We are proud to announce that Oasi Zegna received the prestigious Biodiversity Conservation Award at the Sustainable Fashion Awards 2022 organized by Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala.
Ermenegildo Zegna Group president and CEO Gildo Zegna collected the award on behalf of the Zegna family, who have always been committed to furthering the Group’s sustainability principles in line with the founder’s vision. Oasi Zegna is a living example of Zegna’s work to protect the territory and wellbeing of the community. The Zegna family have been protecting and husbanding what is now Oasi Zegna, and considered the cradle of all the Group’s values, for over a century now.
CNMI’s Biodiversity Conservation Award acclaims Zegna’s constant commitment to developing the natural ecosystem created by its founder, Ermenegildo, early in the last century, long before sustainability and conservation of the natural environment became key to supporting responsible development. At the time, the founder was driven by his awareness that the quality he sought for his products was closely tied to positive relationships with nature and the community. Thus convinced, he decided to plant half a million trees on the bare mountainside and then build a new road, the Statale 232, through Oasi Zegna, as well as homes for his employees, a school, a hospital and public meeting spaces for the benefit of the entire community. Oasi Zegna is now almost entirely covered by a continually growing forest for which international certification to FSC® standards for the management of forests and ecosystem services for the community was obtained in 2022. The management strategies adopted make it possible to increase carbon dioxide uptake and improve resilience to storms, floods, fires, parasites, epidemics and other damaging phenomena. A natural forest protects against soil erosion and landslide and avalanche risks, while the environmental tourism, recreational activities and cultural events it accommodates also constitute a considerable economic opportunity for the area.
Oasi Zegna is now faced with new threats, such as climate change and new diseases that attack trees. This project is an essential contribution to increasing the resilience of natural habitats, and this award spurs the Ermenegildo Zegna Group to put even more energy into maintaining this wonderful natural heritage, the true heart of the community, the Zegna family and the Group.
