From Field to Fork: Barilla Group’s Continuous Efforts to innovate products and support sustainable farming - The new data in the 2023 Sustainability Report
5 June 2024
Parma, June 5 – On World Environment Day, Barilla Group unveils its latest Sustainability Report, showcasing 15 years of commitment to environmental stewardship, innovation, nutrition and community welfare. Barilla continues its journey towards the creation of a food culture that promotes nutritionally balanced eating and shares commitment to support environmental sustainability with renewed energy and strategic vision. The recognition for this way of doing business comes from the latest Global RepTrak® 100, where Barilla emerges as the leading company in the food sector and securing the 29th position worldwide.
New products for a wider choice
Since the beginning of 2023, Barilla Group has developed the Group Nutrition and Wellness Model, an internal nutritional guideline aimed at positively impacting people's well-being by offering tasty and nutritious products accompanied by appropriate portions information that align with a healthy lifestyle. This commitment has led to the reformulation of nearly 500 products since 2010, resulting in reductions in saturated fats, sugars, and salt, while increasing fiber content. Moreover, in 2023 Barilla launched 16 tasty products without added sugar, rich in or sources of fiber, and containing alternative grains to wheat (such as spelt, oats, rye and buckwheat) as well as products with legumes or dried fruit or single-portioned.
More than just a food company: a family
Through its Global Diversity Supplier Program, Barilla continues to champion diversity and inclusion by providing equal collaboration opportunities to minority-owned, women-owned, LGBTQ+, and disabled-owned businesses. This initiative led the Group to be recognized this year as Silver Top Global Champions for Supplier Diversity & Inclusion by WeConnect International , a global non-profit that brings together corporate buyers and women-owned suppliers. Moreover, the company, who has already achieved gender pay equality globally with the elimination of the gender pay gap in 2020, has also recently implemented a new parental policy offering a minimum paid leave of 12 weeks for all parents aimed at fostering an even more inclusive workplace and better work-life balance for its over 9,000 employees worldwide.
Attention to environmental sustainability from field to fork
Across its 30 production sites worldwide, Barilla produced approximately 2 million tons of food in 2023, advancing towards greater efficiency throughout its entire supply chain. Through ongoing investments in upgrading production facilities and the continuous engagement of its over 8,500 farmer partners in sustainable agriculture projects, Barilla supports local agriculture: 89% of durum wheat, the key ingredient of all the Group's pasta brands, is purchased from the local market. With Wasa we are also piloting some regenerative agriculture projects in the rye supply chain, in collaboration with Indigo and Svensk Kolinlagring. The project has involved 14 farmers in Germany and Sweden, who were asked to apply regenerative agriculture techniques, such as cover crops, minimal processing of the land, crop rotation, targeted use of fertilisers. In 2023 alone, over €10 million were invested in process optimization, improvements to production facility systems, energy efficiency solutions, and renewable energy self-production installations resulting in a 28% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 21% decrease in water usage since 2010, while 62% of the electricity comes from renewable sources such as water, sun and wind, a percentage that goes up to 100% for the production of condiments like Pesti Barilla and of bakery with brands like Wasa, Harrys and Mulino Bianco. Worldwide, almost 100% of the Barilla Group’s pasta, sauces, pesto, bread, biscuits and snacks are designed for recycling, and more than 99% of paper and cardboard comes from responsibly managed forests.
Educational opportunities and support to local communities
Promote access to food for a growing number of people, enhance inclusion and support the development of territories: in 2023 the Barilla Group activated solidarity initiatives in the various countries in which it operates for a total of 3.2 million euros and approximately 3,200 tons of products donated in 12 months. A constant commitment which since 2010 has seen Barilla donate over 60 million euros and almost 50 thousand tons of products.
Barilla Group's latest Sustainability Report is a testament to its enduring mission to integrate a sustainable approach into every aspect of its operations, aiming to create a better, more equitable future for all.
“Now more than ever, when we discuss taste, nutrition, food safety, the environment, accessibility, people, communication, the future, whether in terms of spaghetti, a biscuit, a bread or a sauce, we are referring to the quality of our products, the heart of what we do, the action we take and the value of our brands – affirms Guido, Luca and Paolo Barilla in the introductory letter of the 2023 Sustainability Report – we are well aware there is a long and winding road ahead, although the commitment and passion of everyone at Barilla ensures we are ready to face the challenges that await us and to chart our journey into the future."
“This report speaks of our continued commitment, our achievements and our challenges in the coming years to ensure everyone can appreciate ‘the joy of food, for a better life’ – comments Gianluca Di Tondo, CEO of Barilla Group, in the 2023 Sustainability Report – we have undertaken a series of major initiatives to improve the way we do business; we have always been guided by our core values and the desire to grow healthily with full respect for our people, our business partners (whether customers or suppliers), for our consumers and for the planet.”
BARILLA GROUP 2023 TURNOVER AT 4,869 MILLION EUROS (+7%)
2023 confirms the growth of recent years: the Group's turnover was 4,869 million euros which, net of the hyper-inflationary effect of Turkey, stood at 4,842 million (+7% compared to 2022 net of the perimeter and exchange rate effect).
230 million euros (4.7% of turnover) were allocated to product innovation, improving efficiency and increasing production capacity. The EBITDA margin is confirmed at 10%, in line with the performance of the previous year.
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