On 19 May 2004, at the Industrial Union of Turin, Buzzi Unicem was held up as a model of excellence during the workshop, "Report on Sustainability: Tool of Corporate Management and Communication". Buzzi published the "Sustainability Report 2003" , the next step in a process that began with publication of the "Environment and Safety Report 2001" and the "The Group for Sustainability 2002".
An expression of the improvement processes underway at the Company and an advanced means of management and dialogue with the stakeholders, the "Report on Sustainability" is an account-rendering tool, complementary to the traditional information tools. The Report allows companies to formulate a strategy of wide-reaching and transparent communication in pursuing social acceptance and legitimacy.
Social responsibility of companies - known by the Italian acronym RSI - represents the voluntary integration of the "triple bottom line," namely the three basic principles of Sustainable Development: economic prosperity, environmental quality and social justice. The way in which the RSI is perceived and the methods in which it interacts with corporate operations are at the core of today's dialogue. At the workshop organized by the CDAF (Club of Administrative and Financial Officers) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (an auditing firm that participates in the most important national and international study, research and comparison groups on RSI), Paolo Bersani of PWC introduced the Principles for Formulating the Financial Statements and Operating Tools for RSI to those present. In addition, Maria Cristina Balma of the OSIF (the Observatory on the Sustainability of Enterprise and Finance) talked about the ethical sensitivity of Italian enterprise and the role of stakeholders.
The OSIF aims to promote the culture of social responsibility in the Italian entrepreneurial world and transform RSI into a structural reality in the country. It is promoted by SAM (Sustainable Asset Management), co-owner with Dow Jones of the DJSI (Dow Jones Sustainability Index, the leading index of sustainability introduced on the financial markets); SRI (Socially Responsible Italia); the Forum Permanente del Terzo Settore (which brings together Italy's chief volunteer organizations); Humanity Onlus (conceived on initiative of the Luiss Guido Carli University in Rome); in addition to the recently introduced stakeholders: Progetica (a consulting firm that develops culture systems and quantitative instruments for financial and insurance institutions and professionals), AIR (the Italian Association of Resources for Sustainable Architecture), Millennium SIM S.p.A. and Unipol Banca.

This year Buzzi Unicem took part again in the 8th edition of the 30x8 Silvano Ruffo relay race with two teams and thanks to the skilful athletic preparation of our German colleagues from Dyckerhoff, we could gain an excellent placing: 3rd and 8th positions.
Team A, marked by the blue color of Buzzi Unicem, entered the field with the following formation: Marco Olmo (55, from Robilante - CN), Patrice Massing (36, "S.A. des Chaux de Cortern, Luxemburg), Reiner Görlich (32, Dyckerhoff, Lengerich plant, Germany), Harald Walter (33, Dyckerhoff, Göllheim plant, Germany), Eros De March (38, Buzzi Unicem, Cadola plant - BL) Mauro Campidelli (47, Buzzi Unicem, Santarcangelo plant - BL), Andrea Viel (21, Buzzi Unicem, Cadola plant - BL ) and Claude Simon (38, "Ciments Luxembourgeois S.A., Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxemburg). Team B marked, on the other hand, by the red color of Dyckerhoff, was composed of the following athletes: Gaspard Turco (41, "Klein Agglomérés S.a.S, Hagondange - France), Andreas Blobner (39, Beton, Wiesbaden - Germany), Mauro Delle Donne (34, Buzzi Unicem, Cadola plant - BL), Tommaso Scardini (52, Buzzi Unicem, Guidonia plant - Roma), Mariano Proietti (51, Buzzi Unicem, Vernasca plant - PC), Michael Palzer (39, WDI Research Lab, Wiesbaden, Germany), Sebastian Bialucha (28, Dyckerhoff Accounting Dept, Wiesbaden, Germany), Augusto Mari (48, Buzzi Unicem, Guidonia plant - Roma).The first performance for the blue team was the one of the legendary Marco Olmo, who alone ran as many as 21 laps: a true gazelle, perfectly at ease in the heat that already suffocated Piacenza stadium. The rather high temperature, 28°C, with a considerable percentage of humidity in the air certainly didn't make the competition easy. There was foreseen, in fact, 30 minutes of running for each relay runner, and only a third of the stadium is in the shade. After the "marathoner in the desert" there followed Patrice Massing who ran 20 laps, Reiner Görlich with 17, Andrea Viel and Mauro Campidelli with 19 and Harald Walter and Eros De March again with 20 laps. Optimal performance also that of Claude Simon who, with his 20.05 laps, kept us holding our breath since he was the last to run and with him rested the heavy responsibility to have to recover at least one position.
Legs and heart on the track also for the red team: Gaspard Turco 19 laps, Augusto Mari 18.33, Sebastian Balucha 18, Andreas Blobner, Mauro Delle Donne, Michael Palzer and Mariano Proietti 17 laps while Tommaso Scardini - due to a serious pull of a leg muscle - was able to complete just 16 laps.
At 9:00 p.m., the hour of the prize giving, we discover that the red team placed in 8th position while the blue team placed 3rd!
Goal for the next year: to reach an even more notable position with both the teams and, why not, perhaps even a pink team will be created … Recruitment is open, girls!

