The fourth edition of the Stakeholder Engagement Report presents the projects developed in Italy during 2023 for the benefit of our stakeholders, reaching over 9,000 direct beneficiaries.

Through this activity, we maintain an active dialogue with our stakeholders regarding the strategies and initiatives undertaken in the short and medium term.
Among the 2023 events that most strengthened the bond with the communities, the CGreen Days and the Federbeton Open Doors stand out: these occasions offered us the opportunity to illustrate the production processes and share the company's commitment to decarbonisation.

Read the complete report here.

“A nation in which no children are born has no future and does not innovate”.

Starting from this assumption, the company has developed the Family Friendly Company project to support women and families who wish to give birth to children. This is a set of measures, with economic and non-economic effects, to support colleagues of Italian companies of the Group in their life and growth choices.

More generally, Buzzi aims to counter the birth rate in our country, which is experiencing serious demographic decline. In fact, Italy is at the bottom of the European ranking of children per woman (only 1.22); furthermore, 43% of women with one child have no intention of having more for economic, professional and social reasons (Sources: ISTAT, June 2023; Save the Children Report: “Le Equilibriste - La maternità in Italia 2023”).

The company says: “In line with sustainability policies and people valorization, we want 'our parents' to face motherhood and fatherhood with serenity and that 'our mothers' have equal development opportunities, knowing that they can choose to bring children into the world, without their career path being limited as a consequence."

The interventions involve accompanying new parents from the months preceding the birth until they return to work.

The figure of the 'Family Friend' is established, a person designated to maintain contact with the colleague on leave for information purposes and on a voluntary basis, to update her/him on what is happening at work, in order to facilitate her/his return; the 'Thank you bonus' and the 'Up to kindergarten' are economic additions to optional post-natal leave; the 'Happy kids' contribution is a financial support for each new born up to a maximum of 3,000 euros gross per year for 3 years (the beneficiaries of this measure also include parents with children who, as of 31 December 2023, have not yet 3 years of age); finally, the return accompaniment path called 'Back on track' facilitates and harmonizes the colleague’s return to work.

Family Friendly Company is part of a broader project that intends to strengthen the company's commitment to promote an increasingly inclusive culture, based on equity and equal development opportunities and aimed at maintaining a healthy balance between work activity and family size.

In the plenary meeting held at the end of the year, the managers of Buzzi Unicem Ecologia, Ambiente e Sicurezza Function led an intense training session on the main regulatory innovations and sharing the main results and objectives for 2024.

It was an opportunity to talk about the issues introduced by the new group Health and Safety policy, first of all the goal of reducing accidents and occupational diseases to zero: an ambitious goal achievable thanks to twenty-year path undertaken and the new initiatives being introduced in the cement and concrete production units.

In November 2023, the injuries frequency rate was the best ever recorded by Buzzi Unicem in Italy: a result achieved thanks to the daily work carried out by the entire workforce. The involvement of all employees is in fact crucial in order to increase awareness and perception of risk.

On Saturday 2 December Buzzi Unicem participated in the second edition of 'Fai la mossa giusta', a day of meeting with local production companies for orientation towards higher education organized by the Municipality of Casale Monferrato.

During the event, authoritative interventions on the topic of orientation took place: in the morning the session was opened by Eng. Giuseppe Ricci, General Director of ENI Energy Evolution, followed by the young musician Riccardo Marchese and the architect Paolo Scoglio; the highlight of the afternoon program was the speech by Luigi Ballerini, guidance counselor and writer, as well as promoter of the 'Festival Nazionale dell’Innovazione Scolastica'

The event continues online: on the website of the Municipality of Casale it is possible to access the presentations prepared by companies, including that of Buzzi Unicem.

The CGreen Days tour of Italy concluded with the final event in Sardegna: from spring to autumn, a journey of seven stages across Italy to meet customers and present the technological evolution that has led to the creation of new generation cements, with low environmental impact.

