INSIGHT ISSUE 02 | 2021

9 INSIGHT | Focus On Bifulco is leading the Sustainability Steering Committee, which is responsible for developing, designing and implementing ESG policies and targets; effectively managing resources; and monitoring sustainability activities across regions, business units and corporate functions. This Committee has just been reappointed with members from Human Resources, R&D, Digital Innovation, Purchasing and all other functions within the company. It will work closely with the board-level ESG Committee (where Bifulco is Secretary), which is in charge of setting guidelines and procedures to integrate sustainability into the business model to submit for board approval. Bifulco says her goal is to further increase the sensibility of the board andmanagement on sustainability topics, indicating strategic priorities and to facilitate their implementation into action plans in the business sphere. Setting a science-based target entails working with the non-profit organization the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi) in a five-step process, receiving detailed feedback and support from the SBTi’s technical experts. The first step is to submit a detailed plain of how to achieve the emissions reduction. “We did a benchmark to see what our sector looked like, and we are among the best practices,” she says. “There are not a lot of cable makers or companies in this sector that have made such a rigorous choice.” Prysmian is accustomed to setting long term targets for itsmanagement, be they for emissions reduction, waste recycling or diversity and inclusion, Bifulco pointed out. Prysmian aims to have up to 18% of its management comprised of women in 2022, up from 13% in 2020. Prysmian Group has set concrete targets for 2022 monitored by a “Scorecard” based on the United Nations Sustainability Goals, and progress towards reaching them has been recognized by a demonstrable improvement in ESG ratings. Its 2022 targets call for recycling of 64%-66% of waste, as well as targets for social and community involvement and for employees’ health and safety. To achieve these targets, in 2020 the Group has already announced investment totalling €450 million by 2022 in order to improve further the sustainability of its organization and supply chain, and accelerate the development of advanced cable technologies, assets and services. These targets will now be updated to reflect the Group’s new commitment. Last year, in an investor note, a Citi analyst quipped that Prysmian’s sustainability strategy might make climate activist Greta Thunberg and CEO Valerio Battista “into very good friends.” That might be a stretch, but the group is demonstrating through its actions that it takes sustainability seriously. “Just like we want to have an active role in the energy transition, we want to have and must have an active role in the social transition. We must do our part. And do it with concrete actions. Because I really hope that in 2030, Diversity & Inclusion is no longer a topic." “The decision to set stricter CO 2 emission reduction targets, based on scientific evidence, is aimed at making Prysmian Group’s commitment to pursuing sustainable growth even more credible and transparent."