Looking to the future and the ethical choices that need  to be made, without forgoing elegance and design. The new frontier of sustainability is paving the way for new business, as the last few months have shown, during which various strategies have been put in place by some of the most innovative away-from-home eating concerns. “Environmental sustainability has certainly become more than a trend; now it’s a product feature in its own right and almost a prerequisite for the market. Attention to ethics and corporate responsibility translate into consistent purchasing behaviour that reward virtuous companies as well as increasing the perceived value of the brand,” says Maria Maistrello, head of marketing for Siggi Group, a Vicenza-based company which for over 50 years has manufactured and marketed professional clothing and work attire. From a practical point of view, the brand’s green philosophy was first applied to integrated certification of the in-house management system. “The approach included the installation of a photovoltaic system that made our company self-sufficient from an energy point of view, and the redesign of all the packaging for our garments using eco-friendly, recycled or recyclable materials (bags, boxes, files, hangers…).” This extended to other best practices, “involving all our staff, and including everything from recycling the paper used in our offices to the introduction of paper coffee cups, and also a water cooler with refillable flasks instead of plastic bottles”.

Arcturus Group is also paying careful attention to sustainability and looking to the future with optimism. “Many concerns have taken advantage of this forced period of closure to reinvent themselves and raise their status by modernising their services. They have made investments and have become much more opened up in their communications with clientele. In terms of infrastructure, it has been an opportunity to make upgrades to locales and their fixtures and fittings. In this regard I foresee a general reawakening of the sector that will also involve furnishings, especially table settings where quality features will make all the difference,” says Barbara Cincotto, the group’s ho.re.ca. sales director. Other new developments in recent months have focused in particular on minimising environmental impact, as part of a wider policy of corporate responsibility. “We make durable goods, mostly in stainless steel and aluminium which are recycled at the end of their life cycle. We are also paying more and more attention to controlling consumption and manufacturing processes, as well as reducing the packaging for shipment of our goods and using recyclable packaging.” Another example of virtuous behaviour is the use during production of clean, renewable energy sources, such as methane and electricity, together with resources that can be fully returned to the environment.” And that includes “the groundwater used in our production plant, which is analysed and closely monitored by our in-house laboratory.”