Starting from Vernasca, the route touched the facilities of Barletta, Guidonia (Roma), Robilante (Cuneo), Monselice (Padova), Augusta (Siracusa) and finally ended in Siniscola (Nuoro).

The format has always had three main moments: a meeting with local customers, to underline the strategic choices undertaken with a view to decarbonisation and to present the new cements with reduced environmental impact; the guided tour of the plants, to learn about investments in optimizing the production process; a convivial moment to discover the territory and the communities in which Buzzi Unicem operates.

The CGreen days proved to be pleasant days of updating and sharing and touched on special places such as the Masone Labyrinth in Fontanellato, the historic center of Trani, the Sanctuary of Hercules Victor in Tivoli, the Sanctuary of Vicoforte, the Scrovegni Chapel in Padova, Fort Vittoria in Augusta, the Source of Su Gologone.

A formula that has proven to be appreciated for its ability to combine work topics with entertainment and valorisation of the territory.

Yesterday 4 September 2023, at the age of 90 years and two months, Sandro Buzzi concluded his earthly journey and reached the Father's house. We like to remember with affection and emotion his role as an enthusiastic, optimistic, passionate and empathetic leader.

Sandro Buzzi had a long, beautiful, challenging and successful life. His story has been inextricably linked to that of the company, since 1957, when as a young chemical engineer was called by his father Luigi to promptly take care of the transition from natural to artificial cement. Over time he has developed an almost unique knowledge and specialization of cement process and technology. The passion for the product led him to extend his scope of knowledge and work also to applications, especially the standards and the quality of the nascent ready-mix concrete industry. Starting in the 1980s, he has held various top positions within the group and, sided with the brothers Franco and Enrico, he has been the architect of the main phases of company development (acquisition of Unicem in 1997 and Dyckerhoff in 2001).

Sandro Buzzi also nurtured a great love for the sea, in particular offshore sailing. In many competitions he participated as skipper, at any level, both in the Mediterranean and across the Ocean. He instilled in this hobby the same passion for engineering that he had from his daily work, starting with the use of the sextant to the development of innovations such as twin foils coupled with canting keel.

We will continue to follow his example of dedication and love for work, family and business.

At the end of May, the second edition of the TagCem Master in Advanced Techniques for the Management of Cement Production Plants began, linked to an advanced training and research apprenticeship contract.

The ten students began attending lessons in the offices of Casale, identified as the academic headquarters; in a second phase, they will move to the classrooms of the Polytechnic of Turin, partner of the project. This two-year course includes periods of stay in the group's various plants to acquire operational technical skills.

This edition also aims at transforming apprentices into expert professionals, preparing them for entry into industry and providing them with the know-how necessary to face the challenges of the future. The Quarries and Mines Management, the Ecology, Environment and Safety Management, the Operations Management, the Logistics and Purchasing Management, the Projects and New Plant Management and the Quality and Technical Assistance Management were involved in this important project.

Three events in as many local communities, for a significant moment of sharing with the younger generations: Buzzi Unicem has decided to dedicate to schools the "Porte Aperte" event, promoted by Federbeton Confindustria - the Federation that represents the cement and concrete supply chain in Italy - to introduce communities behind the scenes of the Made in Italy effort in the construction sector.
The artistic and social sensitivity developed in recent years has led Buzzi Unicem to honor this commitment by organizing a relevant event in Monselice on May 6th: two hundred students from the JFK Institute and Jacopo da Montagnana high schools have been spectators of “La voce della Costituzione”, as part of the Este vicariate "Teatrando" project. A representation full of meaning and value, which has been staged by Alberto Riello and Stefano Corbo in the bagging area.

On May 20th it was the turn of the Barletta plant, which hosted 200 students of Cassandro Fermi Nervi and Ipsia Archimede; on May 27th in Siniscola, over 100 young people from ITCG Luigi and IIS Michelangelo Pira visited the local plant, learning more about the cement production cycle, the theme of quarries and environmental restoration, as well as safety in the workplace.

