In light of the most recent discussions with the Municipality of Monselice, concerning the request to install a silo for the use of iron oxides in the production cycle at the Monselice cement plant, necessary to improve the management of raw materials and reduce their impact on the environment, Buzzi Unicem is constantly receiving provocative attacks, bordering on intimidation, from some well-known local politicians, in the name of an alleged collective will of the local community.

We would like to recall once again that Buzzi Unicem submitted this request in full compliance with the rules governing administrative procedures; after waiting almost two years for the issue of a building permit, the company has had to solicit the Municipality also through legal actions - which it would have been glad to avoid - in order to obtain the acknowledgement of one of its rights.

As required by the regulations of the Parco dei Colli Euganei (The Euganean Hills Regional Park), the text of an agreement was discussed with the parties (Municipality of Monselice, Parco dei Colli Euganei, Company) regularly agreeing upon its content during the conference of services. The Company constructively contributed to its drafting, complying with the Municipality's many requests, only to have it disapproved and rejected by the same Municipality, receiving as an alternative a text focused on two disproportionate requests not pertinent to the object of the proposed project.  Among these, there was also the request, obviously unacceptable, to dismantle the production plant.

Why is it that, starting from a legitimate and responsible request for environmental improvement, such as a storage silo, they now want to force the cement plant to comply with constraints that have nothing to do with the request itself and that even contradict the continuation of an activity with the gradual reduction of its impacts?

A further crescendo of direct and indirect attacks, also through the press, focused the debate on ad hoc statements and prompted popular protests, seeking the political consensus from adjacent municipalities, attributing to the Company the specific intention to use in the production cycle of CSS a fuel resulting from the processing of municipal waste, duly processed downstream the separate collection.

However, the Company has not made any request in this regard, nor expressed any desire to do so, although it considers it to be, in principle, a sustainable practice.

Buzzi Unicem is an important Italian and international company with a family management that conducts its business protecting its employees and guaranteeing direct and indirect employment.
t complies with rules and laws, as every company should, and subjects itself to constant and strict checks on its activities.

Both for the Monselice cement plant and for the other Italian plants, Buzzi Unicem has repeatedly shown in various contexts, also confirmed by studies and in-depth analyses conducted by supervisory bodies, that its emission profile and related effects are perfectly compatible with the host territory, including that of a park.

In its day-to-day activities, the cement plant operates in a clear and environmentally sustainable manner, scientifically presenting its data, submitting it to the verification of public supervisory bodies, talking openly with the local community, associations, schools, opening its doors to visitors and contributing to the culture of truth.

Clearly, though some claim to be in favor of dialogue, such transparency is not something that is appreciated and, after years of misleading stories about the plant's production activities, regularly denied by all the environmental studies that have followed, one has to wonder what the political design is and what advantage there is to gain from constantly telling falsehoods about the cement plant.

All free citizens who think for themselves will be able to draw their own conclusions and work out their own ideas.

In the meantime, Buzzi Unicem will keep on working with pride and professionalism, facing with determination the upcoming challenges for decarbonization, so that our work can be even more human-friendly.

We would like to remind you that the Monselice plant is always open for visits, in compliance with anti-Covid protocols. Anyone who is interested in learning more about the cement production process and its impacts and in asking questions about it is more than welcome.

Should you wish to visit our cement plant, please write to: visitamonselice@buzziunicem.it

Buzzi Unicem presents its stakeholder engagement projects and reiterates its invitation to communicate, actively participate in schools and collaborate with local communities

All Buzzi Unicem plants are open again for hosting visits.
After a period during which we were forced to slow down our activities, our engineers, technicians and all our staff are now ready to safely welcome anyone who wants to learn more about cement production and the technologies used throughout the production process, ranging from the extraction of raw materials through to the grinding and shipping of clinker.

Buzzi Unicem views Stakeholder Engagement as a systematic process aimed at creating value, and is a fundamental tool for promoting the active involvement of people and sharing the principles and values on which our company is founded.

Numerous projects and initiatives have stemmed from this virtuous process, with the goal of strengthening our synergistic relationships with local communities and creating mutual prosperity and growth. During these last few years, our plants have been the stage for “encounters with art”, and occasions for gatherings and discussions on many topics of interest for local communities. We plan to reiterate our invitation to continue on this path of active involvement by evaluating new projects and initiatives together, site by site.  

We strongly believe in the mutual enrichment deriving from the school-work rotation programs that offer an opportunity for young students to plan their future and prepare their entry into the working world.
Known as “High Five”, this initiative has been developed in conjunction with the schools and is based on the principle of “learn by doing”, by fostering a close-knit collaboration between businesses and educational institutions. The project is an excellent vehicle for overcoming the traditional separation between the worlds of school and work by bringing them closer together through shared pathways aimed at reducing the time of entry into the working world for the younger generations. We have systematically resumed this project and have already received several requests for collaboration from schools.

