Federdistribuzione doubles the number of companies with a diversity and inclusion budget.

Among modern retail companies, there is a growing focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. This is evidenced by the growing presence of dedicated management committees and the doubling of companies with a dedicated budget, as revealed by the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 2025 Observatory, developed by Federdistribuzione and the Altis Graduate School of Sustainable Management at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. The Observatory monitors the evolution of retail companies' commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and provides a tool for comparing and sharing best practices among companies.

The 27 large retail companies involved provided an overview of the evolution of DE&I policies in the 2024-2025 period. Among the most notable findings is the increase in the number of companies with dedicated management committees for DE&I, from 20% to 37%, and the growth in structured corporate policies addressing these issues, from 26.7% to 48.1%. Most importantly, in the two-year period 2024-2025, the allocation of budgets dedicated to DE&I more than doubled, from 33.3% to 70.4% of companies.

At the same time, the adoption of monitoring tools is also growing, from 43.3% to 51.8%, with an increase in periodic review systems, from 10.0% to 33.3%. In human resources management, attention to merit is improving: 81.5% (up from 70% in 2024) of companies report adopting bias-free career advancement paths. Data on active employee listening is also positive, rising from 73.3% to 85.2%, and on employee involvement in decision-making processes, from 63.3% to 92.6%. Furthermore, there is a growing focus on respectful and non-discriminatory communication: 44.4% of companies provide training on inclusive language, compared to 13.3% in the previous survey. In terms of the inclusion of people with disabilities, both the presence of internal support figures increased, from 33.3% to 44.4%, and the monitoring of worker satisfaction with disabled workers increased, from 20% to 29.6%.

The second edition of the Observatory confirms that "Modern Distribution companies are strongly committed to enhancing diversity and applying the principles of equity and inclusion through concrete corporate practices," states Francesco Quattrone, Director of Employment and Union Relations at Federdistribuzione. "The significant growth in investments, monitoring tools, and dedicated initiatives demonstrates not only a constant commitment, but also a growing awareness of the strategic role that DE&I plays in relationships with the people who work in our companies, in the sustainable development of companies, and in the social progress of our country." For Matteo Pedrini, Professor of Corporate Strategy at the Catholic University and Director of ALTIS, "the results of the second edition of the DE&I Observatory show us that Modern Distribution is on a path forward on this front. Structured policies, dedicated budgets, and active employee involvement are signs of an inclusion that is gradually permeating corporate culture. In a country facing demographic and social cohesion challenges, promoting inclusive work environments is an ethical commitment, but at the same time a lever for competitiveness and innovation.