SCIENCE / 03 Feb 2021

100 YEARS OF INDENA #ScienceOurNature

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The leading company in the botanical derivatives sector, a paragon of italian excellence, celebrates its centennial with a rich program of initiatives

Milan, 3rd February 2021 – A hundred years of history and continuous growth in the pursuit of excellence. This is the milestone proudly reached in 2021 by Indena - Industria Derivati Naturali - the Italian company founded and based in Milan, which is today acknowledged as international leader in the sector of botanical active ingredients for the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries

It was the intuition and entrepreneurial spirit of Carlo Boccaccio Inverni and Biagio Alberto Della Beffa which created the company, initially named Inverni Della Beffa, then Indena. Thanks to their revolutionary approach to the medicinal plants sector, modern industrial vision and a profound scientific approach, the company immediately had a relevant impact on the market.

“Our 100 years journey has taken us to be protagonists on markets around the world, a matter of great pride for an Italian company, still today led by our family - declares Indena President Biagio Della Beffa, son of Luigi and grandson of the founder - Indena is renowned for the high dedication to quality and science, its continuous investment in product innovation, pioneering processes and constantly state of the art technologies. And since its foundation till today, this is how it has grown to become a leader and a benchmark in the global botanical derivatives sector”.

Indena CEO Daniele Giavini adds: “Today we manage, from our headquarters in Milan, 4 production sites around the world and 5 international subsidiaries, employing a total of over 900 people (most of them in the strategic fields of Innovation and Quality). We also own about 100 patent families and more than 1000 scientific studies published with qualified research groups. Despite our deep Italian DNA– concludes Giavini – an international expansion has always characterized Indena, which today has grown and manages 90% of its business abroad including collaborations with several partners in very innovative fields".

Celebrating 100 years of Botanical Excellence

The initiatives that will come to life during 2021 will be spread over several fronts: from science to communication, from training talented young people to a strengthened commitment to the environment.

The year opens with the launch of a new corporate narrative designed to highlight and embody a whole new identity and image which are bright and forward-looking. It is important to communicate, nowadays, the history and the life of an industry of nature, especially one as long-lived and complex as that of Indena.

We have chosen to begin by celebrating our heritage of botanical excellence with a podcast. Given the evocative name of "Phytocast", this is an audio journey which traces the company's 100-year history in 12 monthly instalments, each with a single theme.

The centennial will also be marked by the launch of our new-look website Indena.com, a digital transposition of the company's activities that will provide the most up-to-date and complete showcase of Indena's projects, from today and for the next decade. The new site elegantly illustrates the company's knowledge system, products, services and innovation, exploring how the relationship between technology, science and nature in Indena is so intense, deep-seated and full of resources.

Video productions are an integral part of the story. This form of communication is capable of narrating the universe of science and data in a direct and immediate way, providing information and content to anyone who wants to understand how the fascinating world of medicinal plants can provide undeniable help for people's health and wellbeing.

Indena will also resort to a more traditional and familiar channel of knowledge. A book will be published on the milestones of Indena's success story, such as quality, research and sustainability, told through augmented reality contributions.

Another important marker of the centennial will be the award of a two-year doctorate named after Colonel Biagio Alberto Della Beffa, co-founder of the company. The scholarship will be presented in 2021 to a number of young researchers during the International Summer School on Natural Products (ISSNP).

On the scientific front, Indena is planning to organise a congress retracing one hundred years of quality and innovation in botanical extracts. Internationally renowned scientists and researchers who have worked with the company and contributed to its scientific breakthroughs will be invited to bring their prestige to this significant event. The publication of the first volume of a series dedicated to medicinal plants currently of particular interest for human wellbeing and health will complete this part of the activity.

Our commitment to the environment,
from plants to the city

Indena’s deep commitment to sustainability and biodiversity will also play a part in the company’s centenary celebrations.

Indena has always regarded nature as its source of supply and, above all, has always been inspired by plants and their mechanisms to drawn precious lessons and apply rigorous scientific observation to produce high quality, particularly effective botanical extracts.

A sustainable approach, both environmental and social, is the Company natural way of working. Throughout its long history, Indena has always been committed to monitoring the sources of plant procurement and the entire supply chain. This ensures traceability, transparency and respect for the environment and the communities involved.

This commitment will be complemented in 2021 by a substantial urban redevelopment project, designed to respect the criteria of Nature Based Solutions.

A "green terrace” will be created over the Indena building in Milan. This will provide a habitat for a variety of plant species, selected by experts on the basis of their biodiversity and sustainability to the local setting. An environmentally valuable space designed with scientific criteria, a tribute to the city and the people who work in the headquarters.

Today marks the start of a year-long journey to get to know Indena, a company that, a century after its foundation, continues to be inspired by the qualities of its founders: vision, farsightedness, scientific rigour and pragmatism.