Lucart’s 2018 Sustainability Report Focuses on the Circular Economy, New Investments

Lucart’s 14th Sustainability Report, drawn up in accordance with the international guidelines of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI Standard), highlights, among other things, an increase in turnover (12 percent) and key investments such as the acquisition of three production plants in Spain, the construction of a new plant in Hungary, the start-up of a new tissue machine (PM12) and the construction of a new, fully automated logistics centre to improve customer service.

As always, the report places considerable emphasis on the analysis of environmental data, which this year have been supplemented with more detailed information on recycled paper.

According to Lucart’s estimates, following an EPD1 (Environmental Product Declaration) analysis carried out on two types of toilet paper produced by this Italian multinational company, different environmental benefits can be measured for each ton of recycled toilet paper produced compared to paper made from “virgin” cellulose, including:

80 percent reduction in the consumption of renewable resources, with savings of 4,060.90 kg of wood;
38 percent reduction in the consumption of water resources, i.e. 50.63 m³ of water;
Savings of 20 percent of the fossil CO₂ emitted, one of the gases that are most to blame for climate change.

Clearly, therefore, it is important to manufacture products such as toilet paper from recycled materials, as they cannot be further recycled. However, this can only be achieved by implementing a regulatory framework that promotes the production and sale of recycled products, for example by approving End of Waste decrees and adopting tax incentives for recycled products.

According to data provided by Assocarta, approximately 1.5 million tons of tissue paper for hygiene and sanitary use are produced in Italy each year, of which only 7 percent is produced from recycled materials. Lucart goes completely against the trend in the industry as more than 53 percent of the paper it uses is recycled, and it also generates value locally since as much as 95 percent of the recycled paper it uses comes from Europe and, specifically, from Italy, France and Spain, the countries where Lucart has plants capable of producing recycled tissue paper.

In 2018, to speed up its transition to a circular economy, Lucart also joined the CE100 network of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the world’s largest network for companies seeking to develop new opportunities in circular economy.

The 2018 report also includes the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations’ General Assembly, which are valid for 2016 - 2030. These goals are the most concrete way to build a more inclusive world that respects the environment.

Lucart, a leading company in Europe in the production of tissue paper products (paper items for daily use such as toilet paper, kitchen paper, napkins, tablecloths, handkerchiefs etc.), airlaid products and MG paper, was founded in 1953 by the Pasquini Family. The company's production activities are distributed over three business units (Business to Business, Away from Home and Consumer) operating in the development and sales of products with brands such as Tenderly, Tutto, Grazie Natural and Smile (Consumer area), Lucart Professional, Tenderly Professional, Fato and Velo (Away from Home area).

Lucart's production capacity exceeds 395,000 mtpy of paper on 12 machines and 65 converting lines. Its consolidated turnover amounts to more than €484 million annually. It has more than 1,500 employees in 10 production plants (five in Italy, one in France, one in Hungary and three in Spain).

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