Growens publishes the third edition of the Sustainability Report

29 March 2022

For the third year in a row, Growens publishes its Sustainability Report. The new 2021 edition includes several innovations: an updated materiality matrix, new topics related to risk management, and an increasingly accurate reporting about aspects related to society, innovation, environment and security.

In the letter to the Stakeholders, signed by the Chief Executive Officer Nazzareno Gorni and by the Chairman Matteo Monfredini, the Sustainability Report is introduced as it follows:

“In its third edition, this Report is part of an increasingly articulated & strategic sustainability path, which aims at the progressive integration of ESG issues in every aspect of the Group’s business – from people-oriented policies to climate positive initiatives.

The goal for 2022 is to draft a comprehensive Sustainability Plan that will guide future strategic choices”.

Once again, it is possible to perceive how the principle of “caring” – for the people and for the environment – keeps being at the base of every decision taken by the Group.

In particular, during 2021 the activities that had already begun in previous years were continued and some new initiatives were launched, in order to better respond to the Stakeholders’ needs.

Sustainability Report: goal, standards and methodology

The document was drawn up with the aim of sharing the values, the strategies and the performances linked to the whole Group’s economic, social and environmental impacts, in a transparent way.

The Sustainability Report is issued on a voluntary basis by the Group, which does not fall within the category of large public interest entities required to report their non-financial performance,, according to the Legislative Decree 254/2016.

Since sustainability provides the basis for Growens’ work, the Sustainability Report was drawn up following the goals proposed by the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs).

Moreover, the report was composed in accordance with the GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards guidelines, issued in 2016 by the Global Reporting Initiative, according to the “core” application level.

The Report covers the period from 1 January – 31 December 2021.To account for its activities, Growens created an internal group within the company, with the task of collecting the information required for the drafting of the document.

Materiality analysis

As required by the procedure, before collecting the data, Growens performed the so-called “Materiality Analysis”. This analysis allows to identify the most significant issues for the Stakeholders, in order to provide them with an adequate overview of these topics.

In 2021, the materiality matrix was updated through:

An industry analysis and research with other external sources, in order to identify potentially relevant issues
An internal engagement activity, via the administration of an online survey, of a number of Stakeholder categories (namely, employees and investors)

The analysis identified 23 potentially relevant aspects for the industry where Growens operates. Each of them, through a survey to external Stakeholders and internal company executives, was assigned a score from 1 to 4, in terms of “Relevance for the Group” and “Relevance for Stakeholders”.

Thanks to this assessment, 10 most significant aspects for the Group totalled a score above the so-called “materiality threshold” (>3).

The matrix below shows the final result of the analysis.

If compared 2020 results, it’s possible to notice how the issues concerning personal growth, employee welfare and well-being and risk management were added to the matrix.

Sustainability Report Highlights

The 2021 Report is organized into three macro-areas, corresponding to the three components of the ESG acronym: governance, environment and social. Each macro-area includes a detailed list of all the initiatives introduced and carried out. The main highlights are listed below.

Governance

A new brand identity. In 2021 MailUp Group evolved into the new Brand Growens: a growth enabler for its Stakeholders.
Transparency and legality. Thanks to the Code of Ethics, the renewed Whistleblowing procedure and the Legality Rating, Growens ensures compliance in the areas relevant to its business.
Innovation and R&D. At the center, safety and reliability of the infrastructure and products, environmental sustainability and continuous technological innovation.

Environment

CO2 offset. Growens offsets the carbon emissions of all business units by planting trees, creating its own forest and supporting forest conservation projects.
Sustainability in the cloud. The cloud servers on which Growens relies allow to reduce CO2 emissions by over – 67%
Renewable energies. Traditional photovoltaic systems and innovative smart flowers allow a significant reduction in the use of energy from non-renewable sources.

Social

Flexibility and hybrid work. With the WoW statement, Growens adopts a hybrid and flexible way of working for the entire organization in order to offer a better work/life balance.
Relationship with customers. Constant dialogue with customers and maximum attention to the protection of their data characterize Growens’ daily operations.
Associations and non-profits. Growens supports sports, cultural and non-profit associations within the communities in which it operates.

Next steps

As previously mentioned in the letter to the Stakeholders, in 2022 Growens aims to implement a structured Sustainability Plan meant to provide guidelines and objectives for future strategies.

Currently, the Group has implemented certain actions aimed at improving its environmental impact, such as offsetting the CO2 emissions generated by its website, aiming to make it carbon neutral.

Article by Elisa Battigelli
Junior Corporate Communications Specialist, Growens