Pursuing a path of sustainability capable of generating and distributing value in a lasting manner is fundamental for the Esprinet Group, dedicating the utmost attention to the needs of its stakeholders (customers, suppliers, employees, investors, associations or institutions) and setting ESG-Environmental Social Governance objectives pertaining to its business.
Recent events related to the health emergency caused by the spread of the Coronavirus have placed further emphasis on companies' ability to effectively deal with the crisis thanks to an organisational structure and culture strongly oriented towards a longterm vision, at the expense of opportunistic tactics. Sustainability policies play a fundamental role in this regard and separate virtuous companies from those destined not to recover from the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic.
An approach based on corporate social responsibility and sustainability requires considering and balancing the expectations of the various stakeholder categories, including integrating ESG issues into strategic decision-making processes. Understanding how the Group works with respect to its internal and external interlocutors is therefore essential in order to analyse its financial results in a correct perspective, as well as to define the steps of a journey towards incisive and increasing insertion in the different social and economic contexts in which it operates.
For some years now the Esprinet Group has identified and undertaken its own sustainability policy thanks to which, by listening to its stakeholders, some social and environmental sustainability projects aimed at orienting the company towards a path of stable and lasting value creation have been identified and prioritised.
2019 opened with a renewed focus on customers and employees, in the belief that human capital, corporate welfare and customer satisfaction are solid pillars of its own competitive strategy.
The Group undertook a path together with its customers and employees, promoting a series of opportunities and moments for listening and placing itself in a highly receptive position. This project is called TIB, acronym for Together Is Better: a fundamental step that emphasises the importance given to the concept of cooperation and sharing in order to better enhance the individual efforts of each person.
Surveys were carried out to measure the level of customer satisfaction along the distribution chain, in order to be able to have statistically relevant data and information that can be used during the decision making phase. These were followed by a significant number of actions aimed at improving and constantly monitoring the level of service provided to customers, starting from the critical areas that emerged during the analysis phase.
The "Smart working 2.0" project was also launched in 2019 for all Group companies. It offered many employees the opportunity to benefit from up to two working days from home a week in a smart working mode. Other initiatives concerned the intensification of communication flows, especially through the Enterprise Social Network, the prototyping of cross-functional shadowing, the opening of the canteen in Italy and the expansion of flexible working hours.
Among the main social activities, the "For-Te" project was launched in 2019: the first delivery service in Italy entirely carried out by people with intellectual disabilities. The aim is to create an opportunity to integrate people with disabilities into the working world while simultaneously offering customers a rapid delivery service.
For-Te is an extraordinary example of "value sharing" for the Esprinet Group, as it allows to combine policies and operating practices that strengthen the company's competitiveness while improving the economic and social conditions of the territory where it operates.
During the year, corporate volunteering initiatives were extended to Esprinet Iberica, thus multiplying the opportunities for workers' active, concrete participation in the life of the local community.
The "Green" project was also launched in 2019 to promote awareness of energy saving issues among stakeholders.