By reserving the "Porte Aperte" space for schools, Buzzi Unicem confirms its sensitivity for the young protagonists of the community: kids who live the sustainability issues and who will soon have to make important choices for their future.

The second edition of the AEuganeus Basketball Party was staged on Sunday 28 May, with a tournament dedicated to the Aquilotti category, at the Monselice production site.

In addition to Virtus Padova, Pallacanestro Redentore, Basket Conselve, Battaglia Terme and Pallacanestro Camin also joined and participated with the Aquilotti teams on the playing fields set up within the spaces made available by Buzzi Unicem. An alternative Sunday for all the children who put on a show with jumps, basket shots and lots of smiles, in front of their parents' eyes, playing in a unique location.

In addition to the basketball tournament, the guests were able to attend (as in the previous edition) the performance of the Tamburini dell'Augusta Contrada di Marendole, a group that for several years has been awarded as best drum 'ensemble' in the historic procession of the 'Palio di Monselice'. In the afternoon, after a tasty lunch break, spotlight on inclusive basketball with a beautiful BaskIN demonstration game starring the Redentore Baskin Este team.

During the event, the families and all the participants had the opportunity to visit the company and learn about the manufacturing processes of the plant.
“Also this year we are proud to host the AEuganeus Basketball Party with lots of children and parents who had fun, in addition to the many local associations with which we are happy to collaborate. A beautiful event for everyone and we can only give everyone appointment for next year edition”, commented Daniele Bogni, Director of the Buzzi Unicem plant.

The event was attended by Chief Executive Officer Antonio Buzzi, plant manager Daniele Bogni, Virtus Padova Director Nicola Bernardi, Virtus head coach Riccardo De Nicolao, captain Federico Schiavon, Umana Reyer Venezia playmaker Andrea De Nicolao and FIP Padova President Flavio Camporese.
“Even this year it has been a wonderful even: it allows us to involve the children of mini-basketball and many local realities with an organization like no other. We can only thank Virtus and Buzzi Unicem for making these activities possible", commented Flavio Camporese, President of FIP Padova.
The spaces made available within the Monselice plant also housed the Italian Red Cross, with a special area reserved for blood sugar and cholesterol tests, the Italian Naval League Sect. Padua with the display of their boats, the Augusta Contrada di Marendole which has created a podcast with the protagonists of the day and the Salus Pueri Foundation, which supports the Paediatrics of Padova and promotes the health of all children, with a presentation of the project 'Salute, Giovani e Stili di Vita' (to which a special fundraising moment was dedicated, with a fancy charity shooting competition whose proceeds will be doubled by Buzzi Unicem).

“It has been a truly special day, which combined sport and education, leaving everyone with many beautiful memories, in the name of sport, celebration and sharing in a different setting from the usual with the possibility of getting to know the activities and the work behind a company like Buzzi Unicem which is also linked to social commitment by bringing into play important values such as inclusion and solidarity, with the fun shooting competition for charity in favor of the Salus Foundation Pueri", commented Riccardo De Nicolao, Technical Manager of the neroverde youth sector.
 

Seven stops, between spring and autumn, to meet customers and present the technological evolution that has led to the creation of new generation cements with low environmental impact.

The first CGreen Day of the season was held on Friday 14th April: an interesting day of updating and sharing, which began in the fascinating location of the Masone Labyrinth in Fontanellato (Parma) and then continued in the afternoon at the Vernasca facility.

The meeting allowed the company to underline the strategic choices undertaken for decarbonisation: a commitment signed in the Roadmap 'Our Journey to Net Zero' towards total carbon neutrality by 2050.

Once the goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 20% over the last two decades has been achieved, a major investment has been planned to achieve the intermediate goals of 2030 and continue along this demanding path of sustainability.

In addition to the introduction of CGreen cements with a lower clinker content, the essential technological actions include the replacement of fossil fuels (with new installations for the use of CSS), the use of decarbonised and mineralizing raw materials, renewable energies and systems which increase the use of alternative fuels.

