Sustainability report

Go to section
Scroll

Our transition to sustainability

Some years ago, the Group implemented an organized reporting procedure on the most important results achieved in the ambit of sustainability, based on the “Global Reporting Initiative Sustainability Reporting Standards” and, in particular, on the “in accordance – Core” option. A strategic tool helping us to communicate the Group’s performance transparently to our stakeholders with regard to the salient topics of economic, environmental and social sustainability.

The projects we have put together, the activities we have developed, and the strategic lines of the Group highlight how the Company contributes to the achievement of several of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals – SDGs, promoted by the United Nations Organization in favour of sustainable growth.

Key numbers

  • 77490

    Analyses of the animal feed division on raw materials, end products and processes

  • 80

    Technical operators and vets per animal species

  • 145661

    Analytical inspections in the food division

  • 65

    Tasting-judges

  • 80%

    Of food line vehicles Euro 6

  • 5000

    Locations supplied

  • 70%

    Of workers employed with an open-ended contract

  • 4000000

    Is the amount of Energy Efficiency credit achieved to date

  • 88%

    Of water drawn from our proprietary wells

Coltivazioni e rispetto dei coltivatori, della filiera e della natura
01

Integrated quality chain

We have a presence at every stage of the supply chain, ensuring that our products are safe, healthy, and of high quality.

Quality management

We seek to achieve excellence throughout the chain, working with top-quality partners who share our passion.

We use integrated supply-chain management, which involves carrying out strict controls during each production process.

Consumers are at the heart of this chain, and our primary aim is to anticipate and meet their needs.

Acquisto di cereali attentamente selezionati
01.1

Cereals purchasing

We started out as a feed manufacturer, and we know that careful selection of cereals on the domestic and international markets is fundamental to animals’ healthy, balanced growth.

01.1 CEREALS PURCHASING

Constant checks

Before we add cereals to our feeds, our inhouse laboratories test them to ensure that they comply with contractual parameters and group standards. Only if the results are wholly satisfactory do they get sent to our production facilities.

We also carry out further laboratory and production-line checks while the products are being manufactured.

  • Analyses
  • Parameters
  • People
  • Daily inspections

    These are carried out on raw materials, finished products, and production processes. As well as our central laboratories, individual sites have their own inhouse labs in which specialist staff carry out daily checks.

    GV_Artboard_77.490
  • Standards verification

    We carry out sophisticated testing on cereals to ensure they comply with contractual and group quality standards.

    GV_Sostenibilità_oltre 240000
  • Training for quality

    Our team of highly trained quality specialists ensures that all the feeds we make conform to the same high standards.

Digital supply chain

Ean128 barcode for packaged raw materials

To guarantee traceability and the management of plant operations in total safety, packaged raw materials carry an EAN128 Barcode which identifies the type of product (GTIN), the supplier, the batch number and the best before date.

Mangimi e corretto apporto nutrizionale
01.2

Feeds

Once they’ve passed our quality checks, the grains are transported to our feed production sites. The formulations are specially created by our research and development department to provide the right nutritional content for each species and age of animal. All feeds undergo ISO 9001-certified quality management.

Key numbers

  • 1°

    Italy’s largest feed manufacturer

  • 8°

    European ranking

  • 36°

    World ranking

  • 7

    Feed mills throughout Italy

  • 30

    Specialists in correct and healthy animal nutrition

  • 100%

    Certified Suppliers

  • ≈20

    Countries we export to

  • 800

    Feed formulations

  • ≈2000

    Products for different species and ages

Digital supply chain

Just in time production

All our animal feed plants are based on a “just in time” manufacturing process, which entails minimum stocks of raw materials and no storage whatsoever of end products.

Allevamenti e rispetto degli allevatori e degli animali
01.3

Farms

Respect for farmers and their animals is one of our key priorities. Each day, we work with thousands of farm operators to achieve the highest standards of animal welfare.

Our success is their success, and they have always been extremely loyal to us. We believe training is particularly important, because skills must be constantly updated to achieve excellence in today’s animal husbandry sector. We see these skills being handed down through the generations, each contributing its own innovations and making the farming business ever more sophisticated.