In terms of continuous improvement, Buzzi Unicem pursues the creation of value through stakeholder engagement best practices, continuing the approach it has taken for several years in sharing common basic principles and standards of honesty and transparency. .

Would you like to visit a cement plant?

To visit a cement plant, please send an email or call one of the contacts listed in the following link: Open plants

High 5: Relationships with schools

For further details:

"Hive Five": School-work rotation
For information and applications for work rotations at the company, please send a request to: scuola@buzziunicem.it

Stakeholder Engagement – for further information on the approach taken by Buzzi Unicem and details on the projects in 2020:

Stakeholder Engagement
Report Stakeholder Engagement

In May 2021 Buzzi Unicem, together with ALIdARTE, a cultural association that promotes and enhances the value of local artists, launched the two-year long artistic-cultural project entitled "The Factory, an alternative space for culture".
The Monselice plant joined the initiative by offering artists large exhibition spaces with the goal of promoting and encouraging creative expression in all art forms. The second edition of this artistic project, after Thomas Prearo's solo exhibition, focuses on ceramics and sculpture with the works of the Paduan artist Marco Ferrari. A truly special exhibition that presents a collection of works, some in ceramic and others in polymateric papier-mâché, which are part of a personal line of research begun by the artist in 2013; a study that starts with the recycling of everyday objects that the artist himself decontextualizes and gives a new, purely artistic form, devoid of their original function. In addition to these renovated objects, there are conceptual installations that deal with the issue of environmental sustainability. Since 2021, Marco Ferrari has been expanding his research, focusing his attention on car and motorbike engine parts, which he manufactures in ceramic, and has even produced prototypes of some racing cars. The exhibition will open on Sunday 10 October 2021 at 4 p.m. with an artistic performance featuring poetic readings and a parade of masks made by children using papier-mâché.
On Sunday 3 October 2021, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Buzzi Unicem will also host an artistic workshop on papier-mâché and the use of recycled materials entitled Fuoco, terra, acqua. Sperimentazioni Artistiche (Fire, earth, water. Artistic experiments) aimed at families, held by the artists Marco Ferrari and Cristina Masiero of the ALIdARTE association.

The exhibition will be open to the public, by appointment only, from 10 October to 10 January 2022, at the cement factory's premises.

These events represent an ambitious project that aims to give voice to the spreading and sharing of art in all its expressions in support of the local art scene for the cultural enrichment of the territory.

To book visits to the exhibition, contact:
Buzzi Unicem S.p.A.
Via Solana, 8 Monselice
Tel.: 345 6018458
e.mail: visitamonselice@buzziunicem.it

After almost two years from the request to build a silo inside Buzzi Unicem's Monselice cement plant, so as to improve the management of raw materials, also from an environmental standpoint, the Municipality has recently subordinated its consent to the plant's decommissioning, with a non-transparent administrative procedure that has forced the company to appeal to the Veneto Regional Administrative Tribunal (TAR) in order to protect its own interests, those of its employees and related parties, as well as one of the best performing industrial activities in the sector at the national level.

In this context, denying Buzzi Unicem the possibility to build the silo means opposing a small-scale project, perfectly integrated in the existing structures, which would optimize the management of iron oxides, strongly limiting the possible phenomena of diffused dustiness, a reduction which had been requested in the past by the municipal administration itself and by the committees, which are now opposing the project.

Above all, it must be denied that the proposed agreement put forward by the Company does not take into consideration the requests made by the Municipality and Colli Park during the proceedings, since the Company has suggested and agreed to commit to numerous environmental improvements, including:

• refraining from increasing production capacity and flue gas flow rate;
• voluntarily reduce the current emission limits provided for by the Integrated Environmental Authorization (A.I.A. or Autorizzazione Integrata Ambientale).
• refraining from increasing the related traffic
• providing special guarantees on the future removal of the silo
• renovating a block of flats adjacent to the Cement Works for activities of general interest to the benefit of local citizens and associations.

After defining these terms, the Municipality, however, has totally deviated from the conclusions reached by the investigative work, effectively thwarting its function and presenting, at the last moment, a document agreed upon with the committees, which would like to see the start of the decommissioning of the plant within a few years and a formal abandonment of alternative fuels, with no technical and environmental reason, as it has been repeatedly made clear by all the technical Agencies over the last few years.

