SUSTAINABLE SOCIAL PROGRESS: EPTA PRESENTS ITS FOURTH CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORT

<p>Responsible growth, a focus on human resources and participation in ventures for the promotion of ethical principles: these are the issues that are dealt with in Epta’s fourth Corporate Social Responsibility Report. It is a document of crucial importance for the Company that aims to share with Stakeholders and Customers the most significant economic, environmental and social results for 2015 and define future strategies, in line with a sustainable social progress. The extreme reliability of the Report is confirmed by <strong>TÜV Austria Cert GmbH </strong>who certified the Group’s <strong>CSR i</strong>n line with the <strong>Core G4 </strong>option of the GRI (Global Reporting Initiatives) international standards<strong>.</strong></p>
<p>A tangible example of Epta’s sustainable approach is its commitment towards the implementation of increasingly green solutions: to date more than 50% of its plug-in models work with R290 propane gas and 100% of remote cabinets are also available to operate on CO2. The offer is further extended with CO₂ plant and systems - which can also be personalised - enabling refrigeration systems to be integrated with the existing building systems and to reutilise heat in the transition towards <strong>Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB).</strong> Thanks to this “total solution” Epta is able to work with Retailers to create <strong>ecostores</strong> in any climatic zone, whatever the size of their stores.</p>
<p>Safeguarding of resources and the utmost energy efficiency for its factories: the installation of cogeneration systems, photovoltaic panels and the technological improvements introduced in the production process have resulted in a <strong>reduction of 12% of KOE</strong> (<em>Kilograms of Oil Equivalent</em>) per product in the last three years, while significant technical improvements have also enabled a reduction in<strong> water consumption by 32%</strong> per unit produced compared to 2013 levels.</p>
<p>Finally, Epta believes in the importance of continuous training, to ensure a high level of professionalism for internal and external staff alike, thus promoting the introduction of best practices and the latest technologies available in the market. Specifically, in order to share the know-how it has acquired over time at a global level in the design and installation of CO₂ refrigeration systems, the Group created <strong>the Epta CO₂ Training Centre. </strong>The centre, which is located in <strong>Bradford in the United Kingdom,</strong> provides training and refresher courses to <strong>encourage the adoption of CO₂</strong>and to date it has trained more than <strong>600 engineers </strong>with practical and theory lessons in their respective native languages.</p>
<p><strong>Marco Nocivelli, CEO of the Epta Group </strong>stated: “<em>I would like to thank all of our workforce, as their active involvement plays a crucial role in bringing forth our certified process of continual improvement and making</em><em> our business model more sustainable. The culture of social responsibility is a very important factor for the Company as it proceeds towards an ever-greater <strong>overlap between sustainability and strategic choices</strong><em>”</em></em><em> and continued</em><em> “</em><em>It is a process we embarked on five years ago and which has led to us reaching and surpassing the ambitious goals we had set ourselves during the course of the last three years. We have exceeded a level of 50% of high efficiency solutions within our product range and have reduced energy consumption by 12% in the last four years. Our next goal will be that of obtaining <strong>a further reduction in energy consumption in the next three years</strong>.”</em></p>