2023 Sustainability Report: Gruppo Mastrotto redefines responsible excellence parameters

Gruppo Mastrotto, a world leader in processing high-quality leather hides, has published its 2023 Sustainability Report. Once again, the document highlights the company’s commitment to sustainable and innovative practices.

In the new report – the fourth ever and the second certified by an external firm – the company aims to redefine responsible excellence parameters in the leather tanning sector through an integrated approach combining technological innovation, sustainability, and social awareness.

Leather Forward

Recently, Gruppo Mastrotto launched its new tagline Leather Forward, representing the corporate vision of progress and innovation. This tagline is not just a slogan, but a promise to go “beyond leather” to develop cutting-edge solutions that respect the environment. It clearly states the company’s commitment to raising the bar of sustainability and responsible excellence in the tanning sector.

Environment

In 2023, Gruppo Mastrotto continued its optimization of manufacturing processes along four main trajectories: less water, less chemicals, less energy, and less waste.

The responsible use of water is a pillar of Gruppo Mastrotto’s sustainable practices. To reduce consumption, the company has made – in the past few years – significant investments in wastewater treatment systems, environmental standard monitoring, and sensors in the finishing stages.

One of the main corporate initiatives for innovation is the reduced use of chemicals in tanning and finishing processes. Alternative tanning products and sustainable variants of traditional chemicals were introduced over time, even by improving the safety and quality of the work environment.

In 2023, 92.3% of company waste (about 20% more than the average in the field) was reused, recycled, or recovered. The company aims to minimize waste in every production stage by reusing scrap material and byproducts in other sectors or turning them into new material, with the scope of creating a process as close as possible to zero-waste.

In terms of energy consumption, It's worth highlighting the achievement of ISO 14064-1 certification, which emphasizes the organization’s carbon footprint. Such a certification is yet another proof of the company’s commitment to sustainability and highlights its dedication to business transparency. The quantification of greenhouse gas emissions (direct and indirect) has allowed the Group to identify the areas of greater energy consumption and emissions to work on. It was also the starting point for developing a complex and gradual plan that will also involve parties upstream of the supply chain.

Social responsibility

In terms of social responsibility, Gruppo Mastrotto continues to invest in welfare policies for its employees (99% of whom are hired on long-term contracts), offering scholarships for young students, flexible working hours, and continuous learning on occupational safety, which proves the firm’s attention to the wellness of its workers. Particularly noteworthy is its initiative to offer free cancer screening in a mobile clinic set up within the corporate facilities.

The company also pursues its commitment to supporting the community. During the 2023 Christmas holidays, the Group launched a social initiative for the purchase of a high-tech endoscopic device for the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, which was donated to the Pediatric Surgery department of the San Bortolo Hospital of Vicenza. This, like other social initiatives, was accompanied by the activity of Fondazione Silvana e Bruno Mastrotto, a philanthropic foundation that carries forward and expands on the Family’s long-term commitment to supporting projects related to disability, education, and training such as the Parkinson Café and La Tribù del Sole.

Suppliers

As far as suppliers are concerned, the company launched a mapping initiative to assess the implementation of practices in line with the Group’s sustainability principles. This is yet another step towards a growingly precise raw material traceability and makes the company sure that the hides do not derive from areas exposed to intensive deforestation or animal abuse.

Upcoming targets

Looking at the future, Gruppo Mastrotto has already defined ambitious goals to improve its process sustainability further and have a growingly positive impact on the environment and society.

“Our commitment to sustainability is not merely an answer to environmental and social challenges, but a key component of our corporate identity that permeates every aspect of our business: from emissions reductions to care for our employees; from technological innovation to responsible resource management”, states Chiara Mastrotto, President of Gruppo Mastrotto. “We are proud of the results achieved and determined to follow this path because we firmly believe that every step forward in terms of sustainability not only strengthens our business but also contributes to the tracking process.”