NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESS Newswire / November 13, 2026 / Human capital represents a key element of every organisation: it is the combination of skills, abilities, experience and relationships that develop among the people working within the Company. It is a cornerstone of the Group's culture and a key driver of identity and value creation. At Sofidel, human capital is defined by key qualities: passion, expertise, reliability and a sense of belonging.
People management is based on a practical approach, focused on developing skills and internal growth, in full compliance with the principles set out in the Group Code of Ethics and policies.
These principles serve as a fundamental reference for promoting responsible, inclusive and respectful behaviour within the organisation, enshrining full respect for human rights, the health and safety of individuals, freedom of association and the well-being of the local communities where the Group operates.
In this context, Sofidel condemns child labour and forced labour, as well as any form of discrimination or harassment, and is committed to ensuring a working environment free from prejudice and respectful of the individuality and dignity of workers at every stage of the employment relationship. In this regard, the Grouphas adopted specific policies against discrimination, workplace sexual harassment and bullying.
In line with the Group's HR management guidelines, people are central to the value creation process. The Group has always shown a strong commitment to its staff, investing in initiatives and tools designed to promote professional development and the physical and mental well-being of its employees. Employees are provided with targeted training programmes, designed to meet the specific requirements of their roles and to reinforce the corporate culture, thereby creating the ideal conditions for improving occupational health and safety
In line with general efficiency, Sofidel also encourages flexibility in the organisation of work to facilitate work-life balance, with flexible working hours and part-time employment contracts. It also recognises workers' right to form and join unions, or other collective bargaining organisations, as well as the right to refrain from joining them.
People at the heart of Sofidel's initiatives
Companies are made up of people, their passions and talent, their expertise and their ability to imagine new solutions and opportunities. Engaging with and motivating people is a key factor in the Group's development and in creating long-term value. In this context, during 2025, Sofidel promoted and developed a number of initiatives aimed at enhancing its human capital, strengthening a sense of belonging and supporting the professional development of its people. Below are some of the key initiatives during the year.
THE MIGRANTS & REFUGEES PROJECT
In 2025, the Sofidel Group embarked on a path towards a more inclusive employment policy that embraces diversity, promoting internal career opportunities and personalised integration programmes for migrant workers and refugees from disadvantaged countries across the globe. Through the Migrants & Refugees project, the Company widened its approach to social sustainability, adopting fair contract models, intercultural support networks and internal mentoring programmes. The aim is to create a respectful non-discriminatory working environment that is mindful of people's physical and psychological well-being, thereby helping to build a corporate culture that is increasingly more fair, resilient and innovative.
Within this framework, Sofidel launched two significant initiatives at various Italian plants: the Welcoming & Inclusion Project and the Ghana Project.
- Welcoming & Inclusion Project: launched in early 2025, it led to the recruitment of nine staff members with political refugee or humanitarian protection status, who come from non-European countries and are resident in Italy. The candidates were posted to three of the Group's production plants, where they carried out operational duties and underwent a training and mentoring programme. At the end of the probation period, six of them were offered permanent contracts.
- Ghana Project: developed in collaboration with Confindustria Alto Adriatico, the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia and the employment agency Umana. The project involved the recruitment of four workers from Ghana as warehouse staff at one of the Group's production facilities. Training began in Ghana, where the candidates learnt Italian and acquired the basic skills, before continuing in Italy with work placement.
THE RIPARTO PROJECT
In 2025, thanks to the RIPARTO project, a model for work-life balance for new mothers was rolled out at the Italian subsidiaries. Having won a national tender organised by the Prime Minister's Office, the Company launched an integrated project to support mothers returning to work. A number of practical measures were introduced, including additional paid leave, contributions to supplementary pension schemes, refresher training upon return from maternity leave, an agreement with nurseries, and parenting support services.
FOCUS ON YOUNGER GENERATIONS IN THE WORKFORCE
For many years, Sofidel has worked with educational institutions to support the training of the younger generation and help young people enter the world of work, thereby bridging the gap between the skills acquired at school and those required by businesses. The Group runs a range of initiatives with schools and universities to organise career guidance sessions on specialised roles within the paper industry, lectures and seminars delivered by Company specialists, work-study programmes and internships, offering practical, career-focused experience, as well as organising Company visits to enable students to see the production process and the underlying technology for themselves.
