We help the next generation grow:
Next Gen begins.
Our 2025.
This impact report describes how Watermelon pursues its common benefit: what we did in 2025, with what measurable results, and what goals we set for the year ahead.
Published pursuant to Law 208/2015, paragraphs 376-384.
Watermelon
for Action.
At Watermelon we all work towards one important goal: building a better world. We believe change starts with people and is reflected in the way we work. That is why we adopt responsible, sustainable and transparent practices, guiding every decision with care for people, the environment and the community.
Watermelon for Action is how we turn this vision into concrete actions, with the ambition that it can grow over time and generate an ever-wider impact, beyond the boundaries of our studio.
Our commitment is demonstrated by our B Corp certification, which attests to high standards of social and environmental responsibility and transparency.
People and wellbeing.
Our work is made by people working with other people.
We believe in respectful working conditions, in an inclusive environment and in the professional growth of those who work with us. We put talent, collaboration and work-life balance at the centre, because the quality of our projects also comes from the quality of our relationships.
60% of Watermelon is owned by a woman, who serves as director and manages its financial and human resources.
Ensuring a comfortable and calm working environment is essential to us. That is why we invest in people's everyday wellbeing and promote an active lifestyle through a flexible organisation that supports sport and sustainable mobility.
Alongside this, we recognise the value of concrete support: we adhere to the welfare measures in place and commit to strengthening them over time, convinced that wellbeing also comes from access to tools that improve quality of life, inside and outside the studio.
Watermelon Creative Lunch
Once a month we hold a Creative Lunch during the studio's lunch break. It is a moment of sharing that starts around lunch and becomes an occasion to discuss topics chosen each time: ideas, future projects, aspects of daily work that could be improved and matters of common interest.
An informal space for dialogue and listening, designed to encourage active participation and contribute to people's wellbeing and the growth of the studio.
Watermelon Masterclass
Watermelon Masterclass is the series of meetings through which we share skills, passions and knowledge, inviting the team or outside professionals to guide us in exploring topics that can enrich our work and our personal lives. They are moments of informal learning, born of curiosity and the desire to grow together.
The first edition was dedicated to contemporary Neapolitan pizza: from preparing the dough to stretching and baking techniques. The initiative came from a passion within the team: one of us stepped up, guiding the others through a hands-on, shared experience.
It was a collaborative day, in which everyone helped prepare and bake the pizzas, ending with a shared lunch in the studio garden.
Watermelon Experience
Watermelon Experience is the programme of shared experiences that each year takes us out of the studio, to meet organisations, people and places that reflect our values. Occasions to learn, challenge ourselves and strengthen relationships within the team.
We organised an activity at the Il Sentiero Cooperative, an organisation deeply rooted in the area and attentive to people. The day was a chance to see their work up close, explore themes linked to local agriculture and the value of locally grown produce, and share an experience outside the studio.
Through group activities and informal moments of exchange we strengthened relationships within the team, ending the day with an open-air snack made of the cooperative's produce.
Watermelon Together
In December we gathered for Watermelon Together, a toast to close the year together and celebrate the people who work with us: employees, collaborators and family.
The gathering took place in the hall of Palazzo Folcher in Morbegno and was a moment to meet outside our projects, to help people who collaborate during the year but do not always have the chance to meet, and to share the moments we lived together.
It was a celebration, but also a way to strengthen the relationships that hold our community together. During the evening we opened a wheel of Storico Ribelle, then carried on with food, wine and good company.
Territory and community.
We are rooted in Valtellina by a conscious choice, consistent with the way we work: working from here means developing projects with international scope even outside traditional centres, because a better quality of life contributes directly to the quality of the work.
We invest in the context that hosts us through relationships, collaborations and initiatives consistent with our values. A commitment we have always carried forward personally and that today we continue as a company too, in an open territory, able to offer real opportunities both to those who choose to stay and to those who decide to come from elsewhere.
Projects for the common good
We support foundations and charitable associations by developing projects to spread culture and the wellbeing of the community. We have produced campaigns for UNHCR, AIST (Italian Tourette Syndrome Association), Fondazione Veronesi, HSA Handicapped Scuba Association.
Yoga per la Ricerca
Yoga per la Ricerca is an initiative we organise during breast cancer awareness month, with the aim of supporting research into women's cancers on behalf of Fondazione Umberto Veronesi.
It is a group yoga practice, open to all levels, available both in person and online. Over time it has also become an occasion to meet and share.
The funds were paid through the Foundation's official portal, ensuring the utmost transparency in their management.
