On Thursday, 4 November 2021, the HINFRA project, an innovative start-up created in partnership with Buzzi Unicem, was presented during the conference “The contribution of concrete construction industry to the 2050 decarbonization goal”, organized by the Lombardy Region together with the Milan Polytechnic University and the Milan Polytechnic Foundation.

HINFRA is a new model of construction company that translates into a technology hub for major civil engineering works. The starring role is played by the world's oldest building material: concrete. The goal is to make it digital on a large scale, reinforcing the concept of digital concrete, sustainable throughout its life cycle, using machinery, continuous-cycle materials, and ultra-fast extrusion technologies (additive manufacturing).

For additional information, please visit the website: www.hinfra.it 

All Buzzi Unicem plants are open again for hosting visits.
After a forced break due to the pandemic, activities have restarted safely and the plants ready to welcome anyone who wants to learn more about cement production and the technologies used throughout the production process and much more.
In addition, workshops, occasions for gatherings and discussions on many topics of interest for local communities are also about to restart.

"High Five" is also starting again, the school-work alternation project developed in synergy with schools, which follows the logic of "learning by doing" and promotes close collaboration between companies and institutes. In fact, over the years it has been seen how the mutual enrichment deriving from the school-work rotation programs that offer an opportunity for young students to plan their future and prepare their entry into the working world.

Buzzi Unicem views the Stakeholder Engagement initiatives as a systematic process aimed at creating value, and are a fundamental tool for promoting the active involvement of people and sharing with local communities the principles and values on which the company is founded. 
Additional Information

Additional information

To visit a cement plant, please send an email or call one of the contacts listed in the following link: Open plants

High 5: Relationships with schools
For further details:
"Hive Five": School-work rotation
For information and applications for work rotations at the company, please send a request to: scuola@buzziunicem.it

Stakeholder Engagement – for further information on the approach taken by Buzzi Unicem and details on the projects in 2020:

Stakeholder Engagement
Report Stakeholder Engagement

In 2019, Buzzi Unicem and the Vercelli campus of the University of Eastern Piedmont (UPO) entered an agreement to increase the level of expertise in the construction materials sector and work together on developing innovative solutions.
Our company will operate out of the modern spaces on the UPO campus in Vercelli where it will perform research and development activities and chemical, physical and instrumental analyses within a dynamic and stimulating environment, while supporting the cultural and scientific growth of the students and teaching staff. The goal of the agreement is to take advantage of the synergies between the basic research typically performed in academia and the applied research approach of industry. UPO will thus be able to expand its educational offerings in materials science and technology by providing students and researchers with research and work experience within a business environment. 
The name chosen for the new laboratory, Built, is an acronym for Buzzi Unicem Innovation Lab and Technology. The Built brand name is graphically versatile and can be used on many communications media. 
In a market that is increasingly geared towards sustainability, where businesses and consumers are becoming more focused on environmental issues, the construction sector and its entire supply chain are also undergoing a period of transformation. Researchers and students in the new laboratory will work on solutions for reducing the CO2 impacts of cement and concrete, in keeping with the European decarbonization objectives. 

On September 25^th, the Buzzi Unicem Fanna plant, will hold the fifth edition of the Family & Friends event, an open day in the factory dedicated to employees, family members and all those who wish to participate.

This day offers visitors the opportunity to understand how the plant works in all of its parts, to participate in seminars on different topics, in sessions and workshops designed for all ages. Many issues will be discussed: from waste management cycle and energy recovery, to the role of cement industry in the circular economy, from sustainability to cement product innovation cement and its applications.

There will be numerous booths to find out and deepen the Buzzi Unicem initiatives developed for the territory, programs designed for schools and universities, policies implemented to assure health and safety at work, and much more.
Workshops and educational games will be addressed to children and teenagers, to raise awareness on recycling and waste cycle. It will also be possible to participate in a workshop dedicated to nutrition and food nutritional principles.

The event will also host representatives of local associations and schools, while the closing show will be organized by the Maniago Philharmonic.

Family and Friends will start at 8:30 am and end at 6:30 pm.
All activities, visits and meetings were organized in compliance with the national and regional legislation in force on the containment and management of the epidemiological emergency from Covid -19.

A green pass is required and places to participate in the event are limited.
For reservations, write to visitafanna@buzziunicem.it no later than 20^th September 2021.

The event program is available here (Italian only).

After a virtual version in 2020, the Green Economy 2021 Festival is back in attendance from Monday 5 to Sunday 11 July in Parma.

This initiative is, as every year, promoted by the Symbola Foundation and Italypost, in collaboration with the weekly Buone Notizie del Corriere della Sera and Egea.

Buzzi Unicem, selected for the second time to participate in the initiative, has positively joined the project, sharing its values ​​and considering it an opportunity for constructive discussion with stakeholders and other participating companies.

The Vernasca plant of Buzzi Unicem will be involved in the Festival - on Wednesday 7th - as the “Sustainability Factory”, home to thirty recent graduates and post-graduate masters from all over Italy.