01.3 FARMS

Our commitment to animal welfare

We’ve set up a team to monitor animals’ welfare at every stage of their lives, working on a daily basis with over eighty technical operators and vets specialising in different species. The technicians also work closely with farmers to achieve continued improvements in biosafety, sustainability, and human and animal wellbeing.

Poultry

Our chickens have lived on the ground, and had freedom of movement, for over fifty years. They are allowed to grow naturally as part of an integrated food chain, from feed to finished product.

We work closely with all the links in the chain, and have carried out a number of projects to improve farm animals’ wellbeing. Many of our products, such as the AIA Oro Natura and AIA Bio ranges, far exceed minimum legal standards, and many of our farms participate in the Tierwohl project operated by Certificazione QS and German retailers.

Pigs

All of our pigs are Global GAP (Good Agricultural Practice) certified. We have carried out a number of projects to maximise their quality of life, and have obtained two important CSQA voluntary certifications:

  • Italian farmed pig welfare and responsible drug use
  • Pigs raised without antibiotics in the last 120 days
Responsible use of drugs in animal welfare

Another fundamental priority is to protect our animals’ health. Our farmers do not use growth promotants for any type of animal, and use drugs responsibly, employing antibiotics only for targeted therapy and on veterinary prescription.

Digital supply chain

Web-farming – monitoring system of breeding activities

The farmers who follow the production cycle of the animals can count on a set of web applications for interacting with the technical and administrative departments involved, enabling them to present a real-time situation of the animals placed in their care.

Trasformazione e lavorazione delle carni
01.4

Meat processing

Our highly skilled employees exploit the potential of new technology to maintain the highest standards of processing quality.

  • Analytical testing
  • Parameters
  • People
  • Inspections throughout the supply chain

    In 2020, we carried out 135,000 microbiology and 11,000 chemical tests covering all stages of the production process.

    GV_Sostenibilità_145000
  • Annual evaluations

    We evaluated 390,000 production chain parameters in 2020.

    GV_Sostenibilità_390.000
  • Quality technicians

    We have a 65-strong team of highly trained quality control specialists.

01.4 MEAT PROCESSING

Sensory testing

Tester che svolgono un test sensoriale per garantire la migliore qualità dei prodotti

Our inhouse panel of highly experienced sensory testers has undergone specific training from leading experts using latest-generation methods and technology. It carries out continuous testing to monitor the quality of our products. The panel room, forming part of our technical department, is one of the organisation’s nerve centres, and is also available to customers and outside quality control bodies.

Digital supply chain

Suppliers’ portal

To optimize the management and inspection of supplies, an IT portal was implemented whose purpose is twofold: to organize the interaction and repository processes of information and pertinent documents.

Distribuzione e rispetto della sostenibilità
01.5

Distribution

Getting goods from A to B quickly is essential if all the links in the supply chain are to work together effectively. It ensures that our feeds reach farms on time, and our food products are fresh when they arrive on the tables of consumers in Italy and around the world.

  • Feeds
  • Food
  • Farm logistics

    We transport over 12,000 tonnes of feed each day.

    gruppo-veronesi-numeri-sostenibilita
  • Fresh produce logistics


    We guarantee maximum product freshness to consumers.

Digital supply chain

Animal feed transport optimization

We have set up a complex system for the organization of the journeys made by our vehicles every day for the purpose of distributing animal feed, which has enabled us to reduce mileage and improve load capacity usage.

Digital supply chain

Food supply chain logistic management system

Our strength lies in speedy delivery and compliance with agreed lead times. To help our carriers, we have created a system enabling each driver to check the delivery date and the recommended route for following the correct consignment sequence.

gruppo-veronesi-filiera-digitale
01.6

Digital supply chain

The complexity of our supply chain and the need for each phase to be linked to the next with an impeccable system of information flow sharing has led to the creation of a digital supply chain running parallel to our physical one. A set of data that is transmitted through channels of internal communication and management/operational systems that have been designed by our own ICT experts in collaboration with important technological service providers.

