Unifarco's culture of well-being

Forty years of experience and growth in Italy and abroad, with an eye that is always alert and ahead of the times on the issue of sustainability, both for products and for the packaging that contains and enhances them. With the winning idea of having pharmacies as a key channel, Unifarco has become a leader in Italy in developing, producing and distributing cosmetics, nutraceuticals, dermatological products, medical devices and make-up.

By Achille Perego | On PRINTlovers 97

The company is based in Santa Giustina, in the province of Belluno, and was founded in 1982 as Dolomiti Cosmesi, a producer of natural cosmetics for pharmacies. It became Unifarco in 1994 and operates in the Italian and European markets - in Germany and Spain with some branches in Austria, France, Belgium and Switzerland with developed sales networks. It serves around 6,000 pharmacies - more than 650 of which are specialised - which have a relationship that involves sharing knowledge and personalised services. And, as early as 2005, the company's capital was opened to pharmacies themselves, to such an extent that today some 370 Italian and European pharmacies have become Unifarco members.

It's a shareholding presence that completes the one represented by the founding partners (entrepreneurs and pharmacists) of the Belluno-based company: current president Ernesto Riva, CEO Massimo Slaviero, vice-president and head of the scientific area Gianni Baratto, and Luigi Corvi, vice-president and head of Sales & Marketing.

“The commercial offering of Unifarco,” Luigi Corvi begins, “is structured in dermo-cosmetics and hygiene - mainly creams, detergents and tonics for all skin types, body oils and shower-baths, shampoos, conditioners and hair masks, sun creams, cosmeceutical products, and phytocosmetics.” These products account for about 60% of revenue, which reached €147 million in 2022 - a growth of 14.7% on 2021, of which about 22% is produced on foreign markets. After expanding in Europe, they are looking at both strengthening in Europe and developing outside the EU, from the UK to the Middle East to South Korea.

Unifarco, however, also operates in the medical device sector - mainly creams and cleansers for allergic, atopic, psoriatic, seborrhoeic and acne-prone skin, eye drops, and syrups and tablets for various pathologies - and in the food supplements, probiotics, milk enzymes, proteins and gastrointestinal products sector. Finally, make-up products - make-up for the face, eyes, lips and nail varnish - and foodstuffs for ketogenic diets are also growing. "For 40 years, Unifarco has been spreading the culture of wellness, creating products that make people feel better, and providing pharmacists with tools and services to be advisors of good health, while maintaining its own identity, independence and attention to sustainability," stresses Luigi Corvi.

This identity concerns both the products - with the Farmacisti Preparatori, Ceramol, Dolomia, Biomalife, MyCli and KeyLife brands - and the packaging, which is mostly primary. In contrast, secondary packaging is only used for specific lines, such as hand and face creams contained in glass jars. With the decision, in the name of independence, to produce much of the packaging, labels and printed material, such as brochures and catalogues, in-house, and turning externally, particularly for the point-of-sale displays, to historical, expert partners such as Grafiche Antiga of Crocetta del Montello and Arti Grafiche Possenti of Piacenza.

The focus on sustainability of a company that in 2021 became a B-Corp (Benefit Corporation) by also publishing its first Sustainability Report covering 2017-2020 is clear from the numbers. In 2022 the company's workforce grew by 8.3% compared to 2021, with 533 employees, 60% of whom were female, and a 21% increase in workers aged 30 or under. Internal training hours were also increased, and the “Benessere 365” project was set up to promote an adequately balanced lifestyle with initiatives for employees in various areas, including nutrition, exercise, health and psychological support.

Unifarco also confirmed its significant support for numerous projects with cultural, social and sports aims promoted by national and local organisations, including the Italian Red Cross, La Forza e il Sorriso - LGFB Italia Onlus, Società Nuova - Cooperativa Sociale ONLUS and Associazione Internazionale Dino Buzzati.

