The Sofidel Suppliers Sustainability Award ceremony for its second edition was held yesterday evening in London in the spaces of the East Wintergarden. These annual awards are presented by the tissue production group known for the Regina brand to its suppliers who have distinguished themselves through their efforts towards environmental and social sustainability.
The Sofidel Suppliers Sustainability Award – supported by the Italian Ministry for the Environment and Protection of Land and Sea – was created to encourage, spread and capitalise on best practice and improvement activity carried out by Group suppliers each year in the area of environmental and social sustainability. After the first edition, held in Lucca, the Group decided to hold the award ceremony this year in London, capital of the country in which Sofidel records its highest share of turnover together with Italy. Nearly 400 suppliers (60 more than last year) from Europe and North America took part in the second edition of the awards.
“Promoting sustainable and responsible growth also means, within our vision, raising awareness and promoting involvement of our partners so we can do more and do it better,” stated Luigi Lazzareschi, CEO of the Sofidel Group. “We’re convinced that building a sustainable future involves a widespread, common commitment, and a need to assume, each within their area and according to their role, new and broader responsibilities.”
The award is based on the “TenP – Sustainable Supply Chain Self-Assessment Platform”, conceived and promoted by the Global Compact Network Italy (GCNI) Foundation, of which Sofidel is a “Founding Promoter Member”. A tool to support self-evaluation of performance built on the Ten Principles (“TenP”) of the UN Global Compact, which, following the most relevant and up-to-date standards and conventions on sustainability, takes the areas of human rights, labour conditions, environmental protection and the fight against corruption into account, with the aim of identifying common challenges and solutions for improving the sustainability within the supply chain.
Sofidel has instituted three award categories:
1.Best Supplier, for the companies that have achieved the highest score according to the TenP platform. The companies that received an award are:
- Suppliers of Strategic Raw Materials (pulp, waste paper, biomass) Category: Suzano Pulp and Paper Europe;
- Suppliers of Machineries, of Non-Strategic Raw Materials, of Services and Spare Parts Category: Valmet;
- Logistics Services Suppliers Category: Kuehne + Nagel;
- Marketing & Sales Category: Vizeum Deutschland GmbH.
2.Best Improver, for the companies that have made the greatest improvement to their results by undertaking new environmental and social sustainability procedures. The companies that received an award are:
- Suppliers of Strategic Raw Materials (pulp, waste paper, biomass) Category: Zellstoff- und Papierfabrik Rosenthal GmbH;
- Suppliers of Machineries, of Non-Strategic Raw Materials, of Services and Spare Parts Category: Windsor Engineering (Hull) Limited;
- Logistics Services Suppliers Category: LKW WALTER Internationale Transportorganisation AG.
3.Best Sustainable Project, accolade for a company that has implemented a particularly important environmental and social responsibility initiative. The companies that received an award are:
- Large Enterprises Category: Fibria International Trade GmbH;
- Large Enterprises Category: Skymark Packaging International Ltd;
- Medium/Small Enterprises Category: Dasara trasporti S.p.A.;
- Medium/Small Enterprises Category: Groupe SGP.
Sofidel has always employed sustainability as a strategic lever for development and growth, setting itself the goal of reducing its environmental impact to a minimum and maximising benefits for society. To date, the Group has reduced its direct CO2 emissions into the atmosphere by 19.1% (reduction in carbon intensity, 2009-2016) and limited its use of water within production processes (7.0 l/kg against a benchmark of 15–25 l/kg) and procures 100% cellulose certified by independent third parties with forestry certification schemes (FSC®, FSC Controlled Wood, SFI®, PEFC™).
Attention to environmental and social sustainability goes beyond the impact on the output of the Group, which is committed to contributing to achieving the 6th Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations (ensuring access to water and sanitation for all) through collaboration with WaterAid, an NGO with headquarters in the United Kingdom. WaterAid’s mission is to bring drinking water and acceptable levels of sanitation to everyone, everywhere by 2030. To date, 844 million people don’t have access to sources of clean water, and 2.3 billion people – about 1 in 3 of the world’s population – can’t count on adequate sanitation or hygiene.
