Marchesini Group publishes its 2020 Sustainability Report
Marchesini Group publishes, on a voluntary basis, its sixth Sustainability Report, referring to year 2020, once again drawn up in accordance with the “GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards”. The goals achieved in terms of economic, environmental and social sustainability will be presented - live streamed on the Group’s social media channels on 15 July - by Alec Ross, American entrepreneur, author and technology policies expert who worked alongside Barack Obama in 2008.
In the year of the pandemic, scientific research succeeded in producing vaccines in record time, and the whole pharmaceutical supply chain was called upon to surpass itself in supporting the largest vaccination campaign of all time. Marchesini Group played its part in this global challenge: while producing lines for the filling and packaging of Covid-19 vaccines, it also launched a series of initiatives worth more than 800,000 Euros, including sanitisation measures, antibody tests, protective equipment, additional insurance policies and home educators, to protect the health of staff and enable them to work safely and with peace of mind.
“In 2020, we gave our best to conduct our business to remain present and solid in the long term thanks to our constant search for the perfect balance between the resources at our disposal and the challenges of the markets where we operate”
Maurizio Marchesini, Chairman Marchesini Group
The joint effort enabled the Group to comply with, and on occasion even speed up, the production and delivery times of packaging lines and machinery, with the reinforcement of digital tools for testing and for remote after-sales service.
News from the 2020 Sustainability Report
Marchesini Group promotes its ethical and sustainable business strategy based on three pillars: economic-productive, social and environmental sustainability. In 2020, its desire to innovate was once again a driving force underlying all Group activities, with the aim of reconciling the achievement of corporate aims with the satisfaction of stakeholders’ demands.
On the economic and production side, Marchesini Group worked hard to create technological solutions to constantly improve not only the production performances and reliability but also the energy efficiency and user-friendliness of its machines.
2020 saw a consolidation of after-sales support services, in order to continue offering full assistance to customers at a time when travel was impossible. A unit called X-CARE, set up to manage these services, enabled the remote performance of over 100 testing procedures What’s more, over 250 hours of remote service were supplied, thanks to the implementation of Live assistance, Teleservice and MIMO activities.
Marchesini Group also developed and introduced a Customer Intimacy KPI to measure its ability to generate customer satisfaction. Last not least, to respond to growing customer demand for highly analytical asset procurement, the Group joined forces with Bologna University to create a tailor-made algorithm for calculating the Total Cost of Ownership, which enables estimation of all direct and indirect costs throughout the entire life cycle of a machine prior to purchase.
In terms of social responsibility, 2020 saw an impressive list of programmes designed to safeguard the wellbeing of staff. During the months of forced school closure due to the health emergency, the Group provided its employees with a home educator service to support children at home in their remote learning, delivering a total of about 10,500 hours of education. The initiative earned Marchesini Group the first prize at the 6th edition of the Emilia-Romagna Region Responsible Innovators Award. Another award was received from the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) for the employment opportunities within the company offered to two young Malian refugees of 23 and 25 years of age.
With regard to ongoing training, Marchesini Group inaugurated its “Talent Garage”, a project for the selection and education of talented young people from the local community which is more than just a Corporate Academy since it also focuses on the development of soft skills. One of the keystones of the Talent Garage was the launch of the Master in Business Administration (MBA), in partnership with the Bologna Business School, offered to staff with the aim of training the future managers of the Emilia-Romagna Region’s Packaging Valley. Projects also include the annual programme of scholarships for employees’ children, named after the company's founder Massimo Marchesini.
Last but not least, the third pillar comprises the many initiatives in the area of environmental sustainability. In 2020 Marchesini Group again worked hard to minimise its Carbon Footprint by reducing rubbish generation and waste and cutting energy use, with a view to improving the efficiency of the entire supply chain. The Group has also designed machines and lines able to process more recyclable, environment-friendly packagings, implementing automation strategies which allow the use of petroleum-based plastics to be restricted.