In November 2019, before the pandemic shocked the planet, the president and CEO of Gucci, Marco Bizzarri, published an open letter to the CEOs of companies active in every sector to join the ” Ceo Carbon Neutral Challenge ”And immediately address the problem of the environment. He proposed to focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions as a priority. An invitation but also a challenge, as accomplishments such as carbon neutrality require time and investments: pending technological advances and innovations Bizzarri argues that companies should take responsibility for all the emissions they generate, offsetting the total emissions within the their business activities and throughout the supply chain through solutions that support the conservation and restoration of nature.
The reasons for Sanpellegrino
In these two years, companies from many sectors have joined Gucci, from Sap to The RealReal, passing from Lavazza Group and Levin Sources and today Sanpellegrino is added. “We have enthusiastically accepted Marco Bizzarri’s invitation to join the Ceo Carbon Neutral Challenge because we believe that the only way to tackle climate change is restore biodiversity and safeguard the planet, and to work all together with the aim of reducing the emissions generated – explains Stefano Marini, CEO of the Sanpellegrino group (photo above) -. For several years we have been committed to a path of sustainability, which in 2022 will reach an important milestone with the cancellation of the CO2 emissions of our main brands, S.Pellegrino, Acqua Panna, Levissima and Sanpellegrino soft drinks. But we believe that the time has come to broaden the scope of our actions by collaborating to create and share effective solutions to responsibly manage resources and, at the same time, preserve and restore nature. It is an act of responsibility towards our planet and towards future generations – adds Marini -. I am sure that our sharing of values, as leaders of companies recognized as a symbol of Made in Italy in the world, will lead us to cut new important goals in terms of sustainability. “
The objectives already achieved
On the production front, Sanpellegrino has introduced measures that have made it possible to reduce CO2 emissions by around 60% in the last 9 years. It worked on lightening packaging and was one of the first companies in Italy to make 100% recycled plastic bottles. Furthermore, since 2016 Sanpellegrino has joined, as a founding member, Coripet, the voluntary non-profit Consortium recognized by the Ministry of the Environment, which aims to increase the levels of collection and recycling of PET bottles and create a circular economy model through the implementation of the closed “bottle to bottle” supply chain.
Commitment to logistics
In the field of logistics, Sanpellegrino has been at the forefront of reducing emissions related to transport for years, through the improvement of logistics performance, the optimization of loads and the use of LNG-powered vehicles, a lower carbon intensity fossil fuel. To reduce emissions by a further 6% by 2025, the group will invest over 4 million euros per year in the use of biofuels, both for land and sea transport.
The wish of Marco Bizzarri
“There are more and more companies that recognize the importance of accounting for all the emissions generated by their activities with immediate action, which does not end with the reduction of emissions or the signing of long-term objectives that risk not being incisors – comments Marco Bizzarri -. As companies, we are responsible for the emissions of the entire supply chain, which represent most of our footprint, and to act at the same time to preserve nature. The Challenge wants to create a way towards a net zero economy, positive for nature. “