together with the stakeholders involved to realize the stated goals and demonstrate our credibility to all our stakeholders.”

The project was the result of a multi-year collaboration with Deloitte, which contributed an external and objective viewpoint on the definition of the material targets and themes. However, it was not an armchair exercise, but the result of an extensive listening process involving internal and external stakeholders, all of whom were sustainability experts who helped define a shortlist of strategic themes for both the group and its main stakeholders. These issues were then analysed in detail using working tables on the different themes to identify the objectives in ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) areas and the related concrete actions needed to achieve them, in line with the European decarbonization and energy transition policies and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, a global blueprint for sustainable growth.

In particular, RadiciGroup’s environmental goals include: a 20% increase and differentiation in renewable source electricity consumption, an 80% reduction in total direct greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 2011, attention to water consumption to limit the impact on local communities and biodiversity, the extension of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology to measure the environmental impact of 70% of the products (in terms of weight) manufactured by the entire group, collaboration among the various actors in the supply chain from an eco-design perspective and the search for increasingly more sustainable and circular packaging solutions.

On the other hand, the objectives for social aspects focus on: improving employee well-being, health and safety through employee training and involvement, IT security by implementing state-of-the-art digital solutions, the development of relations with local communities, and the enhancement of relationships with educational institutions in order to foster the growth of talent and the integration of young people into the world of work.

Finally, from a governance standpoint, the Group aims at the creation of value along the entire value chain to foster business continuity, maximum sharing of Group values and responsible management of the supply chain.

Maurizio Radici, vice president and COO of RadiciGroup, declared: “In our strategic approach to sustainability, innovation is a key factor. Thus, RadiciGroup will continue to invest in research and development and focus on quality, process efficiency and the safety of its plants and employees, always striving for improvement in order to successfully meet the challenges posed by the current economic environment. All of this will be made possible by the collective commitment, skills and team spirit of our people.”