Sofidel Commits to an Increasingly Responsible Paper Supply Chain

The figure was revealed during the latest edition of the Sofidel Suppliers Sustainability Award (3SAward), the award granted by the Group to partners who stand out for their commitment to environmental and social sustainability. Guests at the event were the US writer and activist Katharine Wilkinson and Tom Rivett-Carnac, former Senior Advisor to the Executive Secretary of the UN Climate Convention.The figure was revealed during the latest edition of the Sofidel Suppliers Sustainability Award (3SAward), the award granted by the Group to partners who stand out for their commitment to environmental and social sustainability. Guests at the event were the US writer and activist Katharine Wilkinson and Tom Rivett-Carnac, former Senior Advisor to the Executive Secretary of the UN Climate Convention.

Sofidel, a global leader in the production of paper for hygienic and domestic uses, particularly well-known in Italy and Europe for its Regina brand, has supported its supply chain for years to improve its social and environmental impact. Thanks also to this commitment, 81 percent of the Group’s procurements are now sourced from sustainable suppliers, classified as excellent.

This was one of the figures presented by Sofidel during the Sofidel Suppliers Sustainability Award (3SAward), the annual event where the company recognises suppliers that stand out for their environmental and social sustainability actions, which this year was staged virtually. For the Group, it is an opportunity for comparison and dialogue with the entire supply chain, to share and showcase, together with its partners, the best practices that can help promote a culture of sustainability.

“Sharing and collaboration are the key words that we emphasise to all our suppliers around the world: only through fully collaborative relationships and shared goals is it possible to effectively contribute to solving the problems concerning our ways of producing, consuming, and living. An approach whereby, through this 3Saward, we demand even more of our partners, especially regarding the battle against climate change and the reduction of pollution from plastic,” said Andrea Piazzolla, chief purchasing officer of the Sofidel Group.

The awareness of the strategic importance of the involvement of the supply chain for the attainment of the sustainability goals this year led the Group to ask its suppliers to take three further steps forward by encouraging them to set goals to lower climate-altering gas emissions in line with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBITi) – that is, consistent with the reductions required to limit global warming to well below 2°C in accordance with the Paris agreements – make firm commitments to reduce plastic pollution and make use of third-party inspections in the assessment of their improvement actions.

Two guests put the meaning of the work carried out by Sofidel into perspective and offered shared ideas for reflection: the US writer and activist Katharine Wilkinson and Tom Rivett-Carnac, the former senior advisor of the executive secretary of the UN Climate Convention, among the leading figures in the definition of the Paris Agreements in 2015. Katharine Wilkinson underlined the contribution that everyone can make to favour a positive ecological transition, while Tom Rivett-Carnac called on everyone to believe, to be optimistic, to commit to and to have confidence in the change that is possible.

The Sofidel Suppliers Sustainability Award (3SAward), was created to incentivize, disseminate, and reward improvement actions and the best practices achieved by the group’s suppliers, and is an increasingly important opportunity to share a vision and develop common pathways to make increasingly challenging goals achievable.

The awards are granted based on the self-assessment platform “TenP Paper”, the prequalification system of Sofidel’s suppliers based on the Ten Principles (“TenP”) of the Global Compact of the United Nations and developed in collaboration with the Global Compact Network Italia (GCNI) of which Sofidel is a "Founder Promoter”.

A performance self-assessment tool that, in accordance with the most relevant, updated international standards and conventions on sustainability, considers the areas of human rights, working conditions, environmental protection and the fight against corruption.

These are the three award categories, along with this year’s winners:

The Best Supplier, for suppliers that have attained the highest score on the basis of the "TenP Paper" self-assessment platform:
- Pulp Producer category: Metsä Fibre
- Procurement and Purchasing category: Henkel
- Logistics Services category: Trans Italia
The Best Improver, for suppliers that have significantly increased their score on the self-assessment platform:
- Pulp Producer category: Arauco
- Procurement and Purchasing category: Print Pro
- Logistics Services category: Ewals Cargo Care
The Best Sustainability Project, for suppliers that have implemented a particularly effective and innovative environmental or social sustainability project:
- Large Enterprises, Environmental Responsibility: Kuehne+Nagel
- Large Enterprises, Social Responsibility: Capp Plast and Petrofer
- Medium/Small Enterprises, Environmental Responsibility: Plastylenia

Results, improvement processes and projects were assessed by the technical assessment committee made up of the Fondazione Global Compact Network Italia, Fondazione Sodalitas, SGS Italia and WWF Italia.

For its efforts to involve its suppliers in the fight against climate change, Sofidel was included on the Supplier Engagement Leaderboard 2020 of the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) as a global leader with the maximum assessment grade of A.

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