The Vicenzi Group: 120 years of sustainability, values and international outlook
Sustainability as a far-sighted approach for the future of communities, with care for people and social responsibility, supply of high-quality products and respect for the environment. These values have been guiding the Vicenzi Group for 120 years and have been measured in figures and percentages in its sixth Sustainability Report. As for the ones for the previous years, the 2024 Sustainability Report was prepared in cooperation with Life Cycle Engineering and published on the Group’s corporate website (www.vicenzi.it)
2025 is a landmark year for the Group: along with the celebration of its long-standing operations in the confectionery sector, an important generational turnover is underway at the Group’s helm, in remembrance of its chairman of many years Giuseppe Vicenzi. “An important year, in which we celebrate our 120th anniversary looking ahead and guided by Chairman Giuseppe Vicenzi’s example and vision – said Marcello Gelo, the Vicenzi Group’s CEO -. The Sustainability Report reasserts the commitment of the Group, a firm made of people, where each one’s skills and talent have a core value, giving rise to a shared culture. For us sustainability is a tangible commitment, which brings together people, the environment and communities. With pride and responsibility, we continue to generate shared value, in the footsteps of our history, with an international outlook opened to the future”.
Social sustainability and digitalization
In 2024, the Group decided to invest in environmental initiatives, occupational safety and enhancement of its human capital, increasing the allocated funds by 54% vs. the previous year. With 360 employees at its production sites in Italy, 99% of whom under an open-ended contract and of whom women account for over one third, the Vicenzi Group continues to promote an inclusive and stable work environment. The improvement of working conditions and safety accounted for 64% of corporate investments. The care for its personnel is expressed in the Vicenzi Group’s Charter of Values, a true Charter of Ethics adopted in 2024 in order to formalize the firm’s core principles: tradition and quality, italianness, innovation and reliability.
A project that is part of a global outlook and included in the second step of the Group’s digital transition plan, which went live in 2024 and aims at optimizing production and management processes. The action targeted the Group’s infrastructure and strengthened technical support and ICT security, in order to combine efficiency and competitiveness.
Commitment to the environment
Environmental sustainability is one of the strategic pillars of the Vicenzi Group, through the implementation of policies aimed at reducing its environmental impact throughout its supply chain, from manufacturing to logistics. The Group has reduced its energy consumption thanks to upgraded plants and to the installation of photovoltaic panels at its Nusco site. Furthermore, 99% of the generated waste is sorted and recovered, while 45% of packaging is made of PET and the rest is made of fully recyclable materials. The Bovolone site, where waste was reduced by one half in three years, is evidence of the Group’s commitment. Attention to biodiversity and to non-GMO supply chains materializes into tangible actions, such as plating 50 trees in the 3Bee Biodiversity Oasis and the go-live of the Biodiversity Risk Filter, a scientific tool to manage environmental risks.
Local roots, global outlook
In 2024 the Group enhanced its commitment to the Verona community, sponsoring many cultural, educational and social initiatives, including TEDxWomen, the shows at Teatro Nuovo and Teatro Romano, besides the projects at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Borgo Trento and at the secondary schools of the city, just to mention a few. In its 120 years’ history, the Vicenzi Group has firmly established a strong bond with the region and the city of Verona, while developing a more and more international outlook, with exports to the United States and Asia constantly growing. The Vicenzi Group thus confirms its approach, in which business, sustainability and regions grow together. A path that has been built over 120 years, looking ahead with strong roots in the present.