As the importance of alternative energy sources is highlighted, C. Fino & Sons Ltd has chosen to go green, installing photovoltaic panels on its roof which will provide around 20 per cent of the consumption.

“Fino has always been forward looking, which means investing in the future,” chairman Joseph F.X. Zahra said. This does not mean being happy with the way things are, but always looking to ways in which one can improve.

Mr Zahra said they felt this project fitted neatly with the government policy of turning to alternative energy, and added that Fino had invested in these photovoltaics with the help of EU funding, which covered 50 per cent of the around €200,000 cost.

The photovoltaic panels will provide 100,000 units of energy a year, according to engineer Johan Aloisio for Engineering Consultancy Ltd. The plan is to double the current amount of panels in the near future.

The Parliamentary Secretary for Consumers, Chris Said, commented that they had recently been visiting childcare centres, farming and fishing centres and places like Fino, among others, to see the results Malta has seen from EU membership and the funds it brought.

Some 149 companies benefited from the €20 million for industry scheme, which actually gave around €25 million due to the interest generated. Another scheme was for those taking up alternative energy initiatives, such as Fino.

By such actions the company is doing its part towards boosting economic activity in Malta, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said.

The installation of the panels would not only save the company money each month, but in the first four months of the year Fino has saved on some 25,000 kilogrammes of carbon dioxide emissions, which would otherwise have gone into the air.

Many had believed that the manufacturing sector would suffer as a result of EU membership; however the reality was very different. The tastes of the Maltese people have changed, but companies like Fino have reacted accordingly, giving people what they want.

As Mr Fenech and Mr Said were guided around the showroom, the Fino brothers explained that furniture has become like fashion, with colours and styles changing with the seasons.

Fino still offers its customers a unique kitchen, since there are so many options to choose from that no two kitchens are exactly alike. They have also worked to create a sort of one-stop-shop, even providing appliances, to save their clients hassle.

The majority of the people prefer a more modern look, as some 70 per cent of the sales are of modern furniture, whereas on the other hand some 30 per cent opt for the classic look.

The company produces domestic furniture, as well as preparing furniture for hotels and large companies, both locally and abroad. It has just finalised some work for the Sheraton Hotel in Libya, and is now bidding to provide the rooms too.

Their wish, he said, is to look out from their roof and see all the other roofs also covered in photovoltaic panels, for the good of the country.