Industrie Chimiche Forestali

In collaboration with ACBC, Industrie Chimiche Forestali S.p.a. (ICF), with a view to continuing and strengthening its commitment to a sustainable future in the next generations and with the awareness of the importance of contributing to initiatives aimed at the global reduction of CO2 emissions, has drawn up its own “Sustainability Manifesto”.

“Sustainability Manifesto” represents a formal commitment, which is mainly developed around five thematic areas:

1. Wide use of certified materials
2. Intense R&D activity aimed at the development of innovative materials and products
3. Strengthening of quality and environmental impact standards
4. Responsible energy management
5. Drafting of the Sustainability Report

Drafted by ACBC with the collaboration of ICF top management, the document represents the company’s ethical commitment and mission in pursuing responsible business practices and contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This one-of-a-kind document not only defines the company’s position on environmental sustainability, but also embodies the strategic direction for the entire organization as well as developing emissions reduction interventions that require a comprehensive evaluation of all operations that occur in the company and all the related greenhouse gas emissions.

Sustainability Objectives 2023-2023

In the “Sustainability Manifesto”, ICF declared its short and long-term objectives with the ambition to reduce its environmental impact in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change. In particular:

Short-term goals (2023-2025)

1. Increase the share of impregnated and co-extruded fabrics containing recycled, bio-based and biodegradable materials by 20% by 2025;
2. Reduce the amount of process solvent waste through an internal recovery system, by 20% by 2023, by 50% by 2024 and by 75% by 2025;
3. Modernize the aqueous wastewater treatment plant by 2025 to reduce sludge;
4. Increase product transparency by performing LCA studies on all water-based adhesive products by 2025 and implementing the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for all fabrics by the end of 2023;
5. Develop a line of very low VOC water-based adhesives specific for the automotive sector (lamination and flocking) by 2025.

Long-term goals (2023-2030)

1. Ensure that at least 50% of European footwear companies working with ICF use water-based adhesives by 2030;
2. Ensure that 60% of ICF adhesive production has a low environmental impact by featuring solvent-free or water-based characteristics by 2030;
3. Ensure that all the company’s fabrics produced in Europe contain at least 50% recycled, bio-based or biodegradable materials by 2030;
4. Evaluate and identify possible bio-based raw materials for introduction into adhesive formulations for automotive and flexible packaging by 2030.