Among its key collaborations, the Group is one of the lead partners in the establishment of Italy's first master's programme specifically tailored to the paper industry, in 'Paper and Board Engineering' at the University of Pisa. All lectures are delivered entirely in English, and the course was designed specifically to address the needs expressed by companies; indeed, it aims to train specialists for the paper industry, equipping them with a solid multidisciplinary understanding of products, processes and plant management. Since the programme began, Sofidel contributed each year by providing highly qualified lecturers, hosting students on work placements, supporting them in the preparation of their dissertation projects, and arranging for some of its employees - both Italian and from overseas subsidiaries - to attend individual courses, enabling them to enhance their technical skills as part of a lifelong learning approach.
THE SOFIDEL ENGAGEMENT SURVEY PROJECT
Following the Sofidel Engagement Survey, a employee engagement survey conducted in 2024, the Group identified and developed a number of action plans aimed at addressing the key areas for improvement that emerged: communication, a sense of belonging, growth and development, performance and accountability, trust in leaders, and innovation. In this context, the main projects implemented in 2025 focused on:
- Leadership Programme. Designed to strengthen managerial skills and enhance drivers of recognition, change management and trust in management, the programme comprises a leadership training course structured around three managerial clusters. The learning goals and content of the three programmes were developed centrally, but always with particular attention to the local cultural specificities that characterise a multinational Company. Classes have been organised at local level in the participating European countries since the first quarter of 2025 and will continue in subsequent years, so as to welcome new managers and support the ongoing development of those who have already taken part in the project.
- L&D Factory. The Sofidel L&D Factory is a new and significant initiative designed to enhance growth and development, dedicated to learning and professional development within the Sofidel Group. The project provides employees with a comprehensive online library comprising thousands of courses focused on both personal and professional development, available in multiple languages and accompanied by subtitles, in order to ensure maximum accessibility and inclusivity. The topics are business-oriented and range from soft to hard skills, with content updated on an ongoing basis to ensure that the catalogue remains comprehensive, up-to-date and in step with market developments. All employees have the opportunity to devote part of their time to training, choosing for themselves the courses that best align with their professional development goals. The system will also enable managers to assign courses directly to members of their team, thereby promoting coordinated development and reinforcing a corporate culture focused on continuous learning.
- CEO Talks. In order to strengthen communication and build trust in leadership, the Chief Executive Officer introduced quarterly communications designed to share insights, strategic guidelines, achievements and future objectives, as well as to present new initiatives, investments and areas for improvement. Launched in the second quarter of 2025, the project represents a significant step towards transparency and information, offering every employee the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the development path undertaken by the Sofidel Group. The chosen format is video, featuring concise content that is subtitled and translated into the Group's official languages with the help of artificial intelligence, to ensure maximum accessibility for all colleagues with Company devices. This is yet another communication tool designed to bridge the gaps within a Group that is constantly growing and becoming more and more global.
- Virtual Coffee with Leadership. The Virtual Coffee with Leadership project was also designed with the aim of having a positive impact on communication and trust in leadership, through the organisation of regular online meetings between employees and senior management. The Virtual Coffee sessions, which began in 2025, are held on a regular basis and provide an informal opportunity for staff to engage directly with senior management. During these sessions, employees can ask questions, raise points of interest or express concerns and receive feedback from senior management. The format involves collecting questions that are answered during the live event, followed by an open Q&A session, which encourages transparent, two-way dialogue. The initiative stands out for its aim to foster an environment of active listening and mutual trust, helping to bridge the gap between management and staff, strengthening a sense of belonging and promoting a collaborative corporate culture.
- Sofidel Innovation Award. To encourage a culture of innovation, the Sofidel Innovation Award was launched in 2025, a project that invited all Group employees to submit innovative ideas, encouraging their participation through a prize scheme. The project attracted a high level of participation, involving colleagues from various countries and departments, who put forward proposals aimed at improving processes, products, a sense of community and corporate sustainability. Evaluation of the ideas was entrusted to a panel comprising members of senior management, who selected the most promising projects. The winning ideas will be reviewed by the relevant departments and may serve as a starting point for future developments. In addition to the award ceremony for the winners, other entries received a special mention for having particularly stood out within the context of the initiative. The idea-gathering phase was underpinned by an integrated communication plan that ensured the initiative was widely publicised across all internal channels, thereby promoting accessibility and active engagement. The award ceremony was also a significant occasion for celebration, highlighting the talent, dedication and ability to think outside the box of Sofidel's employees.
