Laminam: €15 million from Intesa Sanpaolo for the Group’s Sustainable Growth
- The Modena-based company’s strategy focuses on significant reduction in environmental impact throughout the value chain and major investments in Research & Development, which have enabled Laminam to achieve a global first with “twO”, the world’s thinnest slab at just 2 mm thick.
- S-Loan is the Intesa Sanpaolo lending programme that supports businesses in environmental, social and governance sustainability.
Fiorano Modenese (Modena), 4 September 2024 – Sustainable growth is increasingly central to the development projects of Laminam, global leader in the design and manufacture of ceramic slabs. This mission has now been boosted by a specific loan of €15 million granted by Intesa Sanpaolo under the banking group’s scheme to assist businesses in their environmental transition and support investments related to Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (“NRRP”).
Laminam will deploy the funds received to promote sustainability and innovation through major investments in research and development, for the adoption of new technical and technological solutions to deliver more and more environmentally sustainable products to the market. The intention is to reinforce its commitment to ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) issues for greater social responsibility. The various actions Laminam is planning include the constant upgrading of its practices to reduce environmental impact throughout the lifecycle of the product and its production chain.
During the last year, with the development of “twO” Laminam has revolutionised the world of ceramic surfaces with an environmentally aware breakthrough and made sustainability the centre of its strategic vision. The twO slab is created with recycled and totally recyclable materials and its use and production have a positive impact on the entire value chain. The slim thickness – just 2 mm – enables use of less raw material and optimisation of the entire lifecycle of the product: the firing phase is faster and performed using hybrid (electric/gas) kilns partly powered by the Fiorano Modenese solar PV system, and less transport is required thanks to the significantly lower overall weight.
Intesa Sanpaolo views the development of a sustainable economy as fundamental and recognises the importance of investments that contribute to the three ESG criteria. The banking group has therefore launched a specific loan programme called S-Loan, under which the recent funding to Laminam was granted, designed to support companies’ efforts to improve sustainability in environmental, social and governance terms. The scheme supports the needs of the productive fabric with special, favourable terms, as interest rates will be reduced in response to the achievement of ESG improvement goals.
Alberto Selmi, CEO of Laminam: “Here at Laminam, we are proud to continue our work in Research & Development with a sustainable approach. This has been greatly facilitated by Intesa Sanpaolo, a long-standing supportive partner that supports our investments in ESG projects, of great importance to our company. In fact, the R&D work undertaken in the last few years has enabled us to present twO, the world’s thinnest slab, at the latest Salone del Mobile, and to pursue our environmental sustainability objectives as leader on the large ceramic slab market.”
Alessandra Florio, Intesa Sanpaolo Regional Manager for Emilia-Romagna and Marche: “We are proud to support Laminam’s development projects. Our role is to activate funding and instruments to accompany investment choices and enable local companies to benefit from the opportunities of the green and digital transition. Solely in the context of the S-Loan scheme, which rewards businesses for the achievement of sustainability targets, we have so far provided about €1.3 billion of funding to companies in the Emilia-Romagna region.”
