Prysmian Group 2015 Sustainability Report

Prysmian Group – 2015 Sustainability Report

Supply Chain

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COMMITMENTS FOR THE FUTURE

During 2016, the Optical Fibre business unit will continue to prefer sea shipments between North America

and Europe, rather than air shipments, with a view to reducing the environmental impact of product

transportation.

DRUMS MADE OF WOOD AND OTHER MATERIALS

Small diameter drums are made from plastic/plywood, wood is used up to 3 metres in diameter, while larger

drums for cables are made from steel. In general, the drum material selected depends on the diameter and

length of the cable, criteria for the optimisation of logistics in order to reduce the carbon footprint, and

specific requests from customers associated with regulatory aspects in the destination country.

The Group is heavily committed to maximising the re-utilisation of drums and lowering their environmental

impact. For example, this involves using wood from replanted forests and implementing lagging solutions

that reduce the recourse made to quality materials, while continuing to use recyclable materials. This

commitment over the years has helped to improve the re-use rate of drums, as a consequence of our more

precise and modern management techniques.

With a view to improving efficiency, the Prysmian Group has worked on logistics together with a Turkish

supplier of steel wire: previously this wire was supplied on shipping drums and had to be transferred to

drums suitable for use on production machinery. As a result, a batch of 300 drums has been introduced that

are suitable for use both on Prysmian's machines and at the supplier's factory for deliveries to Prysmian,

thus eliminating the transfer process.

In Brazil, the Group has launched a project that involves covering drums with plastic film, which increases

their average life and facilitates the their handling and storage at the shipping stage.

27%

of wooden

drums reused

28%

of wooden

drums reused

28%

of wooden

drums reused