Angelo Radici, president of RadiciGroup:

“The commitment to more sustainable development from an economic, environmental and social point of view is a topical issue, also – and above all – in a delicate moment like the one we are going through right now. Indeed, this commitment plays a strategic role in the process of economic and social revival and is fundamental to ensure a better future for the generations to come. In a dramatically changed context, the sharing of goals, efforts and experiences is central to continuous growth. Also, in 2019, we realized our mission by creating durable value through initiatives shared with all our stakeholders. We knew how to react to the difficulties and changes in the market by remaining united, and this gives me confidence for the future, even though we still have difficult months ahead of us.”

• The Group’s Sustainability Report, based on the data supplied by 22 industrial sites located all over the world and the parent company, highlights the Group’s actions and achievements. Positive performance was achieved through continuous effort to harmonize business goals with optimal resource efficiency and to protect local communities and people. This is how RadiciGroup contributed to reaching the goals set out in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Creating value for the whole value chain

RadiciGroup”s commitment starts from within its own production chain, which generates a competitive advantage for the company and creates value added for the whole value chain.

A virtuous system based on the exchange of ideas with suppliers, customers, associations and partners, on the one hand, and the circular economy business model, on the other. All efforts are directed at creating durable high-quality products developed by investing in innovation, using low impact and recyclable raw materials, choosing renewable source materials, minimizing waste, enhancing processes and adopting rigorous systems for environmental impact measurement.

In 2019, the Renycle yarn range was added to the RadiciGroup low impact product portfolio

Renycle yarns are made from recycled nylon and offer 100 percent end-of-life recyclability; they are targeted at applications in the textile/fashion, interiors and automotive industries. Renycle polymer offers a saving of more than 87 percent in energy and 90 percent in water, while achieving technical performance comparable to that of its virgin counterpart. In addition, CO2 emissions are reduced by almost 90 percent.

RadiciGroup recognizes the environment as a privileged stakeholder and protects it through initiatives and sizeable investments. In 2019, the Group invested EUR 7.6 million on enhancing the sustainability of its activities.

Furthermore, the data for the three-year period 2017–2019 demonstrate improvement in the ratio process waste per unit produced, which declined from 9.76 kg/t to 8.85 kg/t (-9.3 percent).

As regards direct primary energy consumption, the 2019 data show a decrease in terms of both absolute numbers (-13.6 percent) and per unit produced (-2.8 percent).

Wherever possible, the Group continues to rely on renewable sources

In 2019, the Group energy mix included a significant portion of green energy (42.1 percent). Numerous Group sites are powered by green energy, and, in Italy, a number of sites rely on the hydroelectric energy provided by supplier-partner Geogreen. In 2019, the choices made by the Group to foster the use of green energy and low impact fuels allowed it to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 23.8 percent, compared to the amount of emissions generated by the use of the standard national energy mixes.

Still another relevant result was the percentage saving of water of 70 percent compared to the theoretical requirement (+5 percent saving compared to 2017).

RadiciGroup

With approximately 3,100 employees, sales revenue of EUR 1,092 million in 2019 and a network of production and sales sites located throughout Europe, North America, South America and Asia, RadiciGroup is one of the world’s leading producers of a wide range of chemical intermediates, polyamide polymers, high performance engineering polymers and advanced textile solutions, including nylon yarn, polyester yarn, yarn made from recovered and bio-source materials, nonwovens and personal protective equipment for the healthcare field. These products are the result of the Group’s outstanding chemical expertise and vertically integrated polyamide production chain and have been developed for use in a variety of industrial sectors, such as: automotive – electrical and electronics – consumer goods – apparel – furnishings – construction – household appliances – sports. The basis of the Group’s strategy is a strong focus on innovation, quality, customer satisfaction and social and environmental sustainability. With its business areas – Specialty Chemicals, High Performance Polymers and Advanced Textile Solutions –, RadiciGroup is part of a larger industrial group that also includes textile machinery (Itema), energy (Geogreen) and hotel (San Marco) businesses.