OUR COMMITMENT

In 2020 we reiterated our commitment with a total contribution of Euro 250,000, allocating a considerable part of this donation (Euro 150,000) to funds for the purchase of health and protection supplies for the Covid-19 emergency in Spain.

Meanwhile, we remain greatly determined to pursue the “Girls at School” project in the Ivory Coast, in which we collaborate directly in the complete schooling of 3,020 girls between 9 and 16 years old, and indirectly in that of another 3,000 children enrolled in the 20 schools involved in the project.

These two collaborations strengthen our social commitment and our global contribution in all sectors.

UNICEF is active in over 190 countries and territories around the world with the aim of guaranteeing the rights of all children.

If you wish, you too can collaborate with UNICEF https://www.unicef.org/

The small changes make the difference.

Foxy, always close to you.

Water is a precious resource for life on Earth and is essential in any paper making process.

ICT Ibérica’s commitment focuses on two areas: the humanitarian sector, thanks to the cooperation with UNICEF on the project “National plan for the promotion of water and sanitation in Mali” since 2013, and the environmental sector, intensively working on the production process in order to improve quality and reduce consumption. 

Between 2012 and 2014, ICT Ibérica found out that it was consuming an increasing amount of water.

This finding led to the development of the “Hidrodeficiencia” project (Hydro deficit), aimed at finding solutions to reduce consumption patterns and variability to a minimum.

By applying the Six Sigma method for analysing and evaluating various process and discharge variables, ICT Ibérica succeeded in reducing water consumption by 25% and sludge levels by 50%.

Moreover, the outstanding work carried out by the paper mill staff so as to achieve continuous improvement proved to be crucial to ensure not only long-lasting results but also the success of ICT Ibérica’s “Hidrodeficiencia” (Hydro deficit) project. 

The system allows water to be extracted from the Warta River via a water inlet on the bank. It then reaches the facility through a pipeline more than one kilometre long, where it is treated to ensure compliance with production process requirements. The industrial wastewater produced at the facility is then directed to the purification plants, which ensure compliance with parameters well below those required by stringent industry regulations, and are finally conveyed to the Warta River. This ambitious project lasting more than two years was completed thanks to the active cooperation and valuable know-how of all those involved.

The IFS-HPC certification focuses on risk management control, customer specifications, traceability and crisis management. Therefore, this is a standard that guarantees the supply of safe, compliant and quality nappies for the market, which meet the high expectations of customers and improve consumer confidence, as well as their perception of the product.

The fundamental point to obtaining this certification is risk management, which allows the company to show that the products supplied do not pose a hazard to the health and/or safety of consumers. Special attention is paid to the use of safe and tested ingredients and components, and to the prevention of the main sources of potential contamination, such as the work environment, the machinery or the personnel involved in the various processing stages.

The achievement of this certification proves the attention and strong commitment of Pozzani Disposables to uphold the trust placed by final consumers who recognise the high quality of its products.

The programme is based on four pillars: prevention, healthy eating, physical activity and regeneration.

Following a conference held by Dr. Tomasz Chomiuk entitled “How to take care of our health in order to improve our fitness and well-being”, medical tests were performed at the company’s premises, which allowed employees to receive their main health parameters in a strictly confidential manner.

The Foxy Fit picnic, commented by the well-known sports reporter Dariusz Szpakowski and open to employees' family members, was met with great enthusiasm: awareness and interest in wellness issues were strengthened through physical activities for adults and children, health workshops and other initiatives. 

This path continues: colleagues meet up to do sports together, take part in cooking and dietary classes and much more, thus reinforcing the Foxy Fit spirit within the company.

ICT Group, through its HR departments both centrally and locally, is dedicated to the growth of its people. A growth that is linked both to the Greenfield policies, that have stimulated the development of entirely new work-related local communities, and to the founding values of the Group. In HR, this means dedicating time and energy on developing soft skills alongside the more specific professional and technical skills. Soft skills generate a sense of belonging that is typical of ICT Group people, reinforcing long-term relationships and trust, and make for a more rewarding workplace. Local talent, social responsibility, safety and quality attitude and continuous learning are at the heart of the personal engagement and Group’s success. And they are strongly supported by ICT Management and HR through dedicated career paths and people care programs. The support to our employees’ children’s education, the partnership with local educational institutes, the skill mapping and the development of the capabilities, the job rotation and the training on the job are examples of our commitment to the growth of our people.

The international company LMI holds training courses for the development of transversal "soft skills", mainly intended for managerial staff. ICT Poland has been cooperating for several years with the Polish branch of LMI for the KZ project, involving trainers from both companies.

The aim of the Kształtowanie Zwycięzców programme is to help young people develop their talent and teach them how to have a winning attitude, so that they can make the most of their skills and become successful in their career and personal life.