01. Integrated Quality Chain

Find out more
Dipendenti del team di Gruppo Veronesi
02

Social sustainability

People are our most important asset. Their skills, passion, and dedication enable us to continue growing and confronting new challenges each day.

04 SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

People

We strongly perceive the need to attract and develop the talents that are part of our company and to organize training courses every year enabling our teams to grow. Our commitment is also focused on facilitating the creation of a positive work environment in which our people can express their skills and take part in activities intended to improve their level of wellbeing. With these goals in mind, we have launched some important projects in 2020.

  • Employees
  • Cultural diversity
  • Training
  • Job security and rights

    As at 31 December 2020, 8,981 workers, whose rights are safeguarded by national collective bargaining agreements, were on our payroll.

    GV_Sostenibilità_8.981
  • Building on skills

    We believe that our workers’ range of career and cultural backgrounds is a unique asset that can help our business to grow.

  • Continuous updates

    To increase employees’ awareness of their shared responsibility for product quality.

    GV_Sostenibilità_46000

02. Social Sustainability

Find out more
Sostenibilità ambientale e rispetto del territorio
03

Environmental sustainability

We respect the environment, and use natural resources responsibly. We believe that growth should combine increased productivity with reduced environmental impact.

  • CO2 emissions
  • Power generation
  • Biogas
  • Reduced emissions

    Thanks to energy efficiency measures, we have cut our CO2 emissions by 27,000 tons.

  • Our plants

    Our biogas cogeneration and photovoltaic plants generate enough electricity to supply 7,800 households.

    gruppo-veronesi-sostenibilita-numeri
  • Anaerobic biodigestion

    Five plants recovering energy from processing waste.

Filiera di AIA, Agricola Italiana Alimentare
03.1

Energy

We take care to use energy responsibly. We are carrying out a number of important projects to reduce our consumption, and thus our environmental impact, by introducing new technology and operating methods.

03.1 ENERGY

Key projects

Biogas

We have five anaerobic digestion plants producing biogas from production waste, which is then used to generate electricity at our production sites. The San Martino Buon Albergo and Nogarole Rocca factories have one generator each, covering 10 and 14 percent of their respective needs. There are two at Villaganzerla di Castagnero, meeting around 50 percent of the site’s energy requirement.

Photovoltaic and solar thermal plants

Five photovoltaic plants are located at company branches of Pugnano, Guidonia, Bari, San Quirino and San Michele Extra. All energy produced at each site is utilized. To date, San Polo di Torrile is the only location supported by a solar thermal plant.

Utilizzo consapevole e sostenibile delle risorse idriche
03.2

Water

We place particular emphasis on water usage, and are constantly looking for new ways of reducing our consumption during the production and distribution processes. All of the water withdrawn comes from freshwater sources. 88% of our water requirement comes from the Group’s proprietary wells.

03.3 WATER

Our analyses

Almost all of the water consumed by our Group is treated in our own depuration plants and returned to surface water sources. Our water inspections exceed legislative requirements by far: every year, we carry out about 2,000 self-monitoring analyses.

Filiera di AIA, Agricola Italiana Alimentare
03.3

Waste

We are attentive to waste management and waste disposal methods in compliance with legislative provisions and with the ISO 14001:2015 standard we have adopted. This is demonstrated by the fact that a mere 0.1% of our waste is destined to end up as landfill.

03. Environmental Sustainability

Find out more
Sostenibilità sociale e valore fondamentale delle persone
04

Financial sustainability

We add value by generating wealth and distributing it to stakeholders. We seek to maintain sustainable growth while maintaining a constructive dialogue with them.

2.0 FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

Value added and distributed

We are strongly committed to creating value and sharing it with stakeholders.

 

2.0 FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

Investing in productivity

Investimenti e costruzioni produttive e sostenibili

Each year, we invest around €162 million in achieving excellence, making continued improvements in product quality and productivity, remaining competitive, and using resources efficiently. We have always spent heavily on new technology for our production departments, which are the core of our business.

04. Financial Sustainability

Find out more