Allegrini, pioneer of responsible innovation

The Grassobbio-based company produces professional detergents for different sectors and amenities for the hotel industry. Its commitment? Intelligent, concentrated, sustainable formulations and innovative packaging, such as that of the Hemp Care line, which uses 100% recycled paper from printing industry waste and scrap. Thus also promoting cultural change.

By Achille Perego | On PRINTlovers 98

Passion, expertise, service, innovation and sustainability. These values characterise the past, present and future of Allegrini - based in Grassobbio, in the province of Bergamo - Italy's leading chemical group in producing professional detergents and cosmetics for the hotel industry. The company was founded in 1945 by Carlo Allegrini, has been controlled since 2020 by the Metrika Fund and is led today by the third generation of the family - Maurizio Allegrini, the CEO, and his brother Ottaviano, Managing Director of the cosmetics division. Its almost 80 years of experience have allowed it to develop all the skills necessary to spread its business units in more than 47 countries worldwide.

Those units are detergents for the hotel sector, the world around the automotive industry - including car washes and workshops - professional laundries, the health and hospital sector, the animal husbandry sector - including the entire agri-food chain - commercial and collective catering, and also shipyards, pleasure boats and the safety sector. No less important is the Cosmetics Business Unit, which produces and distributes standard and luxury courtesy lines, both own brand and private label, targeting the entire hotel world; there is also a unit for cosmetics and room fragrances for the retail sector as well, where it has been present since 2017 with its own line, Hemp Care, made with a high component of natural ingredients. Just this year, in addition, the new Pharma Business Unit was established, which offers the best Italian pharmacies and parapharmacies a line under the Allegrini Pharma brand. This includes soothing eye drops based on hyaluronic acid for contact and non-contact lens wearers, liquid soap with antibacterial and nasal spray, and the new beauty care line Blandìes - a brand resulting from internal development - composed of high-performance cosmetic products.

With offices in Italy, North America and Russia, to distribute Italian quality from Europe to the Middle East and South-East Asia to Canada, the Bergamo-based group employs around 150 people today, generating an economic value of about €36.5 million in 2022. In recent years, as Maurizio Allegrini recalls, the Grassobbio company has recorded significant growth, positioning itself as a leader in the sector. A success "to be attributed to strategic investments in research and development, continuous innovation, and a customer-focused approach”.

In particular, in 2022, acquiring two companies that are very significant for Allegrini's business allowed the company to expand its offering further. The first, DEP Srl, is a highly innovative company in Bologna, responsible for the creation and development of the B2B platform Hotelify.com, which started as a distributor of courtesy lines for luxury B&Bs and Boutique Hotels, and is today the leading e-commerce firm in Italy and Europe in the online sale of supplies for hotels, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, bars and Airbnb. The second, Cliners Srl, is a company that owns the Cliners brand, which has been present in the detergent sector for over 50 years and is synonymous with innovative, cutting-edge products to meet any need in the industrial laundry sector.

Innovation and environmental sustainability have always been integral to Allegrini's identity. The company is committed to following every stage of product production in every detail, from design to selecting raw materials and packaging to final disposal and monitoring environmental impacts, to study solutions that can limit them as much as possible. The company, adds Maurizio Allegrini, "is aware that sustainability is the only way to innovate responsibly”.

The commitment to sustainability is reflected in both the products and their packaging. Among the detergent solutions is the Ecolabel-certified line, a range of detergents made with raw materials of vegetable origin that ensure maximum biodegradability and a better balance between product and packaging.

Laboratory-validated active ingredients and the use of sophisticated technologies have led to the development of TopFormula+, a range of super-concentrated detergents which, thanks to a specially designed method and professional dosing and dilution systems, allow a reduction in product waste, but above all, a saving on packaging (compared to disposable bottles) that also has positive effects on logistical handling for transport. These effects were confirmed by the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) study that Allegrini conducted on concentrated and ready-to-use detergents. The results were surprising when comparing three types of ready-to-use products with the same types in a concentrated version. For every 1,000 litres of product with the concentrated version, 86.4% of CO2 emissions are saved compared to the ready-to-use in the glass type, 91.5% in the degreaser type and 92.8% in the multipurpose type.

Attention to the environment is also central among the Cosmetic Solutions with DPlanet, the innovative cosmetic line (hand wash, shower gel and shampoo) made without water, preservatives and completely plastic-free. It is an ethical, vegan and thoroughly skin-tested product with vegetable oils and ingredients wrapped in recycled and recyclable paper. An LCA study was also conducted for this product. In terms of packaging, production and transport, the solid cosmetic has less impact on the environment than the equivalent amount of the traditional 'liquid' version of the same types, with a reduction in CO2 equivalent emissions into the atmosphere of around 73%.

Allegrini's sustainable commitment on the packaging front recently saw it become the first company to use Prima paper produced by Grafiche Paciotti, a company in the print & packaging sector with which the Bergamo-based company has been collaborating for several years. Prima is a completely recycled paper produced by the Perugia-based company exclusively from processing waste, thanks to a partnership with Cartiere di Trevi. It is 100% recycled and “zero km”, as processing and distribution occur in Umbria. Producing 1 kg of Prima paper creates a CO₂ emission impact reduced by 70% compared to pure cellulose paper and 40% compared to ordinary recycled paper while lowering transport emissions by 90%.
"We chose to use zero-impact Prima paper," explains Maurizio Allegrini, "for all the secondary packaging of the Hemp Care lifestyle line, cosmetic products made with Italian and organic hemp oil, destined for the retail channel, entirely formulated, produced and packaged in Italy, in the Grassobbio plant.”
Moreover, as Marco Bracalente, shareholder and partner of Grafiche Paciotti, emphasised at its launch, “With Carta Prima, we want to present ourselves as a replicable example for all Italian companies in the sector, supporting the growth of a short and sustainable supply chain. What we are also hoping for is a cultural change. Our paper, entirely produced from waste, does not undergo chemical bleaching processes, making it 'imperfect'. However, perfection is replaced by a much more powerful environmental and moral value that makes Prima's choice not only ecological but also cultural”.

In addition to the positive effects generated by being a pioneer in the use of Prima paper, Allegrini, thanks to the purchases of paper and printed matter made by its main supplier, which adheres to Regusto's 'Positive Impact' project, has contributed to generating a benefit for the environment and the community, which has translated into 8,668 meals distributed; 4,334 kg of CO₂ avoided; 8,668 m³ of water saved and 13,002 m² of soil saved. The focus on sustainability is also seen in the secondary packaging of the Hemp Care line extension (CBD Supreme), made of paper obtained 50% from recycled material and the other 50% from hemp fibres. In addition, the Cosmetics Business Unit is working to decrease the use of virgin plastics in favour of recycled ones.

This all-round commitment, from products to packaging, has recently found recognition with the awarding of a Special Mention for the 'Best precise definition of ESG growth objectives' in the 'Bilanci di Sostenibilità 2023' (Sustainability Reports 2023) award promoted by Corriere della Sera and NeXt. And among the various ESG objectives published in Allegrini's sustainability report is also that of becoming a 'paperless' company: this means digitising processes, archives and all communication material, resulting in lower use of paper and, therefore, a lower environmental impact. Hence the sustainable choice of using recycled paper flyers bearing a QR Code to view the digital version of the product/service presentation. Finally, the Allegrini brand image is still conveyed in print, through the purchase of advertising space in trade magazines or national newspapers, but also digital channels such as online publications and social media.