They call them GCFA, namely Green Carpet Fashion Awards, whose prize-giving ceremony took place last night in Milan, at the Scala Theatre. The awards are now on their third edition: CNMI (Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, the National Chamber of Italian Fashion), in collaboration with Eco-Age and the support of ITA (Italian Trade Agency), along with the sponsorship of the Municipality of Milan, is in charge of the contest organization. As announced by its President, Carlo Capasa, “this year, for the very first time, they are going to award some players, in the fashion industry, who are not so well-known by a great audience perhaps, yet they stand out with regard to Italy’s sustainable top quality”. They did it that way. SICIT Group (Arzignano) won a very important and meaningful prize, which evidences that Italian leather circularity is not only valuable: most of all, it proves to be a winning card.
The award
SICIT Group won the Green Carpet Fashion Award in the Technology and Innovation category. Such is the reason: “For their commitment to addressing some topical issues, such as waste products management, pollution and circularity, in the leather tanning industry”. Last May, the Milan Stock Exchange listed SICIT group (AIM Italy list). The company is a merger of SPAC SprintItaly and SICIT 2000, whose top quality stands out in Veneto: “since 1960, they have been manufacturing a highly valuable product both for the agricultural industry (bio stimulants) and the plaster industry (retardants). Such production is feasible through a hydrolysis process that applies to scraps and waste products coming from the tanning industry”.
The comment
Massimo Neresini, chief executive officer of SICIT Group, took the GCFA together with President Walter Peretti, while recalling Rino Mastrotto’s strategic action. “SICIT are extremely honoured to receive this prestigious award. I want to dedicate it to all of our collaborators: this is a tribute to some inspired Veneto’s entrepreneurs, actively playing in the leather tanning industry, and their brilliant insight, which dates back to nearly 60 years ago. In fact, we have been implementing, in the leather industry, circular economy, for nearly sixty years. Even before the time they coined the term. Thanks to our action, we give new life to scraps coming from hides processing. We make green products that improve plants’ performance, in terms of quality and quantity, as much as recycling of materials for the construction industry. All this results from a continuous commitment to development and innovation, but also relies on our cutting-edge laboratories and our cooperation with universities, multinational corporations (which are our customers) and the whole leather tanning industry”.
