Sustainability and corporate welfare, Ponti strengthens its commitment

"The value we generate is not only measured in economic terms, but in the ability to improve the lives of the people who work with us and the communities in which we operate. In this sense, sustainability is a collective project that involves the entire supply chain and that can become the real engine of Europe's industrial relaunch. Because the future is not built by choosing between growth and responsibility, but by making responsibility the very condition of growth. These are words full of meaning and values, but also the index of a clear industrial strategy, those that Lara Ponti, vice president of Ponti Spa, uses to comment to Food24 the results of the Impact Report of the family business linked to the territories in which it has been operating since 1787.

"Companies have a responsibility that goes beyond production and profit: they must contribute to building trust, wellbeing and social cohesion. Sustainability is not a cost, but a factor of competitiveness and resilience of the industrial system, especially at a time when global challenges (economic, environmental and demographic) impose new growth models. As a family business with over 150 years of history, we believe that our strength comes from being rooted in the territories and at the same time open to change," continues Ponti, who is also vice president of Confindustria with responsibility for sustainability.

"Translated" into the numbers of the Impact Report on 2024, "the economic value generated is approximately EUR 119 million (+4.8% on 2023), of which EUR 117.8 million is distributed with employees, suppliers, communities and institutions".

Company Benefit since 2021 and then BCorp, Ponti confirmed the centrality of inclusion and welfare policies, with a 7.8% increase in result bonuses and a significant portion allocated to corporate welfare (+13%). The company reports that it 'has consolidated its solidarity hours bank, expanded its smart working programmes (35 activated) and invested in professional training, with 660 hours provided, 63% of which focused on sustainability'. It has also contributed food products to the value of 40 thousand euros and made donations amounting to 205 thousand euros to associations involved in solidarity activities.

Still on the subject of corporate welfare, EUR 714,000 was distributed as a wage supplement (+7.8% over 2023); EUR 370,000 was paid out in productivity bonuses, 68% of which was allocated to corporate welfare (+13% over 2023). On the subject of gender equality, Ponti obtained Uni/Pdr 125/2022 certification with a 'gender pay gap reduced to zero'.