Gefran sustainability report target -25% CO2 emissions by 2030

Reducing the impact of CO2e emissions by 25% by 2030. This is one of the new objectives contained in the 2023 Sustainability Report published by Gefran, a company specialising in the design and production of sensors, systems and components for the automation and control of industrial processes.

This new commitment to CO2e neutralization is the result of a mapping project carried out by Gefran in 2023 which, in addition to Scope 1 and 2 direct emissions, also took Scope 3 indirect emissions into account. This enabled Gefran to obtain a complete view of the Group’s carbon footprint that highlights the most impactful areas and categories, a prerequisite for defining a roadmap of actions and projects in the medium to long term.

The company’s commitment in this area is part of its sustainability strategy, inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which today consists of four pillars: centrality of people, contribution to ecological transition, sustainable product innovation, and sustainability of the supply chain. For each pillar, specific objectives have been defined to be pursued through 26 projects.

As regards the centrality of people, during 2023 more than 80% of the Group’s employees had access to training courses on the company’s key skills (the goal is to reach 90% by 2026).

All Gefran Italian sites are now ISO 9001, ISO 45001, ISO 14001 and SA 8000 certified, in line with the roadmap defined for the implementation of the integrated management system. The company’s facilities in China, the United States and Switzerland are now ISO 9001 certified and the other certifications are expected to be achieved by 2025.

For its contribution to the ecological transition, Gefran has developed an overall carbon footprint assessment model (Scope 1, 2 and 3) which, for the year 2022, amounts to 11,779 tCO2e. The company has also converted 82.4% of the electricity consumed at Group level into renewable sources and aims to reach 100% by 2025.

In terms of sustainable innovation, 13.1% of revenues are now generated by green products (this figure was 11.7% in 2022, while the target for 2025 is 15%), while 100% of the material used for packaging is already recyclable.

Lastly, with regard to the sustainability of the supply chain, Gefran has reduced the share of waste destined for disposal to 32.9% (this figure was 33.8% in 2022, with the aim of bringing it below 30% by 2025), while the number of suppliers adhering to the “Sustainability Pact” has more than doubled.

In 2023, the participants in FLY Youth – a programme for the company’s recent graduate intake – worked on a plan to build awareness and engagement among Gefran’s people in relation to the aims and projects of the Strategic Sustainability Plan. This gave rise to the “Gefran Sustainability Games” project which, over the course of 2024, will involve everyone at the Group in a “healthy” competition inspired by the 4 pillars of sustainability. This will be an opportunity to promote the cultural development of ESG issues, to share information on the projects launched, and to provide guidelines that can generate virtuous behaviour and contribute to the achievement of the Group’s objectives.

“We are proud to publish the 2023 Sustainability Report because it shows the journey that Gefran has resolutely undertaken in recent years, defining a growth strategy in line with its strong focus on the centrality of its people, the carbon transition, sustainable product innovation, and the sustainability of the supply chain. These are the pillars of the strategic plan, the objectives of which were presented and launched during 2023 and which today accompany and guide our vision and investment choices”, said Giovanna Franceschetti, Vice Chairwoman of GEFRAN. “Thanks to this approach, today we stand out as one of the companies in Italy with the strongest focus on ESG issues. But the most important result is the awareness of a strong link between sustainability and business continuity, guaranteed by the sustainable action of our company. We talk about and report on this issue in our Sustainability Report, quoting the relevant figures and results, which give evidence of our people’s great commitment to achieving outstanding outcomes”.