From Field to Fork: Barilla Group's Continuous Efforts to Innovate Products and Support Sustainable Farming

The new data in the 2023 Sustainability Report.

PARMA, Italy, June 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- On World Environment Day, Barilla Group unveils its latest Sustainability Report, showcasing 15 years of commitment to environmental stewardship, innovation, nutrition and community welfare. Barilla continues its journey towards the creation of a food culture that promotes nutritionally balanced eating and shares commitment to support environmental sustainability with renewed energy and strategic vision. The recognition for this way of doing business comes from the latest Global RepTrak® 100, where Barilla emerges as the leading company in the food sector and securing the 29th position worldwide.

Since 2010, Barilla has reformulated and improved nearly 500 products. In 2023, an investment of 230 million euros was allocated to product and process innovation, with 45 million euros dedicated to Research and Development

Since the beginning of 2023, Barilla Group has developed the Group Nutrition and Wellness Model, an internal nutritional guideline aimed at positively impacting people's well-being by offering tasty and nutritious products that align with a healthy lifestyle. This commitment has led to the reformulation of nearly 500 products since 2010, launching 16 products in 2023 without added sugar, rich in or sources of fiber, and containing alternative grains to wheat as well as products with legumes or dried fruit or single-portioned.

Through its Global Diversity Supplier Program, Barilla continues to champion diversity and inclusion by providing equal opportunities to minority-owned, women-owned, LGBTQ+, and disabled-owned businesses. This initiative led the Group to be recognized this year as Silver Top Global Champions for Supplier Diversity & Inclusion by WeConnect International. The company has also recently implemented a new parental policy offering a minimum paid leave of 12 weeks for all parents aimed at fostering an even more inclusive workplace and better work-life balance for its over 9,000 employees worldwide.

Across its 30 production sites, Barilla produced approximately 2 million tons of food in 2023, advancing towards greater efficiency throughout its entire supply chain. Through ongoing investments in upgrading production facilities and the continuous engagement of its over 8,500 farmer partners in sustainable agriculture projects, Barilla supports local agriculture initiatives. In 2023 alone, over €10 million were invested in process optimization, improvements to production facility systems, energy efficiency solutions, and renewable energy self-production installations, resulting in a 28% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and a 21% decrease in water usage since 2010. Barilla Group also showed support to local communities by donating 3.2 million euros and approximately 3,200 tons of products in 2023.