Sofidel to stop use of disposable plastic items at its workplaces

The decision regards its Italian companies as of July 1 and will be extended over the coming months to all Group companies across Europe and the US.

Sofidel, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of tissue paper for hygienic and domestic use, particularly well-known for its Regina brand, has decided to abandon use of disposable plastic items in its workplaces.

In Italian offices and production sites, all disposable plastic bottles, glasses, plates and cutlery have been eliminated, replaced with more sustainable materials or ones with a more consolidated recycling system such as, for example, returnable glass bottles, aluminium cans, wood pulp plates and glasses, and wooden cutlery. This protocol will be extended over the coming months to all Group companies in the 13 countries across which Sofidel operates in Europe and the US.

The decision to eliminate disposable plastic in the work environments comes just a few weeks after the company announced that it will halve use of conventional plastic in its production by 2030. This will be achieved with the introduction of new paper packaging, already present or due to arrive on European distribution shelves, the progressive use, on some markets, of recycled plastics or bioplastics, and a general reduction in the thickness of the plastic film used in the production process (launched some years ago).

The commitment begins with the Sofidel brands (including Regina, Cosynel, Nalys, Le Trèfle, Sopalin and KittenSoft), many of which are leaders on their reference markets.

The Sofidel Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of tissue paper for hygienic and domestic use and has its headquarters in Porcari, Italy. Founded in 1966, the Group is present in 13 countries and currently counts more than 6,000 employees. With production capacity of 1,308,000 mtpy, the Group is second in Europe and sixth in the world in its sector.

Sofidel has always placed strategic importance on sustainability as a strategic lever for development and growth, setting itself the goal of reducing its environmental impact to a minimum and maximizing benefits for society. Sofidel has been the first Italian manufacturer, and the world’s first in the tissue sector, to have joined WWF’s flagship climate leadership program – WWF Climate Savers – that seeks to transform businesses into leaders of the low-carbon economy by setting particularly ambitious objectives.

To date, Sofidel has reduced direct emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere by 18.3 percent (reduction in carbon intensity, 2009-2018). To achieve this result, the company invested in 10 years (2009 – 2018) about 100 million euros in cogeneration plants and energy production from renewable sources (photovoltaic and hydroelectric), biomass power plants and energy efficiency. Furthermore, Sofidel limits its use of water within production processes (7.1 L/kg against a sector benchmark of 15–25 L/kg) and sources 100 percent of pulp certified by independent third parties with forest certification schemes (FSC, FSC Controlled Wood, SFI, PEFC).

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