2017 Sustainability Overview | Prysmian Group

65 In 2017 Prysmian Group organised the second edition of the ‘Technology for Human Beings’ contest, in collaboration with the Human Foundation, for the selection of bachelor's and master's degree thesis on the applicability of new technologies for sustainable development. The contest was aimed at students of engineering, physics and material sciences enrolled at Italian universities or colleges and inspired by the Sustainable Development Goals, in line with the Group's Sustainability strategy, and awarded 6 students - 3 bachelor's theses and 3 master's thesis - with cash prizes. The first winners of each category were offered the possibility to carry out a six-month internship within the Prysmian Group. Prysmian is continuously strengthening exploratory studies to identify innovative materials for the new technologies employed by cables and accessories. In order to achieve this goal, the Group strengthened its partnership with major universities all over the world. In Italy, Prysmian joined forces with the University of Padua for a preliminary study in order to start a joint project on fire-resistant materials. It also cooperated with the Politecnico di Milano for a study aimed at obtaining polymers resistant to oils and the creation of a material based on unsaturated polymers that react with each other generating a crosslinked product with good characteristics. Along with the University of Salerno Prysmian also worked at a study of a polypropylene used to make the diameter joints in PLaser cables that showed a totally unexpected anomalous behaviour. In 2017, investments by Prysmian on Research, Development and Innovation totaled about €84 million, as the Group developed numerous R&D projects and continued some of the previous year, such as the Design-To-Cost (DTC) aimed at lowering production costs and reducing the quantity of materials used for cable production by redefining the design of the product. This programme achieved cost savings totaling more than €13 million in 2017. In 2017 was also introduced Afumex Green 1kV to its Afumex family, the safest and most sustainable cable on the market made of bio-polyethylene derived from sugar cane and the new P-Laser 600 kVDC cable. Investments were also devoted to the development of the P-Laser 600 kV HVDC for power transmission networks that guarantees better electrical performance, lower costs and greater environmental sustainability. At Prysmian, development projects seek to increase the efficiency and reliability of the finished products offered by the Group while, at the same time, lowering energy and power losses, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the consumption of electricity and water during the manufacturing processes. CONTINUOUSLY EXPANDING THE PRODUCTS’ RANGE Technology for human beings Joining forces with major universities 49.0% 27.0% 7.0% 13.0% 4.0% Increase in productive capacity / product mix Efficenty and Industrial Foodprint Information systems and R&D Structural maintenace Others GROUP INVESTMENT IN 2017