Francesco Pizzagalli explains the decision of Fumagalli Industria Alimentari SpA.
“We are very attentive to the subject of ethics and its relationship with business and we are pioneers in Italy of many innovations in this field. It was therefore natural for us to produce a Sustainability Report.” This encapsulates the philosophy behind the decision taken by Fumagalli Industria Alimentari SpA to select a certified company to help draw up its Sustainability Report. The starting point will be a snapshot of the status quo, to help the management select initiatives to invest in to ensure continued improvement. “Our analysis focuses on four main fields: safety, sustainability, training and social commitment,” continues Pizzagalli, CEO of Fumagalli. The focus on safety involves controls of the production chain and offers clear advantages both to the consumer, who benefits from the assurance of quality, and to the company, which gains entrepreneurial competitiveness on international markets by offering a standard of excellence. Environmental sustainability, meanwhile, is a duty that we have to the land that supports us, but also a motivating factor for technological development and financial savings. Clear examples of the latter can be seen in a cogeneration plant due to be built in 2015 to convert temperature fluctuations caused by meat processing into energy and in Langhirano’s futuristic high-pressure packaging plant, an investment of over €2.5 million.
Ongoing staff training is vital to create a generation of 21st-century industrial operators, replacing the clichéd ruddy-cheeked butcher with a worker, version 2.0, an expert not only in meat processing but also in IT and food safety. And finally, social commitment: “We collaborate with local authorities to help relieve social disadvantage resulting from the economic crisis and we help local private institutions involved in caring for ill or disabled people,” explains Pizzagalli.
Fumagalli also collaborates with universities to give talented students and graduates opportunities in the field of research and development for food quality and production. “This is only a snapshot of the present and the near future,” says Pizzagalli. “From here we will plan our projects for the next three to five years, with the conviction that every euro invested in social balance is an investment in the future of the company and in our growth within the social context in which we operate.”