The event is made possible by the contribution of volunteers, the guidance of instructor Maria Josè Ciaponi, the patronage of the Municipality of Morbegno, which provided the gym, and the collaboration with Associazione Amazzoni, an organisation active locally in supporting women facing illness and their families.
Storico Ribelle
Every year we buy a wheel of Storico Ribelle, a cheese that is a symbol of the area and of a slow, careful, collective way of producing. 2025 was the fourth consecutive year of this initiative.
In spring we gathered at the mountain dairy in Gerola to decorate our wheel. Each year we choose a theme together, which is then illustrated and painted on the wheel by hand by the whole team.
The day ends with a lunch of Slow Food and local produce. The wheels then remain at the dairy, where they are cared for, checked and matured according to tradition.
Confettura Il Sentiero × Watermelon
In collaboration with the Il Sentiero Social Cooperative we produced a batch of jam with a custom label, distributed to collaborators, clients and suppliers.
Energy and environment.
We have invested directly in reducing the energy impact of our studio, acting both on energy production and on the building's efficiency.
| Jan | 0.15 MWh |
|---|---|
| Feb | 0.31 MWh |
| Mar | 0.61 MWh |
| Apr | 0.74 MWh |
| May | 1.01 MWh |
| Jun | 1.02 MWh |
| Jul | 1.00 MWh |
| Aug | 0.90 MWh |
| Sep | 0.60 MWh |
| Oct | 0.46 MWh |
| Nov | 0.20 MWh |
| Dec | 0.13 MWh |
Monthly values read from the system's chart.
CO₂ avoided on the product since 2019, ISPRA factor 0.213 kg/kWh (2025).
Photovoltaic system
In 2019 we installed a photovoltaic system on the roof of our Morbegno premises which, up to December 2025, has produced 50.51 MWh of energy.
We have begun expanding the system with a further 9 kWp of capacity and a 15 kWh storage system, which will come into operation during 2026, bringing the total peak capacity to 16.26 kWp.
Building energy efficiency
We improved the studio's thermal insulation by installing a 12 cm layer of Silsonic insulating panels on the ceiling, reducing heat loss in winter and overheating in summer.
District heating
For domestic hot water and space heating we use the district heating provided by the local service: a centralised heat distribution system that avoids the use of individual boilers, allows greater overall energy efficiency and helps reduce polluting emissions.
Less paper, more digital
We print nothing but the strictly necessary, on set too. We encourage clients and suppliers to exchange documents digitally.
Composting
The organic waste produced in the studio is turned into compost, which we use to fertilise the plants and the vegetable garden.
Reusable metal bottles, plates and glasses
In the studio we use reusable bottles, mugs, cups, plates, cutlery and glasses as everyday equipment. We also provide a cold-water purifier and carbonator, to reduce the use of bottles and disposable materials.
Training.
We believe that growing as a studio means first of all growing as people.
That is why we invest in continuous training, making courses and specialisation paths available even during working hours. We use professional platforms specific to our sector and more cross-disciplinary tools, such as Masterclass.
Alongside these resources we encourage participation in courses of various kinds, from foreign languages to artificial intelligence, from social media to other technical and organisational skills, including through the training calendars offered by local associations such as Confartigianato.
Watermelon Next Gen
It is the project dedicated to the training and growth of new generations. We collaborate with schools and universities, local and international, offering structured internships and tailored projects.
Over time many of these paths have turned into lasting collaborations: some of the people who joined as interns now hold key roles within the studio.
Impact
assessment.
Our commitment is measured with the B Impact Assessment, the international standard that assesses a company's overall impact on governance, workers, community, environment and customers.
Future goals.
Every year we renew our commitment to improving what we do, setting concrete goals in line with the principles of sustainability and responsibility that guide our work, also with reference to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
We have begun the work to expand the photovoltaic system and storage, which will come into operation during 2026. We are making some changes to the cooling system, in order to increase energy production and reduce consumption.
Once a month we will continue the Creative Lunch initiative during the studio's lunch break.
Together we will identify a topic to explore in the 2026 Masterclass, with skills from within the team or entrusted to outside professionals.
We will choose an activity to carry out in 2026 as an experience outside the studio, to meet organisations, people and places that reflect our values.
We will gather at the end of 2026 to close the year together with employees, collaborators and family.
We will buy the wheel of cheese produced during the year and, in spring 2026, we will gather at the Gerola dairy to decorate the wheel bought in 2025.
We will run the initiative again in October 2026, with proceeds donated to Fondazione Umberto Veronesi, in support of research into women's cancers.
We will continue our commitment as a B Corp and at the end of 2026 we will begin the recertification process under the new standards.