B Corp Certification as a recognition of a twenty-year path to sustainability: this is the case of Fileni, a leading company in the production of organic Italian meat, which has chosen a new economic paradigm aimed at creating shared welfare for people and the planet.
On January 11th, 2023, B Lab published a statement regarding Fileni’s B Corp certification. It confirms it started a review process following a formal complaint received by a third party. For more information on the text of the statement click on this link.
As we await the outcome of B Lab’s process, we trust that it will be an opportunity for the evolution of the company and the industry.
The NATIVA team
To become the reference point in Europe for organic proteins, protecting animal welfare and guiding increasingly sustainable lifestyles. This is the aspiration of Fileni, a leading company in the production of organic Italian meat in theMarche region , aware of how the creation of a chain of widespread welfare can have positive effects not only on those who choose its products, but also on all human beings, the planet and future generations. A mission in line with the needs of the 21st century and achievable only through the commitment, sense of responsibility and involvement of the whole community, with a view to mutual improvement.
The achievement of B Corp certification- which recognizes companies with the highest environmental and social standards – represents a milestone for Fileni in a path of sustainable innovation which, for more than 20 years, has aimed at implementing a regenerative culture along the entire value chain, to restore quality to what exists at all levels, from the environmental to the social.
But let’s start from the beginning. Founded by Giovanni Fileni in the 1970s, the Fileni Group- which is based in Cingoli (MC) today, has a turnover of 500 million Euros. It has over 1,800 employees and about 300 farms – and is the leading Italian and European producer of organically reared poultry meat and the third player in the national poultry and rabbit sector. It has been on the market for over 40 years with the brands Fileni, Fileni BIO, Sempre Domenica and Club dei Galli, widely distributed in the large-scale retail trade, Normal Trade and Ho.re.ca channels, and is one of the leading Italian companies in the sector.
The path towards a new regenerative culture, with animal welfare and sustainable innovation at its core, began in 2000 with the acquisition of certification for organic production: an important opportunity for evolution in terms of animal health and welfare and which has led to market leadership thanks to a complete range of organic products. Since 2010 Fileni started to invest in sustainability in order to increase the relevance of renewable sources among the energy inputs and since then the share of renewables has grown more and more, thanks to photovoltaic, biogas and cogeneration plants that contribute to the needs of the company and to the national energy network. It doesn’t end there. In 2017 Fileni is the first company to launch on the market antibiotic free products, coming from farms that do not use antibiotics, not even for curative purposes; a commitment that since 2020 also involves the supply chain: 100% of Rusticanello production and over 97% of organic and conventional production takes place without the use of antibiotics. In 2018 it’s time for the first Sustainability Report, extended to the entire supply chain and in 2021 comes the evolution into Società Benefit (Benefit Corporation) and the officialization within the statute of the objective to spread a regenerative culture and transmit to new generations the beauty of the agricultural vocation and the urgency to protect the land.
Now the B Corp Certification, which does not represent a simple goal, but the moment in which the company adopts a new economic paradigm, in which economic performance and environmental and social performance are evaluated at the same level and in which the purpose of the company is no longer only to generate profit, but also to regenerate its ecosystem.
In the coming years Fileni will continue to write its own story of sustainability, thanks to the commitments already made: the achievement of zero net carbon emissions by 2040, i.e. 10 years before the Paris Agreement and compliance with the high standards of the European Chicken Commitment (ECC) on animal welfare.
A story that makes us proud as Nativa, having supported Fileni in this path of evolution, and that, thanks to the continuous improvement that the company will carry out in the coming years, can only act as a stimulus for the entire poultry meat sector both in terms of increasing standards and in triggering a positive competition between all companies in being not only the best in the world but the best for the world. All that is needed to bring about a radical positive evolution.
The spirit of innovation has always been a fundamental part of our company’s DNA, but – we are aware of this – there is no innovation without attention to the environment. It is no coincidence that transparency, respect and courage are the values that underlie the Fileni philosophy: Transparency in telling our story and showing our supply chain, Respect for the people who choose us, for the environment and for animals, Courage to innovate by accepting new challenges and setting ourselves increasingly ambitious goals. For many, being sustainable is just one choice among many. For us, it’s the only choice. Now being a B Corp gives voice to our way of interpreting change: building an inclusive, fair and regenerative economic-productive system for all people and the planet.Roberta Fileni, Vice President of Fileni Group