Insight

In May Fontana Gruppo hosted a Sustainability Day at its plant in Cornaredo, Milan, Italy, in order to reflect on the importance of sustainability and safety at work – enabling the company to engage with its employees and raise awareness about sustainability and best practices. 

Fontana’s Sustainability Day was aimed at employees and their families and gave them the opportunity to see inside Fontana’s plants and to observe the production processes up close. It was also a chance to have fun in a specially created area that included workshops and games – focused on sustainability and safety for adults and children. 

“Sustainability is not only about the environment, but also about giving attention to employees (safety, training and inclusion) and, in general, to stakeholders – combined with solid care for the social context of the territories in which our plants are situated,” explains Fontana Gruppo. “This, together with a wise corporate structure and strong business ethics, make us a world leader in this sector.”

The issue of environmental impact is certainly becoming increasingly central to all companies. In recent years, there has been a growing vision that transcends individual company efforts and is starting to encompass the entire supply chain. For this reason, Fontana Gruppo is committed to taking measures that can increasingly foster sustainability even before the formal demands come from customers.

“The industrial sector plays a crucial role in the global economy. As such, it is our responsibility in leading the transition to an increasingly sustainable economic, social and environmental model,” states Fontana. “To achieve this goal, all companies must pay close attention to the environmental impact of their products or services – through a comprehensive understanding of the entire life cycle – from raw material extraction, through production and distribution, to final disposal.”

The company adds: “Every business must also ensure that all processes involved in production are efficient, ensuring that their products can be reused and recycled at the end of their lives. This is precisely the concept behind the circular economy, a production and consumption model that aims to close the resource extraction, use and disposal cycle; reduce the use of natural resources; and minimise waste by reusing and recycling materials.”

Fontana Gruppo explains it has been able to achieve its results within sustainability through a path of excellence that has lasted for nearly three-quarters of a century. This is based on the company’s business model, which is focused on solid values and principles of integrity, combined with a long-term vision and a great passion for building a sustainable future. For instance, all of its Italian plants have a UNI EN ISO 14001 certified environmental management system. This international standard sets and regulates the requirements for a virtuous ecological management system as a fundamental and necessary basis for building a company directed toward sustainable development. 

A multinational corporation, headquartered in Veduggio con Colzano and with production and logistics locations on four continents, Fontana Gruppo also plans to increase its independence from fossil fuels and consequently reduce its carbon dioxide emissions, thanks to projects and interventions in energy self-production from renewable sources. 

“With a view to the circular economy, our goal is to reuse waste from production processes for new purposes, thus avoiding the production of garbage and reducing water consumption,” highlights Fontana. “Annually, the carbon footprint is then updated, aiming to make us more aware of our environmental impact and, consequently, identify and act in areas that still need to be efficient and improved.”

The various actions that Fontana Gruppo has already carried out regarding sustainability have led to the achievement of benefits in terms of emission savings, resource use, as well as implementation of renewable energies. However, through information paths pursued with employees, a critical involvement has been obtained from the structures of all the regions in which the group operates. “Sustainability and safety have always been two indispensable pillars of our company and fundamental tools for improvement, continuity and growth,” concludes Fontana. “Values that even more today are the focus of our attention and that now constitute indispensable factors for any company intent on pursuing business objectives within a framework of corporate social responsibility.”