People, innovation and sustainability building a success story that looks to the future
The company of Pampers, Lines and Ace – which has a brand presence in three out of four Italian households – has reached an historic and unique milestone in Italy
- The challenges of the future to drive environmental and social sustainability
- 50% reduction in virgin plastic use by 2025, net zero by 2040 and commitment by 2030 to reduce emissions to help keep global warming within 1.5 degrees
- Social responsibility commitments in relation to gender balance, inclusion, parental support and care for local communities
- The ‘People First’ approach: listening to people, cultivating happiness, creating value
- Thirty years, a new equity: Fater rebranding to renew the promise made to markets and stakeholders
- Records: the company that first developed the diaper and sanitary pad market in Italy, contributing to social and cultural change in the country
- Today Fater is market leader with Pampers and Lines and key player with the Ace brand
Pescara, 13 June 2022 – It was the company that first developed the diaper and sanitary pad market in Italy and stands by Italians with historic brands such as Pampers, Lines and Ace. Today, in three out of four Italian households there is at least one product made by Fater, a company with a storied history that is looking to the future with goals that are both innovative and ambitious. And which has a significant birthday to celebrate: the 30th anniversary of the 50/50 joint venture between Angelini Industries and Procter & Gamble, shareholders that have enabled Fater to become a leader in the Italian absorbent hygiene products market and a key player in the European home care products market.
This has been made possible through a constant commitment to innovation and a strong focus on environmental sustainability and social responsibility
Fater, an Italian company founded in 1958 in Pescara by Francesco Angelini, today represents a unique joint venture on the national and international scene, a business model that has made the most of its two souls: the managerial and marketing culture of the global FMCG leader, P&G, combined with the creativity and innovation of the best of Italian enterprise, such as Angelini Industries. Two complementary businesses connected by common values that focus on caring for people, consumers, employees and citizens.
“We have reached a great achievement - says Antonio Fazzari, General Manager Fater - 30 years of a 50/50 joint venture is a real exception worldwide. It is a special union between two groups that share an enduring principle: taking care of people”.
Reflecting on the success of the partnership, Fama Francisco, CEO Baby, Feminine and Family Care Procter & Gamble, adds: Fater has been an enduring partnership for three decades. There are a number of things that have contributed to its success; our shared commitment to people – our employees, consumers, customers and communities, our focus on superior products and innovation, and the shared spirit of collaboration. By bringing together the best of two worlds – local consumer understanding, speed to market and the agility of on-the-ground teams alongside the innovation capabilities of a large FMCG company, we have truly built a partnership that’s stronger together!”
Sergio Marullo di Condojanni, CEO of Angelini Industries, adds - “For us at Angelini Industries, celebrating the first thirty years of this joint venture is a reason for great pride. “We have reached a goal that has remote origins, stemming from an intuition we had in 1958 when, among the first in Italy, we decided to be an important player in the nappy and sanitary napkin market. Thanks to that successful intuition, years later the partnership with P&G, the world's leading company in the consumer goods market, was born. A solid partnership, based on mutual trust, complementary attitudes, and common values, which has enabled us to achieve extraordinary goals. Today we are happy to say that Fater is a company of exceptional solidity and that the relationship between the JV partners is going through a very positive phase. We therefore look to a future full of challenges with confidence and optimism. A sincere thank you to the partner, to the employees of Fater and to all the people who choose us every day!"
30 years of history and an eye on the future: 1,600 employees, four plants and turnover on the rise
In a market as important as home and personal care, which in Italy has an estimated value of €12.6 billion[1], Fater brands are among the top 5 in terms of value sales.
Fater had total invoicing of €874 million in the 2020-2021 fiscal year, showing a positive trend over the last two years (+ 1% per year).
‘Despite the increasingly complex scenario, we are about to close a third consecutive year year of growth in both turnover and profit– continues Antonio Fazzari. The secret has been to leverage our differentiating factors: the passion of our people, the strength of our brands, and an innovation programme capable of creating value. Looking ahead, we want to continue to transform the company to make it an open system that puts people at the core and is committed to making a positive impact on the environment and the communities in which we operate.
Today, Fater is a company with 1,600 employees, of whom 1,123 work in the factories and 130 are researchers and technicians (50% are women) working in Technology Innovation.
It has four production plants – Pescara, Campochiaro, Porto (Portugal) and Gebze (Turkey): the former produces 4.5 billion items annually (Lines, Pampers, Lines Specialist), while the other three plants produce a total of 157 million bottles of ACE.
People First: listening to people, cultivating happiness, creating value
But what are Fater’s factors for success? Underlying the elements that differentiate the company is a simple concept: the idea of ‘People First’.
For Fater, putting people first means listening and connecting talents to create a network of happier people. Fater is one of the first companies in Italy to have adopted a hybrid working model providing the option of working from home as many as five days a week, a model made possible by the relationship of trust the company has with its people. The company is adopting balance policies that will lead to a 50/50 gender balance in management positions by 2030.