It is also on record that these requests made by the Municipality have not been considered technically congruous even by the municipal offices, proving their incompatibility with the aims of Article 19 of the Environmental Plan and their total disproportionality with respect to the proposed intervention.

As for secondary solid fuels, the issue is not on the agenda, nor has the Company made any request in this regard, despite the fact that the Municipality's claim is now in conflict with national and European provisions on improving environmental and emissions-related performance of this type of plant.

In conclusion, the Company reiterates its intention and willingness to pursue the constant containment of its impacts in order to achieve optimal integration in the territory in which it is located and the continuous improvement of its performance, in line with the provisions of the Environmental Plan.

At the same time, the Company cannot accept conditions of decommissioning or reconversion or make waivers which are not pertinent to the object of the agreement in question, as made clear by various pronouncements of the Regional Administrative Tribunal and recent regional opinions, and - most importantly - which it does not consider to be in the general interest of safeguarding the territory, the environment and employment.

The Buzzi Unicem cement plant in Monselice has released its AIA Annual Report. The document, which has been published in its entirety on the website of the Municipality of Monselice, describes all the measures implemented in the last two years for the benefit of the environment.

Among the most important of these was the replacement of the electro-filter with a bag filter to prevent detachment due to carbon monoxide formation.

Other significant measures include dust control in the raw materials unloading area, optimization with CO2 inertization for the fuel utilization line and, since February of this year, the installation of a new opacimeter to monitor dust to the kiln of the grate

Last but not least - among the main energy efficiency measures - the replacement, by the end of 2021, of all indoor lighting fixtures with the best performing and most efficient LED technology.

The lack of correlation between the detection of heavy metals and the onset of illness or health problems was highlighted at the technical meeting between ASL and the municipality of Barletta and the signatories of the memorandum of understanding on the biomonitoring of children’s nails. 

It was also learned that Dr. Agostini Di Ciaula himself explained that epidemiological studies are needed, admitting that this is an evolving scientific area with no benchmark standards that would give cause for any immediate concern. 

The lack of benchmark standards for the biological sample selected was just one of the aspects that Buzzi Unicem had drawn attention to from the beginning, pointing out the apparent shortcomings that could render the conclusions of the study in question entirely hypothetical. 
Another important aspect that must be carefully evaluated by the authorities is the absence of any correlation with the business activities of the Barletta cement plant.

The company therefore reiterates its complete willingness to collaborate with the authorities involved in the project, fully believing in the importance of providing thorough and accurate information to the citizenry rather than data of dubious value that would only create a climate of insinuation. 

The true undertaking lies in conducting the evaluations methodically and scientifically based on objective and detailed data, which we believe is the only way that can provide the appropriate environmental information.

With regard to the study by Mr. Agostino Di Ciaula, conducted at the Barletta cement plant and recently published in the "Exposure and Health" journal, Buzzi Unicem has taken note of the results and has begun a process of in-depth analysis, in order to carefully evaluate the findings of this study.

An initial analysis has revealed obvious shortcomings which could invalidate the study in question. It is therefore considered necessary for the competent authorities to assess the thesis presented in order to provide the public with the proper information.

By way of example, below are some aspects that should be highlighted:

• the emission fallout considered by the research does not reflect the actual situation;
• during the reference period, the kiln at the Barletta cement plant was not running for more than half of the time for air quality purposes;
• the data was published in a biased manner, which did not allow a full analysis of the situation observed;
• for several metals, the study found higher concentrations in the fingernails of children not subjected to the fallout from cement plant emissions;
• the biological samples on the fingernails are prone to external contamination, presenting important critical points in the assessment of environmental exposure in the absence of reliable comparison values. 

The document prepared by Buzzi Unicem will soon be shared with all the competent bodies, with a view to transparency and accountability.

The company reaffirms its commitment to protecting the health and well-being of the communities in which it operates and strives to address in-depth the concerns of many citizens, in everyone’s interest.
 

The key cement plant figures for 2020 are available, reported in individual brochures that can be downloaded from this link as well as obtainable in paper form during plant visits. 

The purpose is to inform our stakeholders about Buzzi Unicem production site activities from both a strictly operational standpoint as well as our presence within the community. More specifically, the data are organized into two main areas, namely the specific figures for each plant and the overall figures for the Group. 
The individual plant figures focus on the environment, employee accidents, events involving the plant and atmospheric emissions. 

The environmental data include the tons of recovered raw materials (circular economy), the kilowatt hours consumed to produce one ton of cementitious material, the megacalories used to produce one ton of clinker, and the environment and safety investments made during the 2018-2020 three-year period. With respect to the atmospheric emissions, we report the figures for dust, nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides. 

