In 2023 Industrie Chimiche Forestali strengthened its position in the footwear sector by vertically integrating itself and providing the market with increasingly environmentally friendly products
Industrie Chimiche Forestali, a leading international player in the design, production and marketing of high-tech adhesives and textiles headquartered in Marcallo con Casone (Milano), takes stock of this special year, even if it is still critical at an economic level. “In 2023,” said ICF President and CEO Guido Cami at the latest edition of Lineapelle, “we first of all strengthened our position in the footwear sector by offering the market increasingly sustainable products.” A strategy implemented first and foremost through the acquisition of the industrial branch of Tessitura Langé relating to the finishing and refining of textiles (desizing, bleaching, dyeing, gauzing…) and the sale of yarns and textile products in general. “We took over the machinery, plant, and equipment and hired all 24 people who were employed by the company founded in the 1940s in Robecchetto con Induno, without transferring it from its original location as had happened with Morel in 2021. A choice made according to the strategic positioning of the company, whose wastewater flows, through a common collector created by a consortium of tanners and dyers from the 1970s, to Ecologica Naviglio, a leading company in the field of treatment and purification of industrial wastewater and waste. The decision to acquire Tessitura Langé was taken unanimously by the shareholders and we are now dealing with all the upgrading and fine-tuning activities – quality, maintenance, plant engineering, IT systems, management control, materials, procurement – according to the Forestali standard. It was not a ‘conquest’ but the union of technology and knowledge with the primary aim of safeguarding the Italian supply chain and manufacturing, a significant business value. Massimo Langé, former owner of the family business, remained on board as the reference person for the technical management of the company.” ICF focus on sustainability is therefore now enhanced by the use of ethically sourced cottons (BCI), made with raw materials that are both organic guaranteed by GOTS certification and recycled with GRS certification, as
well as by the use in the production processes of chemical substances that comply with the REACH protocol and the SVHC (Substances of Very High Concern) list. “Among the opportunities created by the latest acquisition is also that of extending our range from the food packaging sector to that of luxury products (cotton bags for shoes, bags, glasses, belts), where Tessitura Langé already had an international presence thanks to the best environmental and quality certifications.”
“We closed 2022 with a satisfactory balance sheet in terms of turnover,” Guido Cami continues, “and despite the worries sparked by a 2023 marked by a sharp increase in the costs of raw materials rather than energy and gas, we continue to hold on and invest, strengthening all aspects related to sustainability. For example, we have obtained, first in our sector, EPD® (Environmental Product Declaration) certification on our ‘fabrics’ line of toe caps, counters and reinforcements for footwear and leather goods.” EPD® certification represents a voluntary environmental declaration, verified by independent experts, which – with reference to the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) study – provides data on the life cycle of products according to international standards ISO 14040, 14044 and 14025. In particular, it describes the effects related to the production of a specific quantity of a product (consumption of energy and water resources, quantity of raw materials used and waste), but also the impact on global warming. With the aim of coordinating projects and strategies related to the sustainable growth of the company (acquisition of new certifications and improvement of environmental performance already in place), the new function of the Director of Sustainability was finally created in 2023, entrusted to Marcello Taglietti.
“I believe that the destiny of small and medium-sized companies in our industry,” concludes Guido Cami, “is to unite and create an evolved organization that can afford to invest and be able to face powerful supply chains on the one hand and luxury multinationals on the other. Our best competitors should be willing to share some of the prominence of the ‘old’ Italian entrepreneur, in order to discuss and manage each issue in a less self-serving manner.” System- building is, in short, the key to generating solutions.
Guido Cami, president and CEO of Industrie Chimiche Forestali, at the latest edition of Lineapelle
Customers and staff of the Forestali Group at Lineapelle