Sofidel (Lucca, Italy) reported on Oct. 8, 2018 that its CEO is the first Italian to become part of the small number of big names in the global tissue production industry. It was an induction that rewarded his efforts in pursuing sustainable development and in expanding the business of the Group.

With a ceremony held on the evening of Thursday October 4 in Appleton, Wis., USA, the CEO of Sofidel, Luigi Lazzareschi, was been inducted in the Paper International Hall of Fame (PIHF), part of an exclusive number of big names in the global tissue production industry. Lazzareschi is the first Italian to be given this honor.  

Over the years, the Sofidel Group went from being a national player in the hygienic and domestic paper industry (especially known for its Regina brand) to become a multinational with operations in 13 countries, more than 6,000 employees and net sales of EUR 1,724 million / $1,947 million (2017), with a production capacity of more than one million metric tpy (2017). Sofidel is now the sixth biggest industry manufacturer in the world and the second across Europe.

"It’s an honor for me to join the Paper International Hall of Fame. A tribute I am especially proud of because it comes from a panel of experts who are well aware of the challenges that the production of this material, which is so important in the everyday lives of billions of people, implies," said Luigi Lazzareschi, CEO of Sofidel. "I consider it a reward for all the people who over the years have supported me, first and foremost the co-founder, along with my father Giuseppe, and the current President of Sofidel, Emi Stefani".

The Paper International Hall of Fame is an organization founded in 1992 in the United States, and has been created to raise awareness of the values, the know-how and the benefits that the paper industry contributes to people’s everyday lives. Since its foundation, the PIHF has inducted 135 personalities from around the world into the Hall of Fame.

Sofidel has made sustainability a strategic lever for development and growth, with the aim of reducing the impact its business has on the environment and of boosting the benefits it produces for society. To date, the Group has reduced its direct emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere by 20.6% (measured as the reduction of carbon intensity between 2009 and 2017 per kg of paper manufactured). Moreover, Sofidel has limited the consumption of water in its manufacturing processes (7.1 l/kg compared to an industry benchmark of 15-25 l/kg) and sources all the pulp it uses in production from independent suppliers that are officially certified (FSC®, FSC Controlled Wood, SFI®, PEFC™).

On Wednesday Oct. 3, 2018 Sofidel inaugurated in the U.S. its first greenfield manufacturing plant overseas in Circleville, Ohio. The plant also happens to be the Group’s largest, most modern and sustainable to date.