The overall Group figures include the key data for Buzzi Unicem S.p.A, the certifications obtained and the Group’s policies. 

Following the articles that appeared today in the local and Padua press, we would like to clarify once again that the complaint submitted by the Municipality of Monselice and by the local committees refers to events that occurred in 2019, which have already been fully verified by the competent bodies and for which it has been confirmed, on several occasions, that there were no violations by Buzzi Unicem, as well as no consequences for the environment and public health. In particular, we would like to point out that no accidents occurred since, in the event of increases in the CO values in the gaseous effluent, the sector's BAT (Best Available Techniques) provide for the disconnection of the filtration system (electro-filter) installed at the time for safety reasons, prescribing that these moments be contained within the year, something which was amply complied with. Moreover, the replacement of the electro-filter with the bag filter, which took place in February 2020, represents a major investment that demonstrates Buzzi Unicem's commitment to taking all necessary measures to minimize emissions. We are therefore confident that the investigations carried out by the judicial authorities will corroborate the conclusions already reached by the control bodies.

Our activities will continue as usual, in full compliance with the rules, laws and our ethical principles, opening the doors of the cement plant to anyone wishing to visit it and examine in depth any issues of interest to them. Continuing to contribute to enhancing the value of the territory in which we operate through our consolidated relations with all the associations with which we cooperate remains one of our top priorities, which we are committed to pursuing on a daily basis in a professional and transparent manner.
 

Buzzi Unicem S.p.a. participated in the “Impresa + Cultura 2020-2021” competition with various projects and one of these, Artibus, created in collaboration with the Contrada di Marendole in Monselice, was selected as one of the finalists of the award. Against 134 others, Artibus stood out by entering the short list of finalist projects along with 22 other projects. In particular, the project involves the construction of a real sculpture workshop at the plant: this with the aim of recovering and enhancing the manual skills linked to the old trades of the area and providing new professional perspectives to young people.
The winners of the three Category Awards and Special Mentions will be announced at the end of May, but the awards ceremony will take place in early June.
May the best win!

The 2020 edition of Buzzi Unicem’s Sustainability report was presented today.

In addition to accurate reporting of economic, environmental and social indicators, the document also provides an update on objectives and targets, in line with the policies promoted by the company.

From an economic standpoint, the financial results show an improvement on the levels achieved in 2019 despite the difficulties related to the health emergency. The company hopes that both the vaccination plans and the economic stimulus announced by governments will strengthen demand for the sector and contribute to growth.

On the environmental level, the report illustrates the Group's commitment to reducing CO2 which in absolute value, in 2020, was down mainly due to a lower production of clinker and a lower use of electricity.

The year 2021 will be crucial for the definition of new targets for the reduction of CO₂ emissions in the medium term, while the goal of climate neutrality by 2050, already announced by Cembureau - the European Cement Manufacturers' Association - could also be confirmed by the end of the year by the global association GCCA (Global Cement and Concrete Association), of which Buzzi Unicem is a member. For the company this is a complex and stimulating challenge, which it does not want to shy away from.

Social performance highlights the results of good practices in terms of health and safety at work and confirms the downward trend in workplace accidents in recent years. In addition, in order to mitigate the problems related to the health emergency, the company has decided to help people in difficulty in the countries where the Group's plants operate by donating over € 3 million to provide tangible help, in collaboration with various non-profit organizations.

Lastly, the company noticed that interest in non-financial information is growing and thus reiterates its commitment to constantly improving the quality and level of detail of non-financial information.

The first edition of the 2020 Stakeholder Engagement Report aims to report on the many initiatives undertaken by Buzzi Unicem in favor of all stakeholders, mainly in the areas where the company operates.

The projects are part of the Stakeholder Engagement Policy and the intention is to highlight the constructive dialogue established over the years, sharing in a transparent manner the activities underway and the company's short and medium-term strategies.

The year 2020 was a difficult one, but despite everything we managed to strengthen our commitments to the community and establish new partnerships. The report identifies the main areas - social, cultural, educational and sports - on which it was deemed appropriate to focus, also on the basis of the needs expressed by the local communities.

In spite of the many difficulties that schools have had to face in recent months, School-Work activities have continued through the Webinar channel, which has been positively accepted and has become a consolidated practice for keeping in touch with the students.

Buzzi Unicem is fully aware of the importance of building and maintaining relationships of trust, based on mutual respect, active partnership, transparency and long-term collaboration with its stakeholders, in order to create shared value.

More than a year after the request made to the Municipality of Monselice to build a new storage silo at the cement plant, Buzzi Unicem wishes to provide complete and transparent information on the actions it has recently been forced to take, following the Municipality's failure to reply to its requests.

