We all know that the bicycle is the perfect tool to encourage fast, zero-emission travel. But how do the actions linked to the production of a bicycle impact the environment? A simple question that opens a highly complex topic that at Wilier Triestina we have decided to address with the ESG LAB project; an essential project that promotes numerous opportunities for growth and common development.
Source: press release
With ESG LAB we have chosen to investigate, reduce and improve the environmental impact of our production; we have invested significant resources and started from the definition of responsible production processes up to touching on issues of social sustainability and corporate governance.
To better identify the areas and interventions for improvement, we underwent an initial ESG assessment certified by GRI, the international non-profit body that develops and defines the standards necessary for reporting the sustainability performance of companies. An evaluation necessary to understand the starting point of this project and monitor its future progress.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
Following the assessment, the first activity we decided to undertake was to quantify our impact. The study of the Organization's Carbon Footprint has allowed us to scientifically track and report the greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by our corporate activities during the year 2022. The study is certified according to the international standard UNI EN ISO 14064- 1:2019. Below is the list of the study phases that led Wilier Triestina to boast this important certification.
• Analysis of incoming and outgoing flows in our factories
• Analysis of energy consumption throughout the production process
• On-site inspection to verify internal processes
• Quantification of equivalent tonnes of CO2e according to the UNI EN ISO 14064-1 standard
• Interpretation of results and presentation of conclusions, recommendations and analyses
• Preparation and drafting of preparatory documentation for ISO certification
The study revealed that 98% of the CO2e produced comes from indirect emissions, attributable to the life cycle of all goods produced and marketed. In particular, the main impact is on emissions resulting from supplies along the entire supply chain.
Conversely, only 2% of the CO2e emitted is under our direct company operational control, falling within the
direct emissions.
DIVISION BY CATEGORY – UNI EN ISO 14064
BREAKDOWN BY SINGLE CATEGORY – UNI EN ISO 14064
DIRECT EMISSIONS
BREAKDOWN BY SINGLE CATEGORY – UNI EN ISO 14064
INDIRECT FROM IMPORTED ENERGY
BREAKDOWN BY SINGLE CATEGORY – UNI EN ISO 14064
TRANSPORTATION
BREAKDOWN BY SINGLE CATEGORY – UNI EN ISO 14064
PRODUCTS USED BY THE ORGANIZATION
The data that emerged highlights the need to intervene on the external front, with important and targeted investments, collaborating virtuously with all our partners and suppliers in order to minimize the CO2e emissions generated by the life cycle of each product and service. The results of the corrective actions that we will carry out will be progressively monitored with increasingly accurate data and increasingly extended to the various categories (direct and indirect) of emissions reporting.
SOCIAL & GOVERNANCE
The analysis of ESG performance also covered the social and governance sphere: being aware of how our company contributes to the economic development of the area in which it operates and which company policies it adopts to improve the working conditions of its employees is essential for project us towards a better future.
For several years, Wilier has contributed to the development and well-being of the community through different actions: collaborating with non-profit associations, supporting local sports promotion events and initiatives, adopting welfare policies for its employees. Now, thanks to ESG analysis, we can finally quantify what has been done and therefore monitor the results achieved over time. Our goal is to improve performance also from this point of view, implementing new initiatives, with the hope of soon becoming a reference in the bike industry and beyond.
Our commitment to corporate sustainability will also be progressively extended to the other companies in the Group, current and future. A group that was born in 2022, in fact, precisely with the aim of starting a synergistic development together with Miche from all points of view, from the industrial to the commercial one, and now also for the field of corporate sustainability.
IMPROVEMENT ACTIONS
Obtaining ISO certification is only the first step in a new way of doing business. The first strong signal of a new corporate philosophy that we are implementing in the company, which integrates the operational industrial plan with ESG-oriented strategies and interventions. A virtuous path already traced which has identified an important number of corrective actions to be carried out by the end of 2024; some will be implemented already in the next few months:
• Use of certified recycled materials by our suppliers
• Implementation of energy efficiency measures
• Use of energy deriving from renewable sources
• Optimization of transport in and out of Wilier Triestina
• Annual preparation of the sustainability report, voluntarily and in advance of the obligations established by the CSRD legislation (the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive is the European directive which extends the sustainability reporting obligations to more companies in order to increase transparency and the comparability of information on companies' ESG performance);
• Strengthening and integration of corporate welfare initiatives
• Support for local initiatives to inform/raise awareness on the topic of equal opportunities
• Support for associations / bodies operating in our territory
Further impetus to the cause was given to us by our partner Pamoja Capital. The fund, through its foundation, the McCall MacBain Foundation, is a leading supporter of a number of international projects working to mitigate the climate crisis, including The Nature Conservancy, Global Manthrop Hub and the European Climate Foundation. The McCall MacBain Foundation is also a major supporter of education, scholarship and healthcare initiatives.
Improving performance is part of our DNA. We do it for our products that run the most important races in the world. We will do it to help improve everyone's future.