The programme involves a series of group and individual sessions held over the course of 6 months; with the support of the trainers, participants learn to define their strengths and to work on their personal and school goals. At the end of the programme, the students make a presentation that sums up what they learnt during the course and receive the final certificate.

The fourth edition of the programme was recently completed. After presenting their works, the students and their trainers celebrated the end of the KZ training course with an official lunch.

The company’s employees suggested local institutions that they believe are particularly deserving of support and then chose the three institutions that would receive the donations allocated by ICT Poland.

The awarded organisations were:

- Association for children with leukaemia and cancer and their families tumori (Stowarzyszenie Dzieci i Rodziców chorych na białaczkę i inne choroby nowotworowe)

- The student sports centre “Czwórka” (Uczniowski Klub Sportowy “Czwórka” di Kostrzyn nad Odrą)

- The sports association “Szkoła Tańca Qest” (Stowarzyszenie Klub Sportowy “Szkoła Tańca Qest” di Kostrzyn nad Odrą) 

ICT Ibérica has been working hard to integrate this Certification, and by taking an advantage of the experience of the plants already certified within the group, it managed to successfully conclude this important process.

In this way, we have been able to align ourselves with the history of our Group, which has always been distinguished by its commitment to respect the world around us, oriented towards people, the environment and all the regulations in force.

With a FSC Certification, we guarantee to our customers and consumers the selection of reliable cellulose suppliers that guarantee their commitment to environmental sustainability and to the Chain of Custody as a control mechanism for the traceability of forest products.

The attainment of the FSC Certification is a further link in our social commitment, which together with other certifications places us at the forefront of tissue suppliers in the Iberian market.

ICT chose to work with Virgin Fibre from its very beginning. It was a strategic decision, which the Company has developed through the years, and to which it is firmly committed in the manufacture of finished product. Tissue paper made with virgin fibre has a premium look and optimal performances, and is able to fulfil even the most demanding consumers’ expectations. But it also has hidden advantages: there are no migrating chemical additives, it is always safe for contact with the skin, and is equally suitable for contact with food. In its constant drive towards sustainable manufacturing, ICT only uses fibres from sustainable forests, through vetted and trustworthy suppliers; only FSC® or PEFC™ certified materials are used in ICT finished product. This means that the forests from which virgin fibre is sourced are constantly audited by independent bodies, to ensure they comply with strict international criteria. And this, in turn, leads to a safe and reliable finished product. True to the spirit of ICT and its commitment to sustainability.

ICT Poland has, once again, won the title of “Impresa Fair Play” (Fair Play Company), a contest sponsored by the National Chamber of Commerce and organised by the Institute for Private Enterprise and Democracy. The company has been taking part in the contest for several years, receiving the Company Quality Certificate every year. The prestigious Fair Play title is assigned to companies, which, regardless of their economic results, pay special attention to compliance with laws and ethical principles, environmental protection policies and the development of local communities. The purpose of the Fair Play Programme is to encourage Polish companies to adopt ethical principles in their economic activity, and to introduce significant changes, not only in the organisation of work, but also in terms of respect for the environment and development of positive relations with the local community.

In 2010, ICT Spa decided to set up a global health and safety system. The aim was to involve all human resources in the project, not only those dedicated to the specific issue. Encouraging a debate between employees and management, for the purpose of effectively and continuously improving the work environment.

All employees were engaged in the process to raise the required awareness on occupational health and safety issues, focussing mainly on the human factor, which has increasingly become important. Safety procedures alone, even when implemented in the best possible way, do not suffice to compensate an insufficient concentration.

The system set up by ICT Spa is based on the concept of continuous improvement. Theory and practice are united by personalised procedures for specific processes and departments. Safety requirements, efficiency and production are inseparable and are concomitantly managed by the same teams.

Further to the commitment of specialised human resources to support the individuals who have health and safety duties, the management system can only succeed if these tasks are delegated hierarchically in descending order, so as to allocate part of the management of health and safety where and by whom it must effectively be carried out: every employee must perceive the responsibility of managing his/her workplace.

The implemented system includes the involvement of human resources ensuring everyone has the opportunity to speak and to be listened to: in this regard useful tools have been provided to immediately report any conditions of danger of which they become aware.

The outcome goes beyond the context of certification, with a complete and efficient safety system, with an open collaborative spirit, which is always a characteristic feature of the ICT Group’s workplace.

In 2013, ICT Spa obtained OHSAS 18001 standard certification (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Specification - international standard for occupational health and safety management system)

When OHSAS 18001 was replaced by ISO 45001, ICT Spa promptly adapted obtaining, in 2020, certification for this new standard.

Individuals assigned by the certification body each year carry out audits to verify that our occupational health and safety management system stays in line with the requirements of the standard allowing us to meet the objectives set.