The tour of Italy will experience its second stage on May 19, when Buzzi Unicem will meet customers who refer to the Barletta cement plant.
 

In its Sustainability Report 2022, Buzzi Unicem shares with its stakeholders an accurate snapshot of the company's economic, environmental and social performance.

In this edition, the twenty-second one to be exact, the company once again seizes the opportunity to give an update on its goals. The year 2022 was the year in which we achieved the goals announced in 2017: a 5% reduction in our specific CO2 emissions, the implementation of structural engagement projects, and increasingly safer working conditions at all production facilities. 

Also worthy of note is the introduction of a section dedicated to the Roadmap "Our Journey to Net Zero" and to the validation by SBTi, an authoritative international body that has approved our targets to 2030. 

Lastly, in this Report we provide all the information required by Taxonomy Regulation: after the indication of the percentages of eligible turnover, investments and operating costs, provided in last year's Report, this year we also included the respective percentages of alignment according to the criteria established by the Regulation for the cement industry.


Read the complete report here.

The new edition of the Stakeholder Engagement report shows the activities in the plants, after the years conditioned by the pandemic.
The document describes the various projects that the company has carried out throughout the country, reaching more than 9,000 stakeholders.

In addition to various cultural and social activities, particular effort was put into the training with schools on the climate change matter and other topics.
“High 5” has been a winning project also in 2022, involving 135 students with more than 11,000 hours of training at the plants and at Casale Monferrato headquarters.

Read the complete report here.

Bolstered by the success of the first edition, Buzzi Unicem has decided to reintroduce the two-year Level II University Master's Degree in ‘Tecniche avanzate per la gestione degli impianti di produzione del cemento’ (Advanced Techniques for Cement Plant Management). 

Developed in collaboration with the Master's and Lifelong Learning School of the Polytechnic University of Turin, the TagCem Master's program will run until the spring of 2025 with the aim of providing trainees with a body of knowledge applied to different professional fields and organizational roles, along the company's entire production chain.

Once the master is finished, the participants in the Master's program, initially hired under a contract of advanced training and research apprenticeship, will be officially placed at Buzzi Unicem to fill positions within the company.

Enrollment in the second edition of TagCem is officially open until March 29: more information can be found on the Polytechnic's official website.

On Saturday, November 5, the Castle of Casale Monferrato was the venue for the first edition of 'Fai la mossa giusta,' a day of meeting with local manufacturing companies for higher education guidance. The event was organized by the Municipality of Casale Monferrato along with the development agency 'Fondazione Aleramo', Piemonte Lavoro e Obiettivo Orientamento Piemonte.

Buzzi Unicem accepted the invitation by making itself available to young people and their parents, fully aware of how important it is to choose the right high school course of study. A decision to be taken according to the natural aptitudes of the students, but also with knowledge of the actual opportunities for the development of a career in the area, from today to the coming years.

The day opened with a speech by Angelo Miglietta, Full Professor of Economics of businesses and international markets and Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the IULM University of Milan, while at the end Fondazione Aleramo hosted a debate entitled 'Orienting to choice: insights and reflections for an informed orientation'.

It also possible to find out more online: on the Municipality of Casale’s website, youngsters can access presentations prepared by the companies, including that of Buzzi Unicem.

Sustainability, ambition and connection with the territory: in the sign of these three cornerstones, Buzzi Unicem continues to believe in the Casalese basketball, supporting the two main teams currently competing in the second and third national series.

For the third year in a row, Buzzi Unicem is fueling the sports project of Monferrato Basket (new name of J Basket Monferrato) as a Gold Sponsor. The company's logo will again be prominently displayed on the official jersey with which the team will tackle a new A2 Series championship.

At the same time, Buzzi Unicem will also be sponsoring Junior Casale, a historic association this year engaged in the B championship, as a result of the team winning the C Gold championship this past season.

Thus, the commitment to support a team sport that is highly enjoyed and practiced in the area - starting with the youngest children in the form of mini basketball up to the Senior teams - and which perfectly embodies the spirit of the Company: the collective effort is more important than any individualism.

