After ABB Robotics in Italy launched a collaboration in 2023 with Pappaluga Farm, a social agricultural enterprise that employs children with cognitive disabilities, the Smart Building division of ABB Electrification in Italy has also decided to support this initiative.
The mission of Pappaluga Farm is to give young people with cognitive disabilities the opportunity to work in a suitable and protected context such as the Pappaluga farm, a magnificent social agricultural enterprise in Gemonio, in the province of Varese, in the north part of Italy, where fruit and vegetables are grown organically.
The founder Davide Macchi, entrepreneur and father of 4 children including Carlo, who is cognitively disabled, told us about Pappaluga's business: "I founded Pappaluga in 2018 driven by the motivation to give authentic working dignity to people with cognitive, intellectual and relational disabilities. Inside the estate, the boys of Pappaluga grow seasonal vegetables through permaculture design using the techniques of Bioinclusive agriculture. This allows you to guarantee a work in contact with nature that gives a unique experience. It is an educational path aimed at professional integration. Companies that want to contribute to our project can financially take charge of the training of a young person, a special form of distance adoption, work adoption. In this way, partner companies can, through us, comply with the obligations of Law 68/99."
After ABB Robotics in Italy, the Smart Building division of ABB Electrification has also decided to support Pappaluga by adopting a girl at a distance, who has already started her training on the farm in Gemonio.
Emanuela Bruschi, HR Business Partner Business Line Energy Distribution for the Smart Building division of ABB Electrification, explains the reason for this choice: "Sponsoring this initiative makes us proud because it represents a concrete commitment to inclusion and social responsibility. Seeing young people with disabilities grow and develop new skills in a safe and stimulating environment fills us with joy and satisfaction. This project also strengthens the sense of community and belonging within our company and is a tangible example of how our values of integration and collaboration can make a difference in society."
This collaboration with Pappaluga is just one of the pieces of ABB's commitment to inclusion where many initiatives were born within the ABB Italy Abilities Team.
With this collaboration, a girl will have the opportunity to start a career path thanks to long-distance adoption supported by ABB. A safe, dignified job in full respect of nature because - for example - at the Pappaluga farm the plants are not fertilized, but the soil is fertilized, favouring the development of microorganisms essential for sustainable development over time and respectful of all forms of life."
The ABB Italy Abilities Team is made up on a voluntary basis of people from all ABB offices in Italy and with different roles that aim to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace.
The establishment of the Abilities group is part of the Group's commitment to Diversity and inclusion issues and to creating an inclusive work environment that celebrates each person's uniqueness as an essential added value for the Group's success.