Since 2000, in Italy, Foxy has actively contributed to the promotion of UNICEF projects, offering concrete financial support and actively spreading the UNICEF message on a national scale through advertising campaigns and other communication activities.

Special graphics were created within this collaboration, dedicated to the programs promoted by UNICEF, which cover the Foxy packs during a particular time of the year and which bring the UNICEF message and logo to retail outlets and the home of consumers.

Since 2002, in Italy, Foxy is the unique sponsor of the “Adotta una Pigotta” (Adopt a Rag Doll) initiative, which has so far saved more than one million children. For the affinity to UNICEF and its cause it has become a distinguishing feature of the experience of the Foxy brand, other initiatives have been identified in Spain and Poland, which are supported and promoted in the same way. Foxy has supported the vaccination campaign of UNICEF in Poland since 2009 and since 2013 it has embraced the "Escuelas en Mali" (Schools in Mali) project in Spain. All this proves the perseverance and increasing commitment with which ICT has chosen to stand together with UNICEF and the children that UNICEF helps and supports.

There are many advantages to this new formula. For one, the new nappy - mainly intended for the Private Label market - allows children to move easily, as it is lighter and thinner. Another is that it was possible to reconfigure the packaging with significant savings in terms of transport.

This means either less space with the same number of pieces or more pieces with the same amount of space. Either way, there is up to 30 percent of saved space. And less space means fewer trucks, lower transportation costs and, consequently, lower impact on the environment, in line with the ICT Group’s commitment to sustainability.

Transparency, reliability, safety and consistency: these are the main pillars of the very strict International Featured Standard (IFS) Certification, aimed at ensuring that consumer products are safe all along the production chain. ICT France took the decision to adopt the Household and Personal Care (HPC) version of the certificate during the summer of 2015. And it set itself an extremely ambitious target: to be certified before the end of the year. With the support of the ICT Group Quality Department, ICT France set up a dedicated team of coordinators from the Paper Mill, the Hygiene, Safety and Environmental Department, Converting, Supply Chain and Support Services. (segue)

The project was based on a series of steps:

- General gap analysis / IFS standard,

- Kick off,

- Team building,

- Detailed gap analysis,

- Documentation,

- Training sessions,

- Training audit,

- Audit,

- Action Plan

The final audit took place in December 2015. And the official certificate was released in February 2016. “In the end, this project was a great professional and human adventure”, said Mikael Perrin, ICT France. “It was amazing to see the quality of the teamwork, and the energy dedicated to the project by each team member”.

After several years of intense work, PM21 has put a complete Safety Procedure into practice for performing cleaning and maintenance work on Equipment and in Confined Spaces. In close collaboration with its workers, maintenance engineers and Health and Safety department, it has developed a set of tasks: equipment blocking, delivery forms and work permits in confined spaces, which keep risks related to machinery stops for servicing under control. To date, the results are very positive, as the accidents related to these critical tasks have been reduced to “zero”.

The new filter, located downstream of the two nappy production lines, intercepts a large amount of particles, meaning that the system, which exceeded the parameters set by the regulations in force, is now even more efficient. 

Consisting mostly of super absorbent micro-powders, the particles are collected by the filter cartridges of the new plant and discharged for disposal, so that emissions can be significantly reduced.

The latest generation suction system is used in the entire production plant, without replacing the previous systems installed on the single lines. It also increases overall efficiency, centralising filtration to ensure greater functionality and effectiveness.

The fibres and powders retained in the first filtration stages are recovered and reinserted in the production processes, resulting in less waste and cleaner air.

The new Pozzani Disposables suction system further proves ICT’s constant focus on production efficiency and on respecting the environment.

The Republic of Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world, where 50% of the population live on less than $1 a day and where it is estimated that 75% of women aged between 15 and 24 are illiterate.
With a death rate of 178 babies out of 1000 in the first 5 years of their lives, Mali is the second country in the world for infant mortality.

Schooling is also a serious problem in the country. A large number of children, both boys and girls, have never been to school, for various reasons:

• The lack of hygiene and sanitary services in schools determines low and sporadic attendance.
• Violence at school compromises the daily lives of young girls in Mali.
• The excessively long distances that separate the school from villages and the lack of separate bathrooms for boys and girls demotivate the girls and limit their presence.
• Due to the poverty of families, the cost of children’s education is often unsustainable.

In 2018, ICT Ibérica contributed to the project by donating €150,000, helping more than 4,000 children in 13 schools in Mali by improving sanitation facilities, making access to drinking water easier and teaching children how to use water correctly to prevent diseases.

Last December, like every year, the company conducted an awareness campaign, inserting extensive information regarding the Mali project in the packaging of Foxy products, inviting consumers to actively participate with a personal contribution. For some years, ICT Ibérica has also been carrying out an intense TV campaign on the main national and regional channels.