Interview with the company Icefor: sustainability is our added value

LET'S HAVE A TALK WITH PL MAGAZINE AND SERGIO ANTONIUZZI, ICEFOR PRESIDENT.

Icefor: sustainability is our added value

The Lombard company, of the Antoniuzzi family, offers high-safety and multi-certified products to many business units and many channels. When on the label, these guarantees are a great source of attraction for the retailer.

by Luca Salomone

Icefor, based in Magenta, in the district of Milan, is an expert in its own brand and subcontracting production of cleansers, detergents, emulsions, waxes and disinfectants. “Ours is a 40-year-old history - explains the President, Sergio Antoniuzzi - of great innovation that materializes in our constant research for new technical and technological solutions, which are added value to our products and processes. It’s know-how that evolves and that is now at its third entrepreneurial generation.”

What are your markets of reference? Icefor is divided in four divisions, each corresponding to a different target: retail, with our own brands, professional, horeca and private label. The company developed a PL strategy that combines the excellence of the demand with its experience in R&D and production.

What’s the future of research? Sustainability is undoubtedly crucial. So our assortment has only 100% green detergents, made from low-impact raw materials, renewable vegetal sources, with Rspo (Roundtable on sustainable palm oil) certification, not animal-tested nor of animal-origin surfactants, (Ecobiovegan and Ecobiocontrol logos). All products have 100% post-consumer recycled and certified second-life plastic packaging, which guarantees material traceability, and

Date of Birth 1978

Staff/ Numbers of employees 32

Turnover 2020

12.12 millions euros (Tuttodati Source) % Growth 2021/2020

+3 in volume

Top management

Sergio Antoniuzzi (president), Daniela Antoniuzzi (vicepresident), Diego Ferrari (Head of Production), Maria Grazia De Vecchi (Head of Technical Department), Silvia Lonzi (Head of Quality, Environment, Health and Safety Department).

packaged in Fsc carton boxes, palletized with 100% recycled film. I think it’s important to underline that we use vegetable glycerin, with high efficiency and low volatility, not falling into the category of volatile organic compounds (Voc), which safeguard our respiratory health. But there’s more: our ecological Ecolabel detergents are unique in Italy and were approved by the Legambiente Scientific Technical Committee and, for this reason, they have the ‘Legambiente recommended’ logo.

What are the advantages for clients? Of course clients can boast the label of all the above mentioned certifications, and also of the Aise charter, released by the International Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance Products with the label ‘Nichel, cromo, cobalto tested’ and with the ‘Free Voc, Edta, phosphates and isothiazolinones’ reference, to limit indoor pollution and protect consumer’s health. That’s because, since the beginning, Icefor has used high-biodegradability surfactants in its formulas, with no hazardous substances for men and the environment. Icefor also realized the first Ecolabel detergent in 2002.

What are the most popular products in large-scale distribution? In the past, clients were constantly looking for low prices, also for lower quality. Now, instead, consumers are more conscious and ask for quality and effective performances. And the request for sustainable products that protect the environment and the health of the user is much more important than before. This aspect is increasingly relevant not only in the professional cleaning industry, but also in the market of large-scale distribution. Furthermore, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the market finally realized the importance of using medical surgical device disinfectants with virucidal effect, in other words, effective, safe and, especially, tested to assure the destruction of the most dangerous microorganisms.

What’s the average duration of your contracts with distribution? Are long-lasting relationships? Over years, we have created long-lasting partnerships and authentic collaborations because several companies are looking for loyal and multi-certificated partners. Our collaboration with some international companies has been ongoing for more than 30 years. In these last years - this is very important too - we’ve established new collaborations, wth primary clients that share our values.l

CERTIFICATIONS

Source: by Distribuzione Moderna based on company data

Iso 9001 Iso 14001

Iso 45001

BRC CONSUMER PRODUCTS

IFS

system of certificated quality (since 1995)

certification of other environmental performances (since 1997)

certification of worker health and safety (since 1999)

consumer products, international standard of guarancy and protection of the consumer (since 2007) international certification of products manufactured under third-party brands (since 2017)