A €200m bank funding package has been approved for leading Italian wood-based panels producer Saviola Group to support its investment plans.
The funding, outlined in a January press release issued by Banca Finin and the Saviola Group, will help fund the rebuilding of the Sustinente particleboard plant in the province of Mantua, with capacity at the 250,000m3 factory set to greatly expand. It will also enable the purchase of cutting-edge equipment, designed according to ESG criteria.
The transaction, structured and arranged by Banca Finin and guaranteed by SACE, involves the participation of leading credit institutions as underwriters of the loan: UniCredit, Banco BPM, Monte dei Paschi di Siena, Banco Desio, Crédit Agricole, BPER, and Banca Popolare di Sondrio.
It will support the Saviola Group’s 2025–2029 development plan, aimed at new growth initiatives in Italy and Europe, and sustainable furniture solutions.
“This financing is a strategic element of our 2025–2029 plan: it will allow us to accelerate investments, increase production capacity, and further raise our ESG standards,” said Alessandro Saviola, president of the Group upon signing the contract.
“It is a growth path that focuses on people and local communities. Together with our financial partners, we will invest to make our plants even more efficient and sustainable, expand our product range and reduce our environmental impact. It is an investment in the future of the Italian recycled wood supply chain and in the value our employees generate every day.
“We are proud to be a leader in an investment program aimed at increasing capacity and efficiency, structuring a technological upgrade according to green criteria. Our goal is to foster greater international competitiveness, in the spirit of the circular economy.”
According to Italian news site Il Sole 24 Ore, which interviewed Saviola president Alessandro Saviola, the Sustinente plant’s capacity will increase 140% to 600,000m3, while staff numbers there will grow from 120 to 150. Mr Saviola was quoted as saying the project would involve the almost total rebuilding of the site.
Saviola Group, founded in 1963 in Viadana (Mantua), has five business units (Savionet, Saviola, Sadepan, Composad, and Saviolife) and an annual turnover of approximately €733m. Overall, it has 15 plants in Italy and abroad, with production of boards with 100% recycled wood content being a focus.
