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Nuova Saca S.R.L.

Nuova Sa. Ca was founded in 2009 following a split within the family business SACA, founded in 1971 by Giancarlo’s father and a third person. Over time, Giancarlo’s uncle (who already worked in the company) and cousin took over as partners. The latter started working in the company in 2006. The company operated mainly in two areas: one was the responsibility of Giancarlo and his father, related to pesticide treatments; the other was the responsibility of his uncle and Giancarlo’s cousin, related to mowing rivers, streams, etc.

2007 represents a critical moment for the company’s future: the third partner decides to leave and liquidate his shares. This decision inevitably leads to a change in the company structure, which ends with Giancarlo and his father leaving. Nuova. SaCa was founded with Giancarlo as its owner. Initially, the company focused on pesticide treatments in nurseries and projects in the infrastructure (motorways) and public administration sectors.

Nuova.SaCa was thus born in a challenging international context, characterized by the economic crisis of 2007. However, the company’s history ensures that Giancarlo and his father have an essential and loyal customer portfolio and a specialization in an underdeveloped sector. 

In 2013, Giancarlo’s partner Giada also joined the company, taking care of the administrative side of the business and specializing in submitting proposals for tenders. 

Thanks to targeted training, Giada and Giancarlo have become more aware of company management. As Giancarlo points out, in the artisan world today, bureaucratization and understanding of business processes are two fundamental aspects of good business management compared to the past. The company has grown yearly to include seven employees, including Giada’s brother, Giancarlo’s father, and the owner. Today, it specializes in pest control, rodent control, green protection, the planning and management of green areas, bird removal, and insect removal from wood.

Country

Italy

Greening processes

Resource intensity

Greening input

Sustainable raw materials

Greening workplace

Sustainable consumption

Greening outputs

Offering green products

Company size headcount

Around 10

Company size turnover

< €2m

Interviewed

Successor (next generation), Partner (next generation)

Industry

Other Service Activities

Sustainability transition

The family Giada joined the company in 2013 represents an essential point in Nuova Saca. As an ecologist, environmentalist, and animal activist, Giada sought to make the company greener when she started working there.

In 2013, Nuova Saca expanded its services in pest control at a time when legislative restrictions supporting environmental sustainability were beginning to be introduced in the sector.  EU chemicals and pesticides legislation introduces rules governing the marketing and use of specific categories of chemicals, a series of harmonized restrictions on the marketing and use of hazardous substances, and protocols for managing significant accidents and the export of hazardous substances. The European Pesticides Directive of 2009 was implemented in Italy by the NAP (National Action Plan) in 2014, which regulates the entire plant protection sector where Nuova Saca operates.

In addition, increased information, environmental awareness, and the growing focus of the labor market on environmental sustainability are pushing the company to adapt, even though it operates in an industry that heavily uses chemicals. Plant protection products and pest control activities are not green activities, but Giada decided to devise a strategy for the company to minimize its negative environmental impact. She desires to improve the company, making a small change reflecting her values. She proposes to Giancarlo that the company adopt less negative environmental practices, such as choosing more sustainable products. The main actions taken by the company were:

  • use plant protection products that contain fewer toxic substances.
  • Investing in machinery and techniques would ensure more efficient use of chemicals with less environmental impact.
  • Acquiring environmental certifications that allow the company to monitor its environmental impact indexes.

Giancarlo was initially more afraid than Giada of starting a green transition process for fear of a negative impact on the services offered by the company (that the work would lose quality in the services offered to customers, that there would be a high increase in costs, that management time would become longer). But he changed his mind when he noticed how, thanks to the techniques used to use the products and the investments made in the purchase of machinery, the company is now much more efficient in terms of providing services to customers: if in one day the company was able to serve three customers, today it can handle 8. Giancarlo’s father, Luigi, has total confidence in the choices and actions taken by his son.

These investments have pushed the company to adopt innovative techniques and use what nature offers: for example, ladybirds, natural antagonists of a type of aphid found in plants. However, Giada and Giancarlo note that this service is still too expensive compared to the traditional one.

The use of organic products is a way to ensure the safety of the operators carrying out the interventions, the customers and the surrounding environment by reducing the risk of exposure to toxic and polluting substances, protecting the health and safety of people and the environment. Furthermore, using organic products can improve the effectiveness of interventions and represent an opportunity for companies in the sector to differentiate themselves and offer more sustainable and environmentally friendly services. Using organic products can add value to a company’s image, attract new customers and consolidate the trust of existing customers.

Finally, using BIO raw materials fits into a context of sustainable development and attention to environmental protection.

From this initiated green transition process, Giancarlo and Giada realized that measures to reduce environmental impact are possible in a purely chemical industry such as the company’s. Turning what appeared to be a problem into an opportunity was crucial.

Learning points and actions to consider

In Giancarlo’s and Giada’s opinions, the green transition is a long and still developing process. Both note that the private market is still less receptive than the public sector.

For Giancarlo, a company must analyze the costs of a green transition process. The company should understand whether it can bear them and amortize them. However, Giancarlo emphasizes that embracing a more environmentally friendly corporate policy is not only an economic choice but also a societal and ethical one. In fact, in the case of his company, Giancarlo says, 

“The organic product indeed costs more, but it provides greater peace of mind for my employees, who are less in contact with toxic substances, and for my customers because of the top-quality service we can provide.”

Understanding your target market’s reaction, customers, and company’s return image. You should also examine other companies operating in the same sector and learn from them.

Reflections

  • Are we structured enough to deal with a green transition process?
  • How will my customers perceive this process?
  • What opportunities can I get from this process?
  • How will the services offered so far offer higher quality?

Contact us

Project Coordinator:
Thomas Blum – RegioVision GmbH
blum@regiovision-sn.de

Communication and Press:
Kristýna Strnadová
strnadova@amsp.cz

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Project Number: 2023-1-DE02-KA220-VET-000157996

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.

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