- Performance Management Process. To promote growth, development, performance and accountability, the new Performance Management process was also implemented in 2025. The project included a significant initial training component to facilitate the roll-out of the system, raise awareness among managers and staff, and launch the first performance campaign in July 2025. This initiative represents a concrete step towards a shared performance culture. Through structured feedback and regular appraisals, as well as the setting of clear objectives and individual action plans, the aim is to recognise the contribution of every employee, foster open dialogue between managers and teams and encourage continuous improvement.
Workforce composition and management
Workforce composition data as at 31 December 2025, shown below, incorporate methodological updates and refinements introduced from 2025 onwards, defined in accordance with the reporting standards adopted for the preparation of this document and to support gradual alignment with the new European sustainability reporting standards.
In particular, one of the key changes is that the Sofidel Group has updated its calculation methodology to include apprentices in the total number of employees. This has enabled a more accurate representation of the Group's organisational structure and, to ensure comparability with previous financial years, the figures for 2024 and 2023 have also been restated in accordance with the same criteria.
Where methodological additions or refinements could not be applied retrospectively to the data for the 2024 and 2023 financial years, the tables show the symbol '-', as explained in the section Basis for preparation, at the beginning of the Sustainability Statement. One such example is the introduction of a gender classification offering several options (women, men, not disclosed, unknown).
Furthermore, in 2025, the Group introduced a review of the criteria for assigning professional grades, in line with the updated corporate guidelines, with a view to ensuring greater consistency and transparency in staff classification mechanisms. The new criteria apply starting from the 2025 financial year, while the composition of employees by category for previous financial years reflects the allocation criteria previously in force.
It should therefore be noted that, from 2025 onwards:
- 'Manager' means an employee with managerial and decision-making responsibilities within the organisation who coordinates people, processes and/or business functions, while defining the operational plans necessary to achieve the assigned business objectives;
- 'White Collar' refers to an employee who performs mainly administrative, technical, specialist or professional activities. His/ her duties require theoretical or analytical skills and are generally performed in an office or non-manual environment. He/she supports the organisation's operations through data management, planning, control, analysis, and coordination activities, including staff resources and services;
- 'Blue Collar' refers to an employee who performs operational or manual tasks, typically related to production, maintenance, logistics or other technical functions in the field. His/her duties require practical skills, manual dexterity and specific technical expertise, often carried out in workshops, factories, production lines or operational areas.
Unless otherwise stated, all figures relating to workforce composition are calculated on a headcount (HC) basis.
Based on the criteria described above, a total of 9,664 people contributed to the Sofidel Group's results - a slight increase (6%) compared to 2024 (9,087) - of which 70.6% Blue Collars, 23.2% White Collars and 6.2% Managers. The absolute majority of contracts were permanent (97.3%) and almost all employees had a full-time contract (98.3%).
In addition, the Group's companies engage non-employee workers. As at 31 December 2025, the total number of non-employee workers stood at 291, comprising Blue Collars employed in production activities at the paper mills and converting plants and in warehouse management.
Turnover
In 2025, the Group updated its methodology for calculating the turnover rate26 in line with the new reporting standards adopted. To ensure comparability with previous financial years, the figures for 2024 and 2023 were also restated to reflect this change in methodology.
In 2025, the Sofidel Group's turnover rate was 19%, slightly higher than the previous year (16.4%). The total number of people who left the Group voluntarily, through retirement or termination of employment, was 1,786.
The following table shows the breakdown by country, gender and age group.
26. Number of employees who left the organisation during the reporting year/average number of employees during the reporting year x 100.
27. Due to the update to the calculation methodology required by the adopted reporting standards and introduced from 2025, the turnover figure for the 'unknown' category cannot be calculated for 2025.
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SOURCE: Sofidel Group
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