At the end of 2019, the Company has, in fact, started all the necessary procedures for the authorization of a new silo, with minimal capacity and perfectly integrated into the existing structures, determining a change that affects less than 1% of the total current covered areas of the plant. In particular, the silo in question would be used to feed the iron oxides necessary for the production of clinker, with the aim of avoiding open-air deposits, while at the same time improving material management.

To date, the request sent to the Municipality of Monselice for building authorization and the stipulation of a special agreement to govern the best way to integrate the new silo in the reference context has remained unanswered. After the expiry of the terms provided for by the law, the Company was forced to appeal to the administrative judiciary, an act considered necessary to obtain an answer to the requests submitted.

The current position of the Municipality of Monselice appears to be unjustified, since the construction of the project has been approved from an environmental and landscape point of view by the Province of Padua, through a non-substantial modification of the Integrated Environmental Authorization. The Park Authority has also issued the Landscape Authorization, after a procedure that involved the competent Superintendence, in recognition of the unquestionable environmental benefits described above.

Moreover, it is useful to remember that the Veneto Regional Administrative Court has already specified that the Park Environmental Plan "does not determine the necessary cessation of the activity of the plaintiff's Plant, or its delocalization, but only a concertation between the interested party, the Park Authority, and the Municipal Administration as regards the adoption of measures that must be reasonably suitable to mitigate first of all, the impact of the Plant on the context subject to environmental protection and to allow the optimal integration in the territory, thus limiting to extreme cases, and which must be carefully evaluated in all their tangible implications, the hypothesis of the inhibition of the on-site activity on site and its transfer to another location".

It is precisely the Environmental Plan that provides a specific tool for the implementation of works on existing plants. Therefore, the choice to not take a position with respect to an improved solution is simply unfathomable.

We would like to remind you that the Monselice Plant is always open for visits, in compliance with anti-Covid protocols: anyone interested in learning more about the cement production process, its impact and discussing the matter is welcome. We invite you to visit us by writing to visitamonselice@buzziunicem.it

With reference to the request for information regarding the opening of an investigation by the Prosecutor's Office of Padua into emissions from the Monselice cement plant, Buzzi Unicem declares that it is not aware of any criminal proceedings against itself and/or its representatives.

Based on the mentioned period (spring 2019), no anomalies were recorded that were not fully verified by the competent bodies without any environmental criticalities being detected.

Moreover, during this period, the operation of the plant was repeatedly monitored by ARPAV, which ruled out environmental violations by the cement plant.

The relevant documentation is constantly published on the Monselice Municipality website and can be consulted by all those who wish to examine the issues in question in greater depth.

We are open to the highest collaboration and are available should you require further information.

Tne Augusta Contrada di Marendole and the Monselice Plant have entered into a partnership in favor of the “Artibus”.

Founded with the aim of recovering and promoting the manual skills linked to the ancient crafts of the local territory, the project wishes to provide new professional opportunities for young people through the creation of real workshops for goldsmiths, shoemakers, sailmakers, sculptors and makers of musical instruments.

The Plant was deemed to be the most suitable place to carry out the Sculpture Laboratory. For this purpose, an area was allocated and equipped with compressed air, electricity, boulders coming from our quarry in Alonte and all the necessary PPE for the students and the master sculptors.

The works were exhibited on Friday 16 October, on the occasion of the 13^th stage of the Giro d'Italia in Monselice, in the Town Hall garden.

It was an opportunity to make the historical center attractive through the promotion of territorial marketing linked to the craftsmanship of the shops and to show the work carried out with care by the students.

As part of the partnership between Buzzi Unicem's Monselice Plant and the Vicariate of Este and the "Teatrando" project, which aims to develop the talents of young people in the area, a screening of a short film made by them was held at the cement plant for some local schools. The quality of the project and the rare ability of the young artists to involve those present in the grammar of the audiovisual language of the post-show debate, sparked the enthusiastic appreciation of the large audience of students. A cultural event that featured young students in the dual role of spectators and actors, according to a consolidated modus operandi of the "Teatrando" project, aimed at triggering a healthy mechanism of emulation and a process of identification. After the screening, the students were able to visit the plant as part of the Company’s logic of openness to the local community.

As of January 1, Daniele Bogni will be the new Manager of the Buzzi Unicem Plant in Monselice.

With a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Genoa, after an experience in the chemical industry, he started working for Buzzi Unicem. During his professional career, he held the position of Manager in several Italian plants. In the last years he took on the position of Head of Stakeholder Engagement, launching several projects aimed at of interaction with the local community.