ApideckTape
← Embedded Finance Index 2026

Sofidel

“Can a privately-held tissue paper manufacturer embed ESG-linked finance and multi-country spend automation into its operations to sustain premium access to capital and operational efficiency at scale?”

Founded1966
HQPorcari, Lucca, Italy
FoundersEmi Stefani, Giuseppe Lazzareschi
Latest roundPrivate Debt (Sustainability-Linked Loans from multiple banks)
IndustryManufacturing / Consumer Goods
The story

Founded in 1966 as a tissue paper manufacturer in Tuscany, Sofidel has grown into the second-largest tissue paper producer in Europe with operations across 17 countries. The company has leaned heavily into sustainable finance, structuring its corporate borrowing as sustainability-linked loans tied to ESG targets. On the operational finance side, it adopted Soldo for multi-country T&E and corporate spend management across its 7,000+ workforce.

Last 12 months
2023-09
2024-05
Product timeline
1966
Founded in Porcari, Italy by the Stefani and Lazzareschi families as a tissue paper manufacturer.· pivot
2008
Joined WWF as first Italian manufacturer and first tissue sector company globally to partner on forest stewardship.· pivot
2010
Production capacity reached 940,000 tonnes annually; company adopted UN Global Compact principles.· pivot
2015
Production capacity grew to 1,050,000 tonnes per year.· pivot
2023
Closed multiple sustainability-linked loans (Crédit Agricole Italia, ING Italia, BayernLB) tied to ESG KPIs including CO2 reduction and plastic packaging reduction.· lending
The stack
1 layer disclosed in Sofidel’s embedded-finance stack
Spend / AP
Soldo
Accounting gap: none

Sofidel — frequently asked

Who founded Sofidel?

Sofidel was founded by Emi Stefani and Giuseppe Lazzareschi and is founded in 1966, headquartered in Porcari, Lucca, Italy.

Benchmark your own stack

Request an embedded finance strategy assessment

Get a read on where your own stack stands against Sofidel and the rest of its category — what they built versus bought, which providers they use, and where the gaps in your own strategy and competitive set actually are.

  • Your category, mappedHow your stack compares to Sofidel and the other companies in its category.
  • Build vs. buyWhere a provider relationship would close a gap faster than building it.
  • A named analyst, not a form replyA short call to scope what's actually worth assessing for you.

No newsletter, no sharing your address. We use this to reach out about the assessment and nothing else.