‘People First’ is a virtuous chain effect that, once initiated, reaches both consumers and citizens. Besides being a key strategy guiding the company’s activities, the ‘People First’ model has a concrete impact on Fater’s operations: Lines Natura, the compostable sanitary pad, was launched in half the time thanks to the work of a multifunctional team that identified specific raw materials, assessed feasibility, found business partners, and developed a series of tests under real conditions at composting plants using different technologies.
But ‘People First’ also means putting the consumer’s needs first, listening to the outside world. So the Pampers App was developed to provide a direct relationship with parents:
2 years after its launch, more than half of Italian families with young children have downloaded the app. In the future, Fater is also planning an investment plan on digital transformation in other business areas to build new ways of relationship with the customer.
Fater brands focused on environmental and social sustainability
Fater is committed to creating products that improve people’s lives while reducing environmental impact. More sustainable packaging is one of the main areas of focus, to date, 100% of Fater's product packaging is already recyclable and the company has set a target to reduce the use of virgin plastic by 50% by 2025. with the company aiming to reduce virgin plastic by using a mix of recycled plastic, setting a target of a 50% reduction in virgin plastic use by 2025.
Fater has also begun an analysis using the carbon footprint tool to take stock of current impacts and develop the most appropriate strategies to achieve its net zero target by 2040.
Fater is committed to reducing its emissions to help contain global warming to within 1.5 degrees by 2030, reducing its impacts. But Fater's sustainability programme has already started with the launch of products with a lower environmental impact such as Lines Natura, a 100% compostable absorbent and panty liner, Ace Green, a completely virgin plastic-free line, and the newborn Pampers Green Generation, which reduces post-use waste by 30%, consisting of a washable fabric panty and a soft disposable insert offering all Pampers quality.
Social responsibility is a core driver for Fater’s brands and has been incorporated into the company’s annual targets, on a par with economic results. Each brand is characterised by a purpose that uses specific projects to influence themes related to the various product areas in which it operates.
For example, Lines has taken the lead in the fight against stereotypes that limit the role of women in society and against violence: it works with the association WeWorld and has contributed to the opening of the ‘Spazio Donna’ in Bologna, which works specifically to prevent gender-based violence and to support women in difficulty. The cooperation with this association will continue through the opening of other support centres in Italy.
Pampers is committed to supporting parents: it has launched a partnership with Heart4Children – an association committed to promoting and organising activities in local areas that provide concrete support for the growth of young children – and has developed the ‘Pampers Village’ project, a digital platform that offers services to support parents dealing with the difficulties of everyday childcare, providing advice from experts and sharing experience from other parents.
Ace supports people who want to take care of public spaces with the same attention they have for their homes. That is why, in partnership with the Retake, Ace intends to generate positive change and promote a real consumer movement for the recovery and care of urban spaces in 15 Italian cities in 2022.
30 years, a new logo. Rebranding to renew the promise made to markets and stakeholders
On the occasion of its 30th anniversary, Fater is revealing a new image designed to support the company’s future in the coming decades. The new logo bears witness to Fater’s continuing transformation and has been developed specifically to portray a company that is increasingly focused on dialogue and committed to innovation and at the same time works through its brands as an active advocate for society and the environment. Contemporary spirit, openness and inclusion, with a view to creating an empathetic and equal relationship with the outside world.
About Fater
Fater has been a 50/50 joint venture between Angelini Industries and Procter & Gamble since 1992. It operates in the personal care absorbent products market in Italy and in fabric and household cleaning products in 38 countries worldwide, including Italy. Through its brands Lines, Lines Specialist, Pampers and Ace and with its ‘People First’ approach, Fater promotes an open dialogue with its people and the communities in which it operates, contributing for more than 60 years to the evolution of habits and listening to citizens and consumers to respond to their needs.
About Angelini Industries
Angelini Industries is a multinational industrial group founded in Ancona in 1919 by Francesco Angelini. Today it represents a solid and articulated corporate reality that employs approximately 5,700 people and operates in 26 countries worldwide with revenues of 1.7 billion euros. Angelini Industries operates in the pharmaceutical, consumer goods, industrial technology, perfumery and dermo cosmetics, and wine sectors. An investment strategy aimed at growth; constant commitment to research and development; in-depth knowledge of markets and business sectors, make Angelini Industries one of the Italian companies of excellence in the sectors in which it operates. For over 100 years, the Angelini family has guided the Group's evolution with an entrepreneurial style typical of Italian family capitalism.
About P&G:
P&G products are used by nearly 5 billion people worldwide. Procter & Gamble has one of the largest portfolios of quality brands including: Dash®, Fairy®, Lenor®, Mastro Lindo®, Swiffer®, Viakal®, AZ®, Kukident®, Oral B®, Olaz®, Pantene®, Head&Shoulders®, Gillette®, Venus®, Braun®. P&G operates in 70 countries around the world and has been in Italy since 1956. For more information visit https://it.pg.com and follow the Instagram (@proctergambleit), Linkedin (@Procter&GambleItalia), Youtube (@proctergambleit) accounts.