illycaffè has always pursued an unwavering commitment to highest ethics, aiming to improve quality of life for all of its stakeholders.
The heart of this commitment is a belief that also serves as operating philosophy: that the continuous pursuit of quality sets into motion a virtuous cycle that creates value for all parties involved, from coffee farmer to the consumer’s cup.
For illy, quality and sustainability are an inseparable pair: only the truly excellent is sustainable, and anything worth sustaining must be excellent.
Sustainability has three-fold implications at illy: economic, social and environmental.
Economic sustainability is pursued through the creation of value for all stakeholders, from farmers who earn above market prices in exchange for meeting quality standards, to the consumer, who enjoys a better coffee experience thanks to this quality.
Social sustainability is based on the concept of individual growth and self-fulfillment, starting from coffee-growing communities enjoying improved living conditions due to rising incomes.
Finally, environmental sustainability is achieved through respect for the planet through, for example low-impact growing practices and recyclable packaging.
Sustainable development for illy is a continuous balance of improvement and innovation on one hand, and of responsibility for people and the environment on the other: an ambitious, deliberate balance between the achievements of modernity and the possibility for those who come after us to enjoy, at very least, the same opportunities as we do today.
