In an increasingly interconnected and competitive environment such as today’s, the corporate social responsibility (CSR) perspective becomes essential for businesses. Through CSR, companies become aware of the impact they have on the territory and environment that surrounds them, and therefore try to respect and value them. The Covid pandemic has raised this awareness and has led to an increase in the number and quality of social responsibility activities carried out by companies.
CSR programs bring several benefits to the company: they improve the relationship between the company and its employees, morale in the workplace, and the company’s image and reputation. When customers have a choice between companies offering the same product or service, they will always prefer the companies they consider more ethical and socially responsible.
Among the Italian companies that have a long tradition of valuing the human component and the territory, and which other companies should take as an example, is Mazzucchelli 1849.
Mazzucchelli was founded in 1849 as a small factory for the production of combs and buttons made of horn, bone and turtle skin. Today, Mazzucchelli is a world leader in the production of cellulose acetate, a plastic of vegetable origin. Since 2019, it has been using Carbon Renewal Technology to realize the recyclability of plastic products. This process allows plastic to be converted back into simple molecular components in order to recycle even the most complex plastic waste.
In its more than 170-year history, the company has distinguished itself for its ability to combine innovation, internationalization and Made in Italy, always remaining firmly attached to its origins and traditions. A characteristic feature of the company has always been its concern for the well-being of its employees, which is fundamental to achieving the company’s goals. But not only that, Mazzucchelli has always paid attention to its surroundings too. It is a family business that has always considered its employees and the community in which it is embedded as a second family and has developed projects closely oriented to their needs and requirements.
Mazzucchelli has developed many initiatives over the years to improve the living conditions of its employees: from the creation of a mutual aid society to the construction of houses for workers. But not only that, Mazzucchelli was also involved in the construction of the first gas lighting, kindergartens and schools, sewerages, a cemetery and a team of firefighters to serve the community. In addition, he founded a vocational training center and opened grocery stores. Moreover, to support the development of culture and art, Mazzucchelli created “Polymer Art” a center of esthetic research, where artists from around the world have created works using Mazzucchelli materials, now exhibited at MAP, the Museum of Plastic Art, created by the Municipality of Castiglione Olona with the help of the family Mazzucchelli.
Probably Mazzucchelli’s most important initiative remains the opening of a clinic for employees, retirees and their families, offering free health services in a variety of specialties, including cardiology, ophthalmology, gynecology and general medicine. In addition, Mazzucchelli has joined the Workplaces Health Promotion project to promote healthy lifestyles among its employees.
Mazzucchelli has thus been able to stand out on the Italian and international scene thanks to the commitment and dedication it devotes to its employees and to the entire territory and community, for which it received the Welfare Index PMI award in 2019.
