UniCredit disbursed two loans to ICA Spa, for a total of €14 million. The operations, guaranteed by SACE via Garanzia Italia and Garanzia Italia for Mid Caps, are Sustainability-Linked, i.e. instruments of the sustainable finance market to incentivize environmental sustainability performance objectives.
“Through Guarantee Italy - explained Marco Mercurio, Head of Mid Corporate Centre North of SACE - we allow Italian companies to obtain the liquidity and resources necessary to start a strategy of relaunch and growth, after a particularly complex period. For these reasons, we are delighted to be able to support the business growth plans of a company such as ICA, which places at the center of its future the achievement of important objectives in terms of environmental sustainability, which is one of the key drivers for the recovery of the economy of the Marche region and of the country as a whole“.

An operation that is organic to the company's strategy

Founded by the Paniccia family, ICA Spa - a company based in the Marche region that specializes in the production of innovative coatings for wood and glass - has always focused a great deal of attention on the environment, and with this funding it aims to improve its ESG sustainability rating.
Luciano Cesari, ICA Group's CFO, says: “Our R&D laboratory has always focused on the formulation of high-quality products that pay the utmost attention to the environment and to people's health. This strategy includes the actions that we have put in place to improve our ESG rating, such as the reduction of CO2 emissions and of water and electricity consumption. We are also working intensively on the increasing use of raw materials from renewable sources in our products and recyclable or biodegradable packaging. The operation defined with Unicredit is therefore absolutely organic to the company's medium/long-term strategy“.

Sustainability, a competitive factor for companies

After all, sustainability is increasingly a competitive factor for businesses and will be even more so in the future as it guides the choices of consumers and investors.
Andrea Burchi, Regional Manager Central North UniCredit, said: “UniCredit is a leading bank in Europe in financing solutions related to ESG objectives, which can effectively support the transformation of business models of companies. We are delighted to be accompanying on this path a company of excellence such as ICA Spa, which for 50 years has been successfully committed to a path of quality that has been developed on multiple levels: from the innovation of products and services to the enhancement of human resources, from the conquest of important positions in domestic and international markets to the constant reduction of the environmental impact of its production. This operation confirms our Group's commitment to directing its energies towards an eco-sustainable future, alongside companies that favour ESG transition processes“.