Lapi Gelatine joins Puliamo il Mondo in Empoli: taking care of our local community

An afternoon dedicated to taking care of Pagnana and the area along the Arno River, just a few steps from our headquarters. For the first time, Lapi Gelatine joined Puliamo il Mondo, Legambiente’s environmental clean-up initiative involving schools, citizens and, for the past two years, local companies.

From schools to companies: a community-wide initiative

Over the years, Puliamo il Mondo has developed into an increasingly participatory initiative in the Empoli area. After first involving schools and then citizens, the initiative has also been open to local companies for the past two years, giving businesses the opportunity to contribute and raise awareness about environmental care and the local community.

For Lapi Gelatine, this was the third stage of this year’s initiative. We were pleased to join from the very beginning, because we believe that a company can play an active role in the area where it operates, not only through its business activities, but also through participation and collaboration with local organisations.

During the afternoon, Laura Mannucci, Councillor for the Environment of the Municipality of Empoli, and Stefano Busoni, President of Legambiente Empolese Valdelsa, together with representatives of the Municipality of Empoli’s Environment Office, which organised the initiative together with Legambiente, stopped by to greet the team.

An afternoon taking care of our local area

Our team spent the afternoon cleaning up the Giardini di Pagnana in Piazza Arno and the surrounding areas along the Arno riverbank.

A simple, hands-on activity that allowed us to look at a familiar place from a different perspective: an area right next to our headquarters and part of the community in which we live and work.

Among the waste we collected, one type stood out more than any other: cigarette butts.

There were a surprising number of them, scattered across the ground, along the edges of the path and in the green areas. Small and often barely noticeable, cigarette butts can easily be perceived as harmless. Yet the number collected in just a few hours shows how a seemingly minor gesture can become an environmental issue when repeated thousands of times.

It was perhaps one of the most striking aspects of the experience: taking care of a place also means noticing what we have become used to overlooking.

When the youngest get involved too

During the clean-up, some children who were playing at the Giardini di Pagnana came over, curious about what we were doing.

They asked questions, watched what we were collecting and, quite naturally, joined us to lend a hand.

A small but meaningful moment: environmental awareness also grows when children can see adults taking concrete action to care for the shared spaces around them.

Being part of the local community

For Lapi Gelatine, taking part in Puliamo il Mondo also means stepping beyond the boundaries of our company and actively experiencing the community we are part of.

Sustainability is not only about production processes, raw materials or the choices we make within our company. It is also about how we engage with the community around us, collaborate with local organisations and contribute, in our own way, to caring for shared spaces.

A simple, practical and shared experience that reminded us how even a small gesture can make a difference when it becomes a collective action.

Because taking care of what surrounds us is also a way of showing what is inside us.

Trust What’s Inside.