Arper, global design brand that envisions products for the ways we live, presents its second sustainability report, a testament to the company’s ongoing commitment in this field. The Report provides a detailed overview of the actions taken by Arper throughout 2023 to promote respect for people and the Planet, as well as to implement innovative processes and responsible business practices.
The 2023 report represents a significant step forward compared to the previous year, highlighting Arper’s progress toward achieving its long-term goals. The company continues to strengthen its strategy based on three fundamental pillars: improving the quality of life and well-being of people, advancing the transition toward a circular economy, and reducing environmental impact.
Moreover, the report introduces a new perspective on our impact, measured using the impact valuation methodology. This method assigns a value to actions affecting society and the environment—traditionally evaluated in qualitative and descriptive terms—which can now be measured in a direct and tangible way.
A useful tool for making sustainability-oriented decisions, impact valuation is typically used by large companies, not small and medium-sized ones, which are common in the design sector. To make it more accessible to companies in this field, Arper has developed a simplified version of the Value Balancing Alliance methodology, with the aim of inspiring other companies to adopt this evaluation and enabling collective progress.
Roberto Monti, Arper CEO, comments: “Our second sustainability report marks a crucial moment in Arper’s journey toward becoming an increasingly responsible business. The introduction of the impact valuation methodology sets a new standard in our industry, allowing us to concretely measure the effects of our actions on people and the environment.
The report highlights how our commitment to sustainability remains steadfast and grows stronger year after year. It is reinforced by the results we are achieving through projects that set new sustainability standards and is further enriched by the challenges we face daily. Our commitment also includes the courage to experiment, not only with new methods and materials but also with new ways of thinking, both individually and as an organization. This approach has led us to pave the way for the development of Catifa Carta, created using the innovative PaperShell material, and launched in 2024. This unprecedented innovation will be detailed in next year’s report.”
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Here are some of the results achieved in 2023:
Improving Quality of Life and Well-being of People
- We developed the “Sustainable Mobility On the Go” (S.M.O.G.) project, which promotes sustainable transportation and reduces carbon emissions. It offers various eco-friendly travel options, including electric bicycles and carpooling, to combat air pollution and encourage a healthier lifestyle.
- We collaborated on a joint project with the Didactic Management and Education Department of Monastier di Treviso, where Arper’s headquarters is located, aiming to provide young students with additional training opportunities through ongoing dialogue between the school and the company.
- In 2023, we also improved our employees’ well-being rankings, maintained a zero-incident rate for our staff, and increased the number of training hours dedicated to our collaborators by 50%.
Advancing the transition to a Circular Economy
- Our shift toward a circular economy made significant progress: the use of recycled materials increased by 15%, while the amount of waste decreased by over 24%.
- We increased the use of post-industrial polypropylene (PP) in our production processes, reducing waste and initiating the implementation of post-consumer PP in some collections, marking a step forward toward a circular economy.
- We launched a pilot project related to the repair and replacement of our products: in collaboration with a key partner in the Netherlands, we are now able to offer a refurbishment service for Arper products, extending their lifespan and reducing waste.
- We expanded the Arper District project, created to foster collaboration throughout the supply chain through dedicated meetings to share sustainability goals and processes, involving and encouraging partners to align their practices with the company’s for a more sustainable value chain.
Reducing our environmental impact
- Completed carbon footprint assessment for 2022, analyzing greenhouse gas emissions from production, transportation, and office operations to identify emission sources and develop targeted reduction strategies.
- Sustainability workshops with Arper staff: the analysis initiated in 2022 continues in 2023, aiming to identify opportunities to reduce environmental impact, in line with the company’s global sustainability goals.
- Training on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), a systematic method that evaluates the environmental impacts of a product throughout its entire lifecycle. By equipping our staff with LCA expertise, we enable them to assess and optimize the environmental performance of our products during the intermediate stages of development.
