World Confectionery Conference interview exclusive: Ferrero’s Francesco Tramontin

This year’s World Confectionery Conference takes place in Brussels. Neill Barston speaks to our latest keynote speaker, Ferrero’s Francesco Tramontin, on key issues facing the industry

After the success of our debut World Confectionery Conference last summer, plans for its follow-up in live event form are fast taking shape for 2022. Our initial event gained a hugely encouraging response, attracting hundreds of senior industry participants from around the globe who participated in our virtual platform.

With a wealth of key issues being discussed, from subjects covering the latest equipment, systems and ingredients, through to industry social and environmental concerns, our event proved a valuable online gathering amid the pandemic. Despite present challenges, the live events sector is returning this year, and we’re very much looking forward to playing our part with our latest edition of the World Confectionery Conference. See our video interview with Francesco here.

It is set to be staged on 9 September in Brussels, at the Marriott Hotel, Grand Place, where sustainability, equipment and systems developments will all take centre stage. Plans for our keynote speakers are also well progressed, including support from European confectionery trade body, CAOBISCO, with its president Aldo Cristiano, as well as well as insights from FMCG Gurus and Innova Market Research, and the Fairtrade movement. The event will be crowned by a debut for the World Confectionery Awards, which is set to celebrate some of our sector’s most innovative developments. Taking his place among the keynote speakers will be Francesco Tramontin, of Ferrero, who serves as vice president, EU institutional relations and group public policy.

The senior industry expert has a long-standing passion for delivering sustainability goals within the sector, and for the past year he has played a significant position amid the firm’s major portfolio of household brands including Rocher, Tic Tac and Kinder.

Having previously gained experience with roles at Kraft Foods in Brussels and Mondelez International in Chicago, he has a unique insight into how the confectionery sector is raising its game to respond to global sustainability challenges. As the Belgian-based executive explains, having the chance to work for Ferrero was described to him as ‘like getting a call to join the national football team,” and it is continuing to provide a worthwhile, yet markedly complex challenge. For the World Confectionery Conference, he will be exploring themes of sustainability in terms of legislation linked to the European Green Deal aimed at making food systems fairer for all involved and more environmentally friendly.

Francesco has particularly tracked proposed EU due diligence frameworks for industry to deliver on key issues including deforestation and other social issues including child labour, and support for farming communities playing a vital role within confectionery supply chains. “I am very glad and flattered to be involved with the World Confectionery Conference, as I believe the sector’s voice in the policy debate is extremely important. “It’s a good moment to take stock of where we are with the new EU environmental and climate impact policies of Farm to Fork, and the Green deal, and look at the unique impact on the sector these will create and the areas we should focus on.

“With the Farm to Fork code of conducts, some confectionery companies are already contributing to them, so it’s a great moment to take a look both at what is coming, and what has already started with these policies. I think it is essential that we come together as a sector and figure out what rules are needed and we will advocate for them,” he says of the urgent need to address some hugely topical issues facing the industry. He acknowledges that it ‘is a pity’ that at least part of the EU legislation on due diligence, which would require European businesses to work with even greater levels of transparency has been postponed by the European Union, after lobbyists reportedly raised concerns over the costs to enterprise in operating to enhanced standards.

EU legislation

Despite the setback for legislation on due diligence that has left the issue to be taken up at some point in 2022, Francesco believed the confectionery sector, including Ferrero has indeed made progress on its core sustainability issues. This includes Ferrero recently retaining its position in the World Wildlife Fund’s most recent Palm Oil Buyers’ Scorecard for best environmental practices in relation to the key ingredient for a number of its confectionery ranges.

However, he notes that collectively, there remains a significant volume of work to be done in order to deliver on sustainability aspirations of the industry. Francesco adds: “There are some delays on legislation but some countries are going ahead with their own, and as companies, we have our own due diligence system, but it’s really about bringing it together in a framework that’s visible and actionable, and this idea of due diligence being one of continuous improvement rather than just a tick box exercise that you can meet a standard and pretend that everything is solved, which is really not the case in some of these topics. “Ferrero started out using different tools that are complimentary to each other, it began with standards, traceability, and then more recently a charter that outlines the way we work with our suppliers, and satellite monitoring, the next level is scaled up solutions that address cross issues such as deforestation or other types of social issues. We’re pleased as we feel we’re ahead of the game, but at this point we feel that policy framework could really help us.”

As the Ferrero specialist concludes, while there are indeed challenges ahead, he asserts that he’s particularly positive about 2022, and the prospect for delivering change. Furthermore, he says it’s that chance to engage with all stakeholders that attracted him into the sector initially, and has held his interest throughout his career to date. “What drew me to the industry was the connection it has with people – our consumers, the joy we bring to them, and also the extremely connected value chains that we depend on. “I think that’s unique, and my role also offers the opportunity to actually do good and help drive progress by managing a good business, so that’s what makes me passionate about it,” concludes the industry expert, who is keenly awaiting the chance to be part of our fast-approaching global conference taking place this autumn.

– For WCC editorial enquiries contact Neill Barston at nbarston@bellpublishing. com and sales and sponsorship, Chris Seldon, [email protected]. To book your place at this year’s must attend conference, go directly to our conference website

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