Among the peculiarities of the plant, the European “Cleanker” Project. The calcium looping technique for the capture and storage of CO2, applied for the first time to the production of cement, is tested here through a pilot plant. With this technology it is estimated that it is possible to produce cement by capturing over 90% of the carbon dioxide associated with the production cycle.

The plant also uses CSS-C (Secondary Solid Fuel - end of waste), as an alternative to fossil fuels in its production process, thus adopting an environmentally and economically advantageous solution.

A second moment of Buzzi Unicem's active participation in the Festival will be at the meeting "Business strategies for sustainability", on Friday 9 July 2021 from 4.30 to 5.45 pm. A conference moderated by Diana Cavalcoli journalist for Corriere della Sera, with the participation of important representatives of excellent companies committed to innovation.

To find out more about the Festival, visit the website: https://www.greenweekfestival.it/

The first edition of the 2020 Stakeholder Engagement Report aims to report on the many initiatives undertaken by Buzzi Unicem in favor of all stakeholders, mainly in the areas where the company operates.
The projects are part of the Stakeholder Engagement Policy and the intention is to highlight the constructive dialogue established over the years, sharing in a transparent manner the activities underway and the company's short and medium-term strategies.

Buzzi Unicem publishes the 2020 edition of the Sustainability Report, which provides a detailed account of economic, environmental and social indicators, as well as an update on objectives and targets, in line with the policies promoted by the company.
From an economic standpoint, the financial results show an improvement on the levels achieved in 2019, despite the difficulties related to the health emergency. On the environmental side, the document reports a significant reduction in absolute CO₂ emissions, both direct and indirect, while social performance highlights the results of good practices in terms of health and safety at work and confirms the downward trend in workplace accidents in recent years.
In addition, in order to mitigate the problems linked to the health emergency, the company decided to help people in difficulty in the countries hosting the Group's plants by donating over € 3 million to provide tangible help, in collaboration with various non-profit organizations.
Overall, the report shows how the culture of sustainability is an integral part of the company's strategic and operational decisions, from planning objectives to measuring progress and defining future challenges.

The CSC (Concrete Sustainability Council) certifications continue for Buzzi Unicem and Unical.
For the cement sector, Trino cement plant has obtained the certification attesting to the environmental, economic and social sustainability of the entire production process, while for the concrete sector, Brandizzo (TO) is the certified batching plant. 
To date, 5 are the certified batching plants, while 3 are the certified Italian cement plants. 

The Buzzi Unicem plant in Siniscola has launched on the market a new formulation of Portland cement CEM II / B – LL 32.5 R. The product, generated from the improvement of a formula already used in the past, uses limestone at “zero kilometer”, thus significantly reducing CO₂ emissions related to raw materials transport.

The desire to emphasize the connection with the territory and the protection of the environment has prompted the company to raise the awareness of all employees on this initiative, involving them in an internal communication project, which resulted in a prize contest. The aim of the contest was to package the new cement bag in an original way, introducing a slogan in the Sardinian language into the packaging, to give value to the relationship with territory and to the island tradition.

The winning phrase "Lea a mie ca so sardu che a tie" (buy me who am Sardinian like you) was selected among the many proposals received because it was able to effectively translate a sincere and genuine message and was printed on the front of the new CEM II / B – LL 32.5 R bag.

Buzzi Unicem expressed satisfaction with the participation in this initiative, which further confirms the company's policy in terms of sustainability and safeguard of local communities.

The new cement bag CEM II / B – LL 32.5 R will soon be available on the Sardinian market and will be appreciated by all those who, while continuing to look to quality, also have an eye for new, more responsible solutions

On 7 January 2021, the TAR (regional administrative court) of Lazio rejected an appeal lodged by the Val d’Arda council against measures that would authorize the use of SSF (secondary solid fuel) at the Vernasca cement plant, as well as against the Ministerial Decree (DM 22/2013 – Clini Decree), which defines the conditions for using SSF in cement plants and thermoelectric power stations.

The TAR of Lazio also clarifies that the company has completed all the administrative procedures correctly and has obtained all the necessary legal permits for using SSF (Environmental Impact Assessment and the Integrated Environmental Authorization amendment).

The ruling reinforces the direction taken by Buzzi Unicem, which has been investing in innovative technology for years to expedite the decarbonization process and thereby support a circular economy model by reducing its reliance on non-renewable fossil resources. The use of SSF is therefore in line with European policies for creating and advancing a circular economy, in full compliance with the European waste hierarchy.

The ruling also clarifies the precautionary principle, which is often invoked inappropriately to block rigorous and comprehensive administrative procedures based merely on fear, albeit a valid concern. The apprehensions of councils and stakeholders deserve to be heard and answered openly and transparently by bringing to the discussion scientific knowledge, statistical data and emissions measurements, as well as academic corroboration – all of which were produced in the case in question and which received prompt feedback. The judges clarify that preventing the realization of a project based on the precautionary principle implies that there is actual scientific uncertainty about its consequences which, in the case reviewed, does not exist.

This ruling signifies an incontrovertible clarification that is of nationwide interest.