Customer satisfaction is the rationale of every decision and product development by Candy Group. Not only the satisfaction of the present generation of customers, but also the uncompromised satisfaction of future generations passing them an unspoiled environment thanks to the contribution of the Group’s appliances.
The implementation of positive community relations is another pillar of the Group’s corporate responsibility. The Group sponsored cultural and sport events in many countries and contributed to many charities and NGOs. For instance, water wells have been financed in the poorest African area and school buildings refurbished in the mountains of North Africa, also through personal commitment and contribution by staff.

Reducing Carbon Footprint of the Products
Candy Group is deeply involved in the reduction of the overall carbon footprint of operations and products, in use and at the end of their useful life.
As far as products are concerned, significant reductions have been achieved: for instance, a 2007 Class A+ refrigerator reduced the carbon footprint by 57% in comparison with a comparable model of 1997. A large capacity (9 kg) washing machine, available in 2007, has a 33% lower carbon footprint than an average model of 10 years ago, whose load capacity was 5 kg only. It uses 55% less water in the standard cycle (on 10 year ago model). A 15-tableset dishwasher, on sale in 2007, reduced the carbon footprint by 47% and water consumption by 55%.
Further reductions of the carbon footprint will be achieved through unending technical improvements resulting from the Group’s R&D department. They go beyond the levels set by European and national rules and by Ceced Voluntary Agreements, whose continuation was, nevertheless, stopped early 2007.
Positive results are expected from the full implementation of the Eco-design European Directive, which will also contribute to the reduction of the energy needed to recycle appliances at the end of their useful life.

Candy Group received the certification of the CO2 emissions by Carbon Footprint, an independent  certification institution, based in the UK with an international reach, for selected built-in products and the manufacturing, commercial, R&D and management operations in the Brugherio (Milan, Italy) and Merthyr (Great Britain) sites. It is the first step in a program for measuring the Group’s impact on the environment. It also strengthens the commitment to reduce emissions in all the manufacturing sites,which started in the year 2000.
Carbon Footprint fixed the appraisal of 2007 emissions at 20,181 tons of CO2. The figure includes staff’s flights and overall mileage by company cars. It does not consider the impact of train commuting because it is negligible in both sites.
The emissions are equivalent to the annual energy consumptions of 2,880 English average households or to 5,500 roundtrip flights Rome-Sidney. Considering a modern electric generation plant of 500 MW, which releases over 2.4 million tons CO2 per year, the emissions measured for Candy Group are equivalent to about 72 hours of operation.
The main contribution to the emissions (over half of the total) is due to the energy consumption in the two factories of Merthyr and Brugherio. In the Italian factory, thanks to the measures already implemented and continuously improved, emissions per unit manufactured are lower than in the UK. An aggressive emission abatement programme is in progress at the Merthyr plant.
A consequence of the worldwide presence of Candy Group are the thousand flights, both domestic, European, and intercontinental (only those from and to China have been around 80). The flights contribute for 1,272 tons of CO2.
Despite an annual mileage of about 2 million km, the contribution of the cars to CO2 emissions amounts to 408 tons (2 percent of the total). This is due to the "ecological” mix of the fleet. The figure appears as a confirmation that cars are not the main culprit of the greenhouse effect.
Following-on to the appraisal, Candy Group is cleared to use the Carbon Footprint logo with a star. The second star will be granted if a reduction of at least 5 percent in the measured emissions is reached at the end of 2008. The highest level certification by Carbon Footprint shows three stars when a yearly 5 percent continuous reduction is reached and the residual emissions are totally compensated.

Carbon Footprint
Carbon Footprint is a British company of international reach, established 2005, with head office in Worting House, Basingstoke, to provide services and solutions of measurement, reduction and compensation of CO2 emissions and other gases that produce the greenhouse effect, discharged by industrial and commercial activities.
The measurement of the emissions is based on the metrics codified by the Defra (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs). The appraisal focuses on the consumptions of electricity and fuels in operations like R&D, manufacturing, support, marketing and management; travels by car, train, airplane; logistics, including commuting.
A portfolio of options for compensating the emissions is then suggested. Upon client's request, assistance in implementing the selected solutions is provided. The compensation programs could be reforestation, funding of projects for plants using renewable sources, buying of Carbon Emission Certificates, White Certificates, and other financial instruments.
Carbon Footprint also makes an appraisal of the emissions in the whole lifecycle of the appliance: from the energy used in manufacturing and logistics to the consumption while in use. The latter is prevailing in the carbon footprint of a household appliance.