Company Tour of Favini

On March 16th all the students in my program were split up into groups and went to different Italian companies in the area to learn about their business. I had the opportunity to tour Favini, a factory that produces specialty paper.

Favini patented a unique type of paper called Shiro Alga Carta which is produced from the algal blooms that grow in the Venice lagoon and damage the fragile ecosystem there. So in effect they are re-using material that would otherwise be polluting the environment and producing a unique high quality paper that has visible algae particles and whitens with age because of the chlorophyll. Other than algae, Favini also produces paper with residuals from fruit processing -- lemons, apples, oranges, grapes.

Favini's biggest seller is their shopping bags which are made for various retail stores popular in Italy including Gucci. They press special designs into the paper which give the shopping bag a unique feel and look.

At the end of the tour, we were provided with snacks and drinks and each of us was given a Favini shopping bag with a notebook, folder with specialty paper inside, and a journal.