The SINCERT/ICMQ Technical Committee has granted the ISO 14001 environmental certification and the OHSAS 18001 certification to the three limestone and slate quarries that provide the raw materials to the Robilante cement plant.
The limestone quarry in the Ciapelaruta-Monfranco district in Roaschia has obtained certificates n. 03037, according to UNI EN ISO 14001, and n. 03008S, in conformity with the OHSAS 18001 standard (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series), awards that should be added to the positive assessment of environmental compatibility on the twenty-year project and to the renewal of the mining authorization by the local government of Roaschia. The mining activities in this quarry were begun in 1965 and, today, cover an area of approximately 80 hectares, of which 36 are already subject to environmental recovery. The annual production capacity is of 800-900,000 m3 of limestone, which is crushed and transferred to the Robilante cement plant by means of a belt that runs for 6 kilometers through a tunnel, thus minimizing the impact on the local road system. The mining is performed using the method of descending horizontal slices and simultaneous environmental recovery.
The slate quarries, in the Tetto Noisa district, in Roccavione, and the Gavota district, between Robilante and Roccavione, have been awarded, respectively, certificated n. 03038 and 03039 UNI EN ISO 14001 and n. 03010S, according to the OHSAS 18001 standard. These two quarries are located, one in front of the other, on the right bank of the Vermenagna stream, and are connected to the cement plant with a conveyor belt approximately 500 meters long. The raw material therein extracted, slate, is the second component in the formation of the mixture that gives rise to the meal for cement.

On December 15th 2003 the Technical Committee of SINCERT and ICMQ, on the basis of the inspections carried out during the year, awarded the Environment and Safety Integrated System Certification to the Vernasca, Travesio and Robilante production units, including for the latter the mining activities concerned as well. The Environment and Safety Management System certification integrates that of the Environmental System, held since 1999 at Vernasca, the first cement plant in Italy to receive this important recognition.
This innovative managerial tool, based on operational methods elaborated according to the UNI EN ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series) standards, entails the development of a new culture involving all the company functions, characterized by the principle of shared responsibility and, above all, by the greater sensitization as well as attention of all the personnel to the implementation of the procedures, operational instructions and corrective measures essential in order to prevent and reduce every potential risk for the environment and for the health and safety of the workers.
This satisfying result, for our Group, certainly does not represent a final goal but only a milestone along the path taken, with consistency and perseverance, for the continuous improvement of performance. In addition to this, it demonstrates a broad and conscious perspective of the company policies on the subject of Ecology, Environment and Safety and also allows the other production units to implement the organizational methods and managerial tools (manuals, procedures, safe work regulations, etc...) with instruments elaborated internally but already validated by the procedure of the ICMQ verification.
Said objective, furthermore, reaffirms Buzzi Unicem's commitment to Sustainable Development, which is indispensable in order to combine the technical and productive needs with the regulatory requirements, and positions Robilante, Travesio and Vernasca in 1st place among the Italian and European cement plants in possession of the integrated certification.