In addition to rooting for the achievement of the best sport results, Buzzi Unicem is also looking with interest at the consolidation process of the two sports clubs, with which it shares the values of sustainability, ambition and connection with the territory.

On Monday, September 26, the official inauguration of Built, Buzzi Unicem's new technological innovation laboratory, was held in Vercelli at the San Giuseppe complex of the University of Eastern Piedmont (UPO).
Built (Buzzi Unicem Innovation Lab and Technology) represents the highest evolutionary stage of the company's Research & Development, and joins other existing entities such as the plants' labs and the Wilhelm Dyckerhoff Institut in Wiesbaden, Germany. 
Attended by several authorities and academics (including UPO Rector Gian Carlo Avanzi) as well as the Mayor of Vercelli Andrea Corsaro, the event was organized to officially present the partnership agreement between the university and Buzzi Unicem and to showcase the potential of the new laboratory, which has already been active since January.
In addition to the location in the modern spaces of the San Giuseppe complex, the agreement stipulated in 2018 provides for synergistic activities between basic research and the industrial sector's application approach. UPO can expand its curriculum in materials science and technology by providing students and researchers with study and work experience in the corporate environment, while Built is happy to welcome and cultivate projects for the development of innovative and highly sustainable building materials.
Built is organized across two floors, with a large room dedicated to concrete testing, a chemistry and physics lab equipped with numerous state-of-the-art instruments for materials characterization, a chemical laboratory accredited according to ISO/IEC 17025:2018, and a mortar lab. Temperature- and humidity-controlled curing chambers for curing specimens and specific areas for mills and crushers have also been provided. Twelve chemical technicians and researchers with scientific backgrounds currently work in the lab.
“We are very pleased to inaugurate this facility,” said the technical director Luigi Buzzi, “as it represents not just a simple laboratory, but a new way of working to meet the complex challenges of the future, from the decarbonization of the production process to the search for increasingly high-performance and sustainable binding agents."
The Director Fulvio Canonico added: “The lab is fully operational, and we are satisfied with the results of our work and the contribution to innovation we make to the group. The atmosphere in Built is very stimulating, partly because of the possibility of interacting with the university campus around us."
The presentation concluded PhD Day, dedicated to the awarding of PhDs organized by UPO as part of Research Week. 

Buzzi Unicem has initiated the procedure for obtaining the technical evaluation certification for its CEM II/C-M Portland composite cements produced in the Trino, Vernasca, Settimello, Guidonia, Barletta and Augusta plants.
These are our new cements from the C-GREEN LINE, which will allow the company to improve the "green footprint" of its product line and achieve the objectives set forth in the 2030 Roadmap.
CEM II/C-M cements will also significantly help reduce CO2 emissions in concrete structures (up to 40% less CO2 per ton than CEM I cements), yet maintaining the equivalent technical performance as products with a higher clinker content. 
In the CEM II/C-M cements various components, including several with hydraulic activity, replace part of the clinker (between 50% and 64% by mass): granulated blast furnace slag ("S"), fly ash ("V"), pozzolan ("P") and limestone ("LL") are all main constituents of the recipe. 
CEM II/C-M cements can be produced in 32.5 N/R and 42.5 N/R strength classes for building interior and exterior structures in concrete, reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete in the most severe exposure classes with a compressive strength class of up to C40/50.
We believe that the CEM II/C-M cements will very quickly establish themselves as important offerings on the market, even becoming the “standard cement” in Italy by 2030. 
The building sector – and Buzzi Unicem, in particular – will take on the challenge of ecological transition by being able to: reduce specific CO2 emissions, focus our attention on the availability of resources; improve the efficiency of clinker and produce technologically advanced cements.

With the end of the 2021-2022 school year and, most importantly, after a period heavily limited by the pandemic situation, the school-work alternation involving various functions within the company is back on track.

