Wonder becomes a benefit corporation: after 75 years, evolution never stops.

AN UPDATED STATUTE, NEW RESPONSIBILITIES, AND A RENEWED COMMITMENT IN CONTINUITY WITH THE PAST: WORKING FOR THE WELL-BEING OF PEOPLE, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND COMMUNITY.

This is a new phase in the evolution of the company introduced by Wonder to celebrate its 75th anniversary. After months of preparation, a step towards becoming a benefit corporation was made official last December. This step represents a fundamental milestone along the path that began in the 1940s with its founder, Gianfranco Carutti.

As underlined by General Director Matteo Gosi, ‘Placing the well-being of workers and the community at the heart of our company vision is something we have always done. So for us, this basically means renewing this commitment and setting it down in black and white. In 2022, Wonder celebrated its 75th anniversary, and we were asked how we could celebrate such an important milestone. Becoming a benefit corporation seemed a good way to do this, and after several months of work, we managed to complete the shift with the change in statue within the year, last December. Honestly, at the beginning, we didn’t expect to do it in time, and doing so gave us even more satisfaction.’

Being a Benefit Corporation

Developed in the United States in 2010 with the name B Corp (Benefit Corporation) and governed in Italy with the 2016 Stability Law no. 208/2015), benefit corporations are a particular legal entity whose scope is to balance economic interests — profits — with public/social interests — the common good.

Gosi explains, ‘In practice, objectives that go beyond the most typical value creation are integrated in the company strategy. We expand the stakeholders’ plateau: the beneficiaries of the generated value must also be the employees, collaborators, and environment where we work, whether the natural environment or our community. All of this must be included in the strategies and budgets. Each action taken by the company must be communicated transparently and be subject to impact measurement, for example, in terms of appreciation and improvement of well-being and the working conditions.’

A Question of Objectives and Methods

Not only do the objectives make a benefit corporation different, the feedback of personnel regarding internal decisions do as well. ‘When deciding whether to do something in the interests of employees,’ continues the general director, ‘we ask the people directly, maybe testing the possible solution within a range of alternatives. We use a platform to create internal surveys, sending a notification to staff via SMS and email with a link to vote for the preferred option. The results reach us anonymously in real time, guaranteeing everyone’s privacy and avoiding any type of conditioning. It is not obligatory, but we think it is the correct way to operate. So with the same system and following the directives of the new statute, we measure how the chosen initiative is actually appreciated. All the data also wind up in the impact report, which must be attached to the statement. In this sense, being a benefit corporation means adopting a method and always applying it with discipline and transparency, even in questions that seem the least important. Because in reality, each choice weighs on the dynamics of life in the company, so nothing must be overlooked.’

Committing to Common Well-Being

There are various concrete ways to enhance workers’ well-being, improving the quality of time spent in the company, making each person’s tasks easier and safer, and also offering support for private life.

The manager says, ‘Among our most recent initiatives, we have redone the flooring and changed the lighting in each department — not just aesthetic restyling, but also significantly improving the working conditions. At the end of 2021, we opened Ristorante Wonder, an actual restaurant in the company for all employees for lunch and dinner, and also available for small parties, meetings, meetings with customers, suppliers, and collaborators. More recently, we inaugurated a corner for production breaks and a large terrace where people can have a coffee or play table football. What’s more, we have always organized various courses for multidisciplinary training during working hours, offering everyone the opportunity to stay updated. For a few years, we have also held the ‘company accountant’ programme (whom everyone can contact at a reduced price for income tax declarations or other tax questions), which is also supported by a legal service starting this year.’

A Trend that Marks the Future

In 2022, there were about 2000 benefit corporations in Italy, more than double the year before. This is still a modest trend in terms of numbers, but is destined to grow and spread in all sectors.

‘In the coming years, many things will change,’ says Giovanni Gosi, CFO and impact manager, ‘and this is positive, because it means that we are seriously starting to place sustainability and occupational well-being at the top of our priorities, adhering to the sustainable goals dictated by the 2030 Agenda. On the system level, it should be added that if a company works within a structured production chain, it would be good to assess the integration of these issues in its strategy as early as possible. The large international groups started this some time ago, and will soon also ask suppliers to adapt, generating a cascade effect along the entire chain. The ultimate goal is to set in motion a virtuous cycle to increase the quality of work and collective well-being, allowing companies to operate more responsibly, profitably, and sustainably.’