Sustainable Development and Social Enterprises

MILAN, October 12, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

The Round Table entitled "Sustainable Development and Social Enterprises" took place today at Expo Milano 2015. The event was dedicated to one of the most significant initiatives of the Corporate Social Responsibility of the Group: the Project "Ferrero Social Enterprises".

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The event was attended by: Carlo Calenda,Deputy Minister of Economic Development; Benedetto Della Vedova, Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Giuseppe Sala, Commissioner of Expo 2015 and CEO of Expo 2015 S.p.A; Stefano Zamagni, Economist; Inder Chopra, Secretary General of the Ferrero Social Enterprise in India; and Paolo Dieci, Director of CISP(International Committee for Communities Development). The works were introduced by Ambassador Francesco Paolo Fulci, President of Ferrero SpA (Italy).

Strongly sought by Michele Ferrero, the Ferrero Social Enterprises are currently present in Asia and Africa: in India through a production plant that also exports to other countries in the region; in Africa through facilities in South Africa and Cameroon, which also export to the countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (Communauté Economique et Monétaire de l'Afrique Centrale-CEMAC) and Nigeria.

Some of the structures used for the Ferrero Installations at Expo Milano 2015 will be reused in two African countries thereby continuing to create value even after the Universal Exposition. They will indeed be reassembled to become classrooms for children of refugee families on the border between Cameroon and Central Africa and a pediatric infirmary at the disposal of South African local communities.

Ferrero Social Enterprises are proper businesses, so their aim is to achieve positive results and turn a profit. Nevertheless, they act with a "social" way of operating, as they aim to create jobs in less-advantaged areas of emerging countries and to fight the serious consequences of unemployment. Moreover, they carry out social and humanitarian projects that aim to safeguard the health and educational and social development of children and are conceived and implemented in close collaboration with the Ferrero Foundation and local public authorities.

In 2014, as indicated in the 6th CSR Report, the Ferrero Social Enterprises have employed 3,539 collaborators (232 in Cameroon, in 386 South Africa, in 2,921 India), which corresponds to 10.34% of the Group total.

The work of the Ferrero Social Enterprises is an example of how the private sector can play an important role in supporting sustainable development patterns in emerging countries, consistent with environmental protection and made in respect of the rights of people.