Today, Bolton Group presents its fourth Sustainability Report. The creation of a Sustainability Advisory Board, the strengthening of international partnerships, and the improvement of performance indicators are proof of the Group’s commitment to sustainable development throughout 2021.

In 2021, the Group implemented important changes aimed at contributing to a sustainable future. With this objective in mind, a new internal governance for sustainable development has been defined, resulting in the appointment of a Sustainable Development Director who reports directly to the Board and plays a coordinating role in all the activities implemented by the Business Units.

Furthermore, each Business Unit has identified a Head of Sustainability, who has a dedicated team and reports to the Managing Directors or General Managers of the various business areas.

Bolton Group has also equipped itself with a Sustainability Advisory Board, a committee made up of independent and external experts having the task of encouraging and enriching the Group’s path through periodic discussions with the Board.

In addition to strengthening its internal governance, the Group has continued to invest in partnerships and initiatives with international organisations, including WWF, Oxfam, the UN Global Compact, ISSF, Valore D, and Food Banks. Indeed, the Bolton Group’s model is based on transformative partnerships capable of generating positive change and value.

In particular, the collaboration with WWF was been renewed for another four years, with even more ambitious goals in terms of responsible fishing and protecting the health of the oceans. Together with WWF, a joint working table was also set up to analyse the sustainability of our Group’s packaging and identify paths for improvement, with a focus on a more responsible use of plastic. This dialogue has also resulted in new research projects for the development of environmentally friendly sunscreens in cooperation with the University of Marche.

Since March 2021, the Group has joined the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative with over 15 thousand participating companies in more than 165 countries. This partnership fits perfectly into the Group’s strategy and aims to align our projects with ten universal principles including human rights, environment, and labour, as well as to support the advancement of the Sustainable Development Goals promoted in the 2030 global agenda.

In 2021, the Group also acquired three new companies with a particular focus on sustainability: Wild Planet Foods, a US company leader in innovation and pioneer in responsibly-caught fish preserves, Madel, a leading Italian company operating in the segment of environmentally-friendly Home Care products, and The Tuna Store, a US company supplying private-label tuna products with high standards in terms of quality, sustainability, and traceability.

The new edition of our Report also shows an improvement in performance indicators, in relation to the objectives the Group has set in four areas: supply chains, production, employees, and communities.

Click here to find out more about our 2021 results