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Prysmian Group – 2015 Sustainability Report
Environment
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LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
In order to achieve a more systematic analysis of the environmental impact of cables and other products,
including in particular their carbon footprint, during 2015 the Group launched a project to apply Life Cycle
Assessment (LCA) methodologies to the design tools used to define products, in terms of the materials to be
assembled and the processing cycles required. For this purpose, HSE informed R&D managers and
representatives about certain fundamental concepts that underpin the techniques for assessing the
environmental impact of products, and then worked with IT managers to find the most suitable ways to apply
them to the above design tools. The next stage of the preparatory work will consider materials and
processes involved in more detail.
WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY
On the 5
th
of June 2015, the Prysmian Group participated in the World Environment Day (WED) for the first
time. WED is the main tool used by the United Nations to focus the attention of the public and political
decision-makers on the global environment. The objective of the event is to pose environmental questions
from a human standpoint, giving individuals the chance to play an active, leading role in achieving
sustainable development. Various Prysmian locations organised initiatives in this light, ranging from
plantings and gifts to employees who use eco-sustainable transportation, to efforts to save on the use of
lighting. In particular, 52 factories took part in 17 countries, being Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, France,
Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Turkey, Sweden, UK and factories in Asia – Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand,
Philippines, Singapore as well as the Milan headquarters.
COMMITMENTS FOR THE FUTURE
With reference to the HSE policy and use of the HSE Management System, in recent years Prysmian has
launched various initiatives intended to use resources efficiently and to reduce the environmental impact of
production processes at a number of factories (e.g. replacement of lighting systems, recycling of SF6,
awareness campaigns about the consumption of energy). These initiatives have generated various benefits
in both environmental and cost reduction terms. However Prysmian has felt the need to continue in a more
systematic and coordinated manner, focusing above all on the improved reporting at Group level of
consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The first concrete step in this direction was taken in 2015 by
conducting 17 energy audits at European factories, in accordance with the requirements of the European
Energy Efficiency Directive 2012/27/EU. These audits, which will be repeated periodically in future, were
carried out at 16 selected factories, deemed representative of the various types of Prysmian production, and
at the R&D laboratories in Milan.
The work, performed by experienced external auditors in coordination with the HSE function, identified areas
for improvement at each location together with the related energy efficiency improvements to be made.
The HSE function has analysed the results of the energy diagnoses and classified the proposed work as
follows:
Common initiatives: applicable to all Group locations, to be scheduled for all countries/regions over
the next 3-5 years, on the basis of established priorities, via central projects coordinated by the
corporate HSE function;
Local initiatives: to be scheduled and managed directly by the individual production units;