On the local level, Unifarco confirmed its support for the “Salvaguardia dei Prati a Narciso” project in the Belluno mountain area and its collaboration with the “Parco Nazionale delle Dolomiti Bellunesi”. "Corporate social responsibility is a path which is not always easy or taken for granted. But it must be undertaken by every organisation to be players in the era in which we are living," says Luigi Corvi. "Since the foundation of the company, we have been marching resolutely in this direction, without asking anything of “anyone else” but operating in the first person, consciously and responsibly, for the good of everyone and of this unique, wonderful planet of ours." In addition to the work carried out by the Pharma Health Institute, during the year Unifarco provided 3,152 training activities for 1,930 participating pharmacies. The Belluno-based company also confirmed its collaboration with the Accademia Italiana di Storia della Farmacia (Italian Academy of the History of Pharmacy), taking charge of all editing and publishing activities of its four-monthly scientific periodical “Atti e memorie - Rivista Italiana della Storia della Farmacia” (Proceedings and Memoirs - Italian Journal of the History of Pharmacy).
Its commitment to the environment is fundamental on all fronts. So Unifarco products are formulated through an exclusive process, perfected by the R&D area called “Eco-design Formulativo”. It has about forty researchers working in six laboratories, capable of mapping each raw material's impact indicators. In 2022, around 600 raw materials were mapped, while the company, which invests 4% of its turnover in Research & Development, boasts 19 registered patents. Regarding the environmental impact of its plants, Unifarco has also completed the replacement of all incandescent lighting fixtures with around 200 new LED fixtures, resulting in a 12% reduction in electricity consumption. Electricity purchasing from certified renewable sources in relation to the total supply also increased to 95% (from 85% in 2021), and the entire water withdrawal from the public water network was reduced by 24.6% compared to the previous year. Added to this is the commitment to CO2 offsetting of EPD-certified Dolomia products, from purchasing carbon credits linked to international reforestation projects in Brazil and hydroelectric power generation in India, and the increasingly widespread use of recycled plastic in packaging, which saw an increase of 170% in 2022.

Primary packaging, as well as products, is a jewel in the crown for Unifarco. In the name of independence, it produces most of its packaging in-house thanks to the acquisition in 2014, recalls Luigi Corvi, of PM Pack, a paper converting company from Santa Maria di Sala in the province of Venice. With 12 employees and a turnover of €7 million, PM Pack produces and markets packaging for third parties with a strong focus on innovation and sustainability.

These values are expressed and delivered by innovative packaging such as the Eco Piping Bags, a cosmetic container for skincare products. The prototype, explains Unifarco's vice-president, is a successful combination of primary and secondary packaging: the former consists of a soft bag container made from bioplastics and compostable materials; the latter is of a specific cardboard with a unique design to accommodate the bag container and allow for easy shelf placement. In particular, the primary container consists of a custom-designed pouch for cosmetic use coated with a special paper that ensures a better grip and a pleasant tactile experience. The pouch container is combined with a specially designed dispensing system for the multi-purpose use typical of standard cosmetic packaging. The format of the secondary packaging, though - a tapered parallelepiped with a square base - is designed to easily position the primary container on the shelf at the point of sale or in the home. It is, therefore, stresses Luigi Corvi, "an extremely lightweight, recyclable and compostable packaging.” Confirmation that packaging at Unifarco, and therefore at its subsidiary PM Pack, is also looking to the future comes from the award received, again in the field of sustainability, by the sac à poche that transfers the typical methods of use of a pastry shop to cosmetics, supplying them to pharmacies.

Also in packaging, an innovative project such as the airless has a prominent place, and it is, again, a cosmetic container. "During the pandemic, the availability of packaging had decreased dramatically, including airless. This is why we as Unifarco were forced,” recalls the vice president of the Belluno-based company, “to develop a new one, in collaboration with PM Pack, to have a consistency of production.”

This new airless is made of polypropylene with a system that allows the product to flow out using a diaphragm (in this case, a pump made entirely of polypropylene). Pressing the dispenser creates a vacuum effect that pushes the piston of the bottle upwards, preventing air from entering and preserving the product from oxygen, external agents, contamination and deterioration. So the pluses of the airless system are perfect preservation, hygiene and safety, precise dosage, and no waste. The airless developed by PM Pack is entirely produced in a totally metal-free single-material. "Having a packaging in single-material," adds Luigi Corvi, "also makes it easier for the end consumer to dispose of it correctly.”

“In addition,” the Unifarco vice president explains, "for our products’ displays and substrates, we use paper displays, developed in eco-design. In fact, the entire process, the papers we choose and the finishes we use aim to impact the environment as little as possible. We also have durable displays in various materials, such as plexiglass, derived from recycled plastics (Greencast)'.

Finally, in terms of independence, an in-house print shop also stands out. "To manage our pharmacists' labels," Corvi concludes, "we have set up a digital print shop, equipped with two machines, which prints the labels to be applied to the customer's products in real-time, without needing a warehouse.”