Within the framework of the High 5 program, projects aimed at bringing school and the working world closer together were carried out regularly throughout the year through discussions with professors and school leaders who, well aware of how PCTOs (Programs for Cross-Cutting Skills and Orientation) can be a useful tool for young people, have become a reference point for organizing high-value activities.

For Buzzi Unicem, all this represents an opportunity for supporting the future professional growth of the students involved, through the preparation of projects aimed at enriching the cultural and personal background of each individual pupil, according to the logic of "learning by doing." During the school year, there were several opportunities to interact with young people from different fields of study and from many classes of the three-year vocational high school, each with his or her own history and ability to deal with new things. With this in mind, the offered activities were customized in an attempt to align them with the students' actual potential. The offer is intended to involve both students from high schools and vocational institutes that train interesting figures for a working environment such as ours.

The internship programs at the company can be broken down into a series of activities aimed at developing both the students' cross-cutting skills (general skills related to thinking and cognitive processes, patterns of behavior in social and work settings, the ability to reflect and use learning strategies and self-correcting behavior) and technical skills, thanks to specialized training in the classroom and under the guidance of the company tutor, at the plant facilities.

This year, along with the executive offices and the production sites, Buzzi Unicem made available its new technological laboratory called Built which, in collaboration with the University of Eastern Piedmont (UPO), carries out Research & Development in a dynamic and stimulating context, contributing to the cultural and scientific growth of students and teachers.

This phase of the year has come to a successful end and has confirmed the students' willingness to bounce back from the difficult period that has just passed in order to tackle with great commitment the projects specifically developed for them, with a view to the future.

For additional information and to submit applications for internships at Buzzi Unicem, please send an e-mail to: scuola@buzziunicem.it.

Buzzi Unicem is a supporter of the second edition of the General States of Industrial Heritage, held from 9 to 11 June in Rome and Tivoli. Organized by the Italian Association for Industrial Archaeological Heritage (AIPI), in conjunction with the Department of Civil, Building and Environmental Engineering of Sapienza University, and in collaboration with the Villa Adriana and Villa d'Este Institute (MiC), the international congress features a packed agenda of meetings and talks focusing on national and international industrial heritage, the goal of which is to promote cultural and business values where "the future of memory" defies time and builds the foundations for the future.
The signs of production and work are interwoven throughout the territories and cities of today, ranging from those imprinted in the post-industrial landscape to those seen in the organization, aspirations and critical issues of contemporary society. These visible effects of a very recent past are impossible to overlook within the context of the cultural, economic, social and environmental challenges of the present and the years to come, so it is ever more important that we reclaim and showcase this industrial heritage. 
With an agenda of 11 themed sessions, the congress brings a fresh, new view to topics ranging from industry sectors and the classic specializations of "Industrial Archaeology", and starting with the machine, the lynchpin of industry, extends its sweep to cities, territories and landscapes, research, and operational strategies and practices. Over 350 participants, including professionals, academics, and representatives from institutions and heritage bodies, will attend the three-day event. 
The General States of Industrial Heritage are a truly unique concept and based on the same cultural and business values recognized by Buzzi Unicem and the inspiration behind the ArenA Buzzi Unicem project, which will be officially presented in a special session on June 10.
The goal of the Buzzi Unicem ArenA project is to create an artistic environment that encompasses multiple cultural and social formats within a single production site, namely Buzzi Unicem’s Guidonia Montecelio cement plant. It will be an opportunity to explore the work that led to its conception: a collaboration between several entities, in which the realm of industrial architecture serves as a link between the plant and the surrounding social environment, boosting urban regeneration and helping to break down barriers and create opportunities for development and progress.
As part of the Industrial Tourism session promoted by the specialist agency Clematis, the program also includes an opportunity to visit the Buzzi Unicem plant in Guidonia and see how industrial production can coexist with cultural production, and how industry can draw closer to the city, its suburbs and society at large, by presenting a dynamic and positive view of industrial space.

Below is the publication of Artribune, a magazine of contemporary art and culture.