Strengthen the path towards a sustainable and inclusive business model. This is the goal that Chef Express, a restaurant company controlled by the Cremonini Group, intends to achieve by publishing the new edition of the Sustainability Report updated to the year 2022. The concrete commitment to reducing the environmental impact has resulted in a total of 36,502 tons of CO₂ avoided in 2022 and a reduction of 8% of Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2021: this, thanks to the use of self-produced energy through a total of 8,900 square meters of photovoltaic systems, the purchase of energy on the market from renewable sources certified with Guarantee of Origin and numerous initiatives to increase consumption and reduce energy waste.

To ensure an increasingly responsible offer, In 2022, Chef Express increased products purchased from certified sustainable projects and sources by 145% and committed to selecting suppliers with the highest sustainability standards to promote sustainable practices across the supply chain. 

The sustainability strategy also declines with the reduction of waste and careful waste management, developing various partnerships: such as with the Hera group, one of the largest Italian multi-utilities that manages environmental, water and energy services, which takes care of the collection of exhausted vegetable oils on Chef Express stores and restaurants, also taking care of their transformation into biofuel along a completely traced and sustainable supply chain.

As part of the fight against food waste, Chef Express has long established partnerships with entities operating throughout the country, in particular with Banco Alimentare, offering a contribution to support families in need. The social commitment was expressed during 2022 also with the support of Save the Children: through dedicated menus, consumers were able to support the organization together with the company, contributing to the campaign "Emergency Hunger".

The fundamental pillar on which the activity of Chef Express is based is the commitment to the enhancement and training of people. The investments in the well-being of its employees start from an analysis of their needs: not surprisingly, in 2022m Chef Express started with all the management staff of the stores a training course of 18 months, aimed at developing the so-called soft skills for improvement in the management of employees. As of December 31, 2022, the total number of training hours provided was over 150,000, up 400% from 2021.

All this contributed to the economic performance of the company in 2022, with an increase in the value generated compared to the previous year of 61%, rising from 345.1 million Euros to 554.1 million Euros: this, say the company, "has allowed to distribute to our stakeholders 96.3% of the total economic value generated in the year, equal to 640 million Euro".

"Creating a virtuous cycle of sustainable actions has a positive impact on business life and at the same time on business and results -underlines Sergio Castellano, chief quality & esg officer of Chef Express-. Being aware that we can make our contribution to the entire ecosystem, both environmental and economic, urges us not to stop at the results already achieved, of which we are very satisfied, but to continue implementing our path with a strategic sustainability plan that we are formalizing and with new targeted investments dedicated to the enhancement of human capital, our fundamental asset, and the creation of new models of efficiency for all aspects esg. We are confident that integrating esg principles into business objectives is the way to truly sustainable development".