Udine, December 2021 – New Life is a company that has recently joined our network. Based in San Giovanni al Natisone (UD), it develops and produces high-end furniture. We interviewed Ondina Battisacco, the company’s Accounting Manager.

1. Can you briefly explain the New Life business model?

We are a company that develops and produces high-end furniture and distributes all over the world for the Ho.Re.Ca, luxury residential and naval sectors. From hotels to Multi-apartments, to Corporate, to General contractors, we also offer tailor-made solutions for every type of project. The variety of NEW LIFE collections includes seating systems, upholstered furniture, tables, complements and accessories that arise from the fusion of the artisan know-how matured over the years with industrial and technological production processes. The collections are created by a team of designers assisted by the Design Director Alessio Battisacco. With courage and determination, the company interprets the needs of the market by creating 100% made in Italy products, from raw materials to finishes. From the idea to the realization, everything is cared for in every detail with the search for total quality. The high standard of each product is guaranteed by the purchase of fine wood, by quality controls in the various stages of processing and by a finishing process that is attentive to every single detail. All processing takes place inside the production plant with the exception of painting. Accuracy, flexibility, seriousness and reliability are the fundamental cornerstones of New Life working method. Areas of expertise are hotels and hospitality, commercial and business spaces, public buildings, naval and residential.

2. How was the company born and how has it evolved over time?

The secret to moving forward is to start…like this, New Life was born in 2009 as a merger of two artisan companies active since 1970, to realize the dream of three enterprising young people: Ondina and Alessio Battisacco and Andrea Costantini. Each one of them with their own specialization and personality, united by the desire to get involved to create a new project in the world of wooden seating and furnishing accessories: transforming drawings, sketches and projects into works.
At first, the company continued to produce and sell the collections created by one of the two artisan companies with which it was associated, then gradually began to develop more contemporary items. At the present time, the market rewards the more contemporary and design soul (about 75%) while for more traditional items they are still produced for those market areas that still require them (25% of production). The collections are divided into two main catalogs: Contemporary and Timeless.

3. New Life at the service of the territory: what is your vision? Are there any particular initiatives you want to tell us about?

The company is strongly rooted on the area in production. The 90% of raw material or subcontracting suppliers are located in the province of Udine or Gorizia, the 75% of employees reside within 20km and the 50% of them within 10 km from the company headquarters.
In Dolegna del Collio, New Life has created Valrosa country resort: some rooms are surrounded by greenery, designed to accommodate the company’s customers, while enhancing the company’s creations and the tourist offer of the area.

4. How is your stakeholders’ perception of sustainability evolving?

For the stakeholders there is a part of interest in sustainability. However, New Life is moving towards a more sustainable path because it feels that it is the right way to operate and therefore is also willing to “force” a bit on this issue towards its stakeholders, proposing their own sustainable model. The idea is to be able to overcome the obstacle of a slightly higher cost to obtain a more sustainable product.

5. What are your future sustainability goals, in the short and long term?

In recent years we have planned various activities related to the sustainability of our company. Some are finished, others are currently in place – or planned for the foreseeable future.

After removing the asbestos from the roof and insulating the warehouses, we are working on a new heating system with biomass boiler that uses the waste from wood processing to produce energy to heat the workplace, with a reduction in CO2 emissions of the 79%.. We are modifying the structure of the production departments to make sure that the production processes follow a logical flow and are more functional and efficient; we are restyling and expanding the spaces dedicated to the greater well-being of the staff, in particular towards the new commercial offices, which are more ergonomic and with better acoustic comfort.
To improve the welcoming of the customers, we are rolling out a new showroom that allows us to set up professional shooting sets, to organize zoom meetings to present products and reducing the number of commercial trips. As for the outside of the structure, we are working on new green areas, improving the parking; we have acquired a disused area of ​​10,000 square meters in the industrial area, to plant and redevelop it, with an eye to the protection of biodiversity and respect for native plants.

It is scheduled the creation of a brand that by using processing waste (precious woods, leathers and fabrics) will give life to new decoration object for the table or for the person. At the product level, we are looking for less impactful packaging, perfecting the restyling of existing and new products, reducing the thickness of the solid wood parts, so as to reduce the amount of materials used and taking into account the disposal of end-of-life products.

We would also like to increase the number of internships for young people in the company, also by building relationships with ISIA Rome Pordenone headquarter. The goal is to create an intergenerational dialogue, to transmit the know-how of older workers. Finally, we are embarking on a path to understand, measure and communicate the impact that any activity can have on every different dimension of sustainability (economic, environmental and social) and obtain a carbon footprint certification.

6. Why is it important to be part of a network of responsible companies, such as Animaimpresa?

We would like New Life to become more and more of a company whose profit is generated by widespread well-being, by committing ourselves to raise the standards of “intention”, “responsibility” and “transparency”, which follow the principles of an ethical code made of loyalty, diligence, fairness, and sustainability, in work performance and in the working environment. To pursue these goals and make them become more and more life-models, the confrontation and exchange with other righteous companies with similar objectives, is very important and educational.