Alcantara Posts Increase In Sales For Fiscal Year 2015-16

Company already has met Paris climate accord's 2050 CO2 neutrality goal

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Jun 01, 2016, 02:01 ET

MILAN, June 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Alcantara sales totaled more than 165 million euros in fiscal 2015-16, an increase of 33.5 percent compared to the same period a year ago.

Fiscal-year earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for the Italian manufacturer were about 49.6 million euros, due in part to the company's increased global presence. Sales in the Chinese and U.S. markets represented 13.7 percent and 13.3 percent of the total, respectively. Sales in Japan reflected the first signs of market penetration, while Europe continued to maintain its traditional central role (66.3 percent).

Increasing globalization has had a positive impact on Alcantara's Italian production operations and employment as well. The company's workforce in Italy last year grew to 518 employees and is expected to increase by an additional 10 percent in the coming fiscal year.

Alcantara has invested in sustainability as a core element of its competitive strategy, allocating 64 percent of its total investments in sustainability programs during the 2015 calendar year. The company already has met carbon neutrality targets the Paris Climate Conference set for 2050.

Alcantara's environmental initiatives have allowed the company to ride the first wave of the international economic recovery. Strengthened by its sustainability commitment, the company has increased its brand value and market presence.

Andrea Boragno, CEO and Chairman of Alcantara S.p.A., notes that "from both final users and corporate decision makers there is a latent demand for sustainable business behaviors, a demand that is destined to increase over time."

Attention to environmental sustainability is a key element of brand value, which "impacts Alcantara's way of doing business and the company's market position," Boragno adds. "The change in course beginning in 2009 required deep involvement from the entire organizational structure: from the plant to the R&D center, including top corporate functions."

The recent Paris Climate Conference (COP21) established CO₂ neutrality as a goal to be met by 2050. Alcantara achieved that objective in 2009.

Alcantara has reduced its environmental impact through a range of actions that have brought about a 49 percent decrease in CO₂ emissions. Those efforts have included modernization of production structures, industrial equipment and energy procurement systems, along with the recovery of industrial waste and the selection of only European suppliers.

Because current technology limits further lowering of emissions, Alcantara decided to offset any remaining emissions by joining international offsetting projects patronized by the UN and which increase the use of renewable energy in the poorest and most troubled areas of the world.

The UN projects are designed to help create employment, bring in electrical power, advance education and in general improve living conditions in economically underdeveloped areas of the world, many of which will pay a disproportionate price from the effects of climate change.

Alcantara S.p.A. – www.alcantara.com

Founded in 1972, Alcantara represents a prime example of Italian-produced quality. As registered trademark of Alcantara S.p.A. and result of a unique and proprietary technology, Alcantara^® is a highly innovative material, offering an unrivalled combination of sensory, aesthetic and functional qualities. Thanks to its extraordinary versatility, Alcantara is the choice of leading brands in a number of application fields: fashion and accessories, automotive, interior design and home décor, consumer-electronics. These features, together with a serious and certified commitment in terms of sustainability, make Alcantara a true icon of contemporary lifestyle: the lifestyle of those who want to fully enjoy their everyday life, respecting the environment. Headquartered in Milan, Alcantara's production site and R&D department are located in Nera Montoro, in the heart of Umbria Region (Terni).

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SOURCE Alcantara S.p.A.