2017 Sustainability Overview | Prysmian Group

75 For Prysmian, relations with local communities represent a fundamental element to create value over the long term and also in 2017, the Group has promoted specific initiatives to support the economic, social and cultural development of the areas in which it operates. In Brazil the Group has signed a contract with PRODEPA, Telebràs and the development agency of Pará for the installation of optical cables as part of a broadband project in the Amazon region, known as "Xingu Conectado", that has linked 12 municipalities and connected 600,000 people to the 10 Gbps network. Prysmian has supplied 400 km of cables produced at the Sorocaba plant in São Paulo, which is rapidly becoming the leading optical fibre manufacturing facility in South America. In New Zeland Prysmian has accepted the challenge of modernising the communication system in the remote area of Te Urewera. The successful project involved the supply of optical fibre in three rural schools and in many communities of the area as part of the broader Rural Broadband Initiative programme. The cables were installed despite adverse and inhospitable field conditions. Always in 2017 the Group supported the international association Sorriso Nel Mondo, which, since 1997, has been treating infantile cranio-facial malformations in developing countries, by providing its cables to wire the Hôpital Général de Référence d'Uvira in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Thanks to the Group's support, a photovoltaic system for the production of solar energy was made possible so as to guarantee constant power supply especially to the two most sensitive hospital departments. Actively participating to the industry life Showcasing across the world Prysmian's global leadership is strengthened by the inclusion in the principal and most strategic associations, that allows a prominent role in the definition of guidelines and in debates with partners and competitors. Major associations to which the Group participates include Europacable, Friends of the Supergrid, Norstec, Medgrid, FTTH Council, Wind Europe. In 2017 the Group took part to over 80 among the most important international trade fairs and exhibitions seizing the opportunity to showcase new products, innovations and projects. Among the most prestigious fairs there were the Middle East Electricity, SGT Europe, Asansor International Lift Exhibition, GASTECH, Hannover Messe, OTC - Offshore Technology Conference, Wind Energy Offshore, Wind Energy Conference & Exhibition, in the energy sector; FTTH Council Europe Conference, OFC Conference, ANGA COM, Breko, Optix East Africa, FTTH Council MENA Conference, in the telecommunications sector. Prysmian also organized numerous events over 2017 with the main customers. Among these are worth mentioning the "Prysmian Club", which involved the main Trade and Installers customers worldwide, as well as collateral events organised during the various trade fairs, such as the Middle East Electricity Technical Seminars and the Offshore Wind Energy Exhibition. The group also carried out in 2017 several sponsorship activities suc as the partnership with "Energy Observer", the world's first catamaran powered exclusively by renewable sources, engaged in the circumnavigation of the globe for a period of 6 years. RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS COMMUNITIES During 2017 the Group reported a significant improvement in the assessment of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index , as it ranked third in the "Electrical Components & Equipment" sector of the review of the Swiss sustainability rating agency RobecoSAM. The attention to environmental sustainability is also reflected in performance in the CDP Climate Change Report 2017, in whose Italian edition Prysmian obtained the B classification on a scale from A to D. In the EcoVadis survey, a platform recognised worldwide, Prysmian improved its position obtaining a score of 70/100, rising from the Silver to the Gold level, within the 1% of the best suppliers. The Group also confirmed its inclusion in the FTSE4Good , the prestigious global index comprising firms that stand out for their ethical and transparent management practices, while improving its score in the Standard Ethics from EE to EE+, thus ensuring its inclusion in the European Standard Best Practice 30 Best in Class index. Prysmian also confirmed for the second year its inclusion in the prestigious Carbon Clean 200 report, as the only Italian firm present. For the third consecutive year, Prysmian also returns to the Top 10 of the Comprend Webranking 2017 report, published in Italy by Lunquist, while was also awarded by Italy’s Biblioteca Bilancio Sociale with a Special Mention for its commitment to communication and dissemination of its values to its stakeholders. A year of awards and recognitions