With forty-two years of activity behind it, Guna is Italy's leading company in low dose medicine. Today it employs over 270 people (more than half of them women), exceeded 57 million euros in turnover in 2024, and exports its products to more than fifty countries. 2025 marks another significant milestone: the publication of its first sustainability report.

Ahead of the obligations imposed by the European Csrd directive (corporate sustainability reporting directive), Guna's 2024 sustainability report already adopts the European sustainability reporting standards Esrs. This means it collects and processes environmental, social and governance (Esg) data in a structured way, based on indicators shared at a European level. In doing so, it responds — in line with the principle of double materiality — to two questions: what impact does the company have on the environment and society? And, conversely, how do Esg factors influence its business and future profitability? Work of this kind, all the more so when voluntary, does not happen by chance: it is one piece within a much broader journey. Sofia Pizzoccaro, executive director – general management & operations at Guna, tells us how it came about.

This is Guna's first sustainability report. How did the project come about, and what internal steps — organisational, educational, cultural — made it possible to reach this result?
This sustainability report was a natural evolution of something we had already been doing for some time: starting in 2010, Guna had begun publishing an integrated report, which contained both the financial statements and what we then called the "social balance sheet". Subsequently, the publication of the official reporting standards and the timelines set by the European Union represented a good opportunity to ensure even greater external transparency through objective metrics.

In practical terms, we set up an internal committee and immediately recognised the need to launch specific training on the content of the European directive, so that we could be fully aware of the path we were embarking on. We then divided into working groups: each one was responsible for collecting, verifying and reporting data, as well as proposing initiatives for the future. We also drew up a sustainability plan, asking ourselves how to improve our indicators. These principles align with our company values: sustainability means integrating environmental and social aspects, which are not separate compartments but contribute together to our overall objectives. This holistic vision is also close to Guna's approach to health, our field of activity. A sustainable company is a healthy company that can and must generate a positive impact on the environment and the communities in which it operates.

The Sustainability Committee was established in 2024: in what way has it influenced decision-making processes within the company?
The Sustainability Committee is made up of seven senior figures: the chief financial officer, the director of operations and the production facility, the HR director, the IT director, and Guna's two executive directors, including myself. The Committee meets periodically to plan, coordinate and monitor the progress of projects and to ensure the reporting of data and analyses that feed into the sustainability report and the sustainability plan. Since there are many cross-cutting activities, we consider it essential to have a coordinating body. It also facilitates the measurement of the impacts of sustainability actions, so that the board of directors can have an overall picture and make informed decisions.

Guna's sustainability report dedicates considerable space to the social dimension and highlights achievements such as the Top Employer 2025 certification and the Uni/PdR 125:2022 gender equality standard. Among the initiatives supporting internal wellbeing, which have been most meaningful for people?
The initiatives that have been received with the greatest enthusiasm are those that strengthen the sense of belonging to the group, which is already strong within the company. Various activities combine corporate welfare and team building, creating opportunities to spend time together.

For example, in 2024 we launched the Wellbeing Programme: rather than conventional technical or managerial training, it addresses topics such as empowerment, mindfulness, emotional management, self-care, and healthy lifestyles. All of these are consistent with our products and the values we promote — so much so that we jokingly refer to the "Guna lifestyle".

There are also more recreational activities: a Thursday evening yoga class, a company bike ride. Equally well received has been the parenthood programme, with sessions dedicated to parents of young children and teenagers, aimed at raising awareness, reflecting on one's role, and achieving a better work-life balance.

On the gender equality front, we organise meetings and educational initiatives, always with the aim of maintaining an open mindset. In addition to Top Employer, this year we also received the Great Place to Work certification, of which we are very proud because it objectively measures wellbeing within the company.

On the environmental front, Guna has invested significantly over the years in energy efficiency and the use of renewable sources. The installed photovoltaic capacity, for example, has exceeded 300 kW, with a further 70 kW on the way. What benefits have you achieved?
Even before photovoltaics, in 2014 we installed — and are now updating — a trigeneration system on the production building. It has an electrical output of 180 kW, whose thermal waste (heat generated by combustion) is recovered and converted into cooling energy via an absorber, to power the air conditioning system and partially meet the refrigeration needs of the production facilities. This system has made it possible to reduce energy consumption at the production site by an average of 30 per cent. The project is also benefiting from what are known as white certificates.

This is perhaps the most impactful system. But our plan also includes other actions: the installation of high-efficiency motors for air handling units, which will save a further 30 per cent of the motors' own energy consumption; the replacement of lighting; and the expansion of photovoltaic capacity, which covers part of the energy needs of both production sites (any surplus is fed into the grid and credited to us). We are also working with LifeGate to measure direct and indirect emissions — that is, the CO₂ linked to product transport and employee commuting. Measuring is the starting point for being able to reduce.

You have adopted a "no patent" policy: what does this specifically entail, and how does it fit into your vision of sustainability?
The underlying philosophy is that we prefer to allocate company resources — both financial and in terms of know-how — to innovation, rather than to the legal protection of an invention. We believe these resources are better used to improve products and processes than to protect them. This approach connects to sustainability because it aims to make resources available to the broadest possible community.

Protecting an innovation with a patent can hinder research and innovation itself, because a patented process or product tends to remain unchanged. In our sector — healthcare — this can be a limitation. We are not afraid of competitive disadvantages: there are other tools for achieving success, such as speed, flexibility, and the ability to adapt to the market and to external conditions.

If you had to sum up the essence of your 2025-2027 sustainability plan in a single sentence, what would it be?
It is very much in line with our overall corporate strategy. Two months ago, at our annual convention, we adopted the image of a tree with the tagline "A future with strong roots." The message is: we are building our corporate future by continuing along the path already laid out. We are embracing new strategies, new ways of working, new leadership styles, and welcoming the contribution of current and future generations, while drawing on the solid foundations built over forty-two years of activity. Just as the report did not start from scratch, our sustainability journey too has deep roots and a history that stretches back a long way. It moves forward step by step, with actions that are consistent with one another within a coherent and harmonious design.