Page 135 - EM - Export Magazine Perfumery Edition

INTERVIEW

EM: we can see that the family is important for you… our way of offering added value, both to promote eco-
GR: I would not be here if they were not continuing what and social sustainability.
I started; I recently transferred the company to then,
remaining as Chairperson of the Board of Directors, I like EM: You, the company and your family deal with
coming to the company every day as though it were the activities in support of the women in some African
first day; my work is creative and continues to fascinate me. countries. Can you tell us something about that?
On the sign of the factory there is still my name, and our GR: Everything started in 2003, when a friend, Laura
logo represents a calendula, a flower with many natural Bonin, wrote to me as a missionary in Burkina Faso, to
properties… Commitment to work does not prevent me contribute to reaching the objective of the local Institute
from being a grandmother as well and spending all the time of focusing on women, helping their emancipation
possible with my six grandchildren , Marco’s four children through work. We started a project based on which we
and Andrea’s two children with whom I often travel. supplied them with formulas to make cosmetics using
shea butter of their production, plus other raw materials
EM: speaking about grandchildren, we know we supplied. Twenty-five women are still working today
that one of them initiated an interesting and on this project: we regularly receive the shea butter from
constructive initiative from the social point of view. Burkina Faso and the shea line is distributed through
GR: Yes, my grandson Simone Piccolo, belonging to the our organization. We have visited the small company a
third generation, created Nasté a few years ago. This number of times and provided other formulas for the
is a line of cosmetics the philosophy of which is based production and distribution in loco of other products of
on the circular economy. A graduate in Economics daily use, such as shampoos and foam baths, again with
and Business, Simone wanted to be the herald of a shea butter. I personally have other relations with some
new way of ‘making cosmetics’. From the point of view African countries, always through the missionaries of La
of the creation of the line, research was done on the Consolata, for example in Kenya and in Ethiopia. Those
raw materials from food waste from apples, hazelnuts who have had so much, not only in economic terms, but
and more recently alga spirulina. The assembly of the also having been lucky to be born under the right star
products is done by a group of disadvantaged people. and being able to count on a lovely family such as mine,
This is our way of implementing a circular economy, in cannot fail to be sensitive to what happens to those
harmony with the environment and people. Offering unluckier than them. In the end, my motto has always
beauty and sustainability to all, at affordable prices, is been : ‘What can I do to help others?’
Claudia Stagno
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