The sustainability report is a strategic communication tool for the Company, through which it can communicate to its stakeholders in a transparent, synthetic, and analytical way, Benelli’s sustainable development that it has been pursuing for years, while at the same time spreading greater sensitivity towards the theme of sustainability. The report was presented at the traditional corporate dinner, an event that symbolically summarises the Company's attention to caring for the environment, territory and workgroup, in a special evening dedicated to its employees and their families, to celebrate the team spirit and the value of being together.
The Cavaliere del Lavoro Eng. Luigi Moretti, President of Benelli Armi S.p.A., introduced the report by stating: "First of all, we have remained faithful to our motto 'Always a step ahead' which, without competitive references, means maintaining an evolution and a continuous improvement" and continued by presenting the main innovations dedicated to people and company structure: "We had to bear due to the presence of outdated tracks, we completed in 2023 the new building that houses canteen and changing rooms. This property, designed by the architect Gaudenzi, has a higher degree of comfort and enjoyment than the previous accommodation, which was also a step ahead of the first settlement. […] In order to strengthen the structure of Benelli, we introduced for the first time the figure of the General Manager separated from the President. The job was taken by the engineer Paolo Viti of Urbino, who has already successfully managed the plant for years, making it progress significantly»
Benelli and sustainability
Sustainability is one of the most relevant issues facing the contemporary world. For this reason, Benelli pursues a business philosophy focused on sustainable development, with the aim of creating value through responsible actions in relation to the context in which it operates.
As a testament to this, Benelli has updated the main data from the 2022 report, confirming the company’s stability, with a turnover of over 160 million euros for the year 2023. At the same time, the company’s investments in the reference year amounted to 6 million euros, of which 1.9 million for industrial machinery and 1.8 million for equipment.
Of this, around 3 million went to the R&D department, in line with the trend over the years. A further important investment made in the 2022-2024 three-year period at Group level concerned the Benelli plant, with the construction of the new social building dedicated to staff, the new company canteen and changing rooms.
General Manager Ing. Paolo Viti said: "The company has decided to voluntarily draw up this balance sheet; is not, at present, a legally mandatory document. As well as the certifications of Quality, Safety and Environment that the company can boast for several years already and that are not required by law or customers, but only by our conscience of responsible entrepreneurs and workers, who return a substantial part of the wealth produced to the territory in which they operate. In economic terms, with salaries, taxes paid and subsidiarity. In terms of respect for the environment, thanks to the investments and research for the elimination of all poisons from the factory, such as the disposal of hexavalent chromium and the introduction of eco-sustainable processes, such as the BE.S.T. treatment. In terms of respect for people. The construction of the new building for employee social services, which houses the new canteen, the new changing rooms and the new concierge is a tangible example."
Benelli pursues the development of solutions that lead to a continuous improvement of the environmental, economic and social influence of the Company, through a strategy carried out at the intersection of three factors: Environment, People, Future.
The Benelli Green project
In 2004 it founded the Benelli Green project, to integrate its industrial strategies with the themes of sustainability and circular economy and pursue a true cultural revolution. Benelli was the first firearms company to obtain ISO 14001 certification in 2006 for its Environmental Management System.
The results reported in the 2023 sustainability report are further evidence of this. In 2023, the company covers 50% of its electricity needs and 100% of its thermal needs, thanks to a cogeneration plant, and global energy consumption decreased by 13.7% compared to 2022.
The attention to the environment, in addition, concerns especially the responsible use of resources, the reduction of raw materials used by 23% compared to 2022, the use of sustainable materials, such as FSC-certified paper for product packaging and control of waste production.
In 2023, waste generated decreased by 3% compared to the previous year. The Company sends to recovery all the waste from mechanical processes, which corresponds to 97% of the waste generated, with a recycling rate of 77%.
The commitment to a sustainable future is based on innovation, a value that has always been part of the company’s DNA. Among the most significant results achieved by Benelli in terms of environmental impact and safeguarding the health of its people, we find the BE.S.T. treatment with zero emissions and the “Hexavalent Chromium Replacement Project” which introduced chemical nickel plating as an alternative process and allowed the complete elimination of hexavalent chromium from the factory.
Benelli's new high-sustainability technologies
In 2023, new technologies with high sustainability were presented. Among them, the Benelli Advanced Impact barrel and choke system is the only one on the market that significantly improves performance with steel shot cartridges, discouraging the use of lead cartridges, which pollute flora and fauna. In addition, the new electrochemical machining plant for barrel rifling has important benefits in terms of worker health and safety, production flexibility, reduction of lead time and environmental impact.
The commitment to a sustainable future is part of a path that the Company has been on for some time, with the implementation of Industry 4.0 – total automation and interconnection of production processes, combined with the complete digitalisation of the manufacturing system – and development interventions in perspective of Industry 5.0, in which the theme of environmental sustainability is understood as energy saving.
Benelli has welcomed the global change called for by the United Nations and is actively committed to supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the UN in the 2030 Agenda.
The company continues to promote initiatives in favour of the well-being of its employees, with a 360° view and linked to various themes: health and safety, through a management system certified according to ISO 45001; Health surveillance; Additional medical services, such as preventive screening in collaboration with the ANT Foundation; training of staff, with 1,978 hours delivered in 2023; Digital transition, such as the course dedicated to increasing staff culture and awareness of artificial intelligence (AI), which is of great interest and relevance.
With this second report, Benelli confirms its vision of the future, in which the environmental, economic and social dimensions of sustainability have equal importance.
