Environmental Responsibility

Prysmian is actively committed to safeguarding and protecting the environment and conserving natural resources, in order to create sustainable value for the benefit of both the organization and our stakeholders.

The Group strongly believes in the tool of measuring its environmental impacts as a factor of competitiveness and transparency, rather than mere compliance.

The aspects considered, because of the significance of the impacts to which Prysmian is linked, are: energy consumption, water consumption, waste generation, raw material consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

 

 

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Energy consumption

In 2023, Group-wide investment in "GHG Emission Reduction and Energy Efficiency" projects and initiatives totaled Euro 7 million.

Total energy consumption for 2023 stands at 9.6 million gigajoules (GJ), of which 6.14 million GJ related to electricity and nearly 2 million of these generated from sustainable sources.

Energy consumed* (GJ) 2023 2022
Electricity from renewable sources 1.948.875 1.921.399
Electricity from non renewable sources 4.193.696 4.112.089
Natural gas 2.277.375 2.747.360
LPG 127.805 135.365
Petrol 7.561 7.424
Diesel 908.062 896.985
Fuel oil 17.380 5.571
Steam (purchased, not produced internally) 5.616 9.791
Heat from district heating produced from renewable sources 20.318 -
Steam (purchased from distribution networks) 123.539 135.931
Chilled water - -
Biogas/biofuel/biomass purchased 877 -
TOTAL 9.631.104 9.971.915
(*) The term “Energy Consumed” means the number of Gigajoules (GJ) of energy consumed within the organization. This comprises energy purchased from sources outside the organization (e.g. electricity, heating, cooling and steam purchased for consumption) or generated by the latter (e.g. fuel used in self-generation activities). The 2022 and 2023 figures contain estimates for the Chiplun site only, since Sohar reported normally. The figures include consumption by the fleet, which were previously reported separately.

Efficiency projects

Energy efficiency projects launched or continued in 2023 covered several areas of interest:

  1. the implementation of LED lamps in the latest factories still not equipped;
  2. the replacement of motors (DC to AC) and boilers or compressors with more energy-efficient machinery;
  3. monitoring of the condition of compressed air supply/distribution equipment, leak detection and subsequent maintenance;
  4. the implementation of photovoltaic systems for a total annual output of 8.7 GWh.

Lastly, Prysmian is initiating specific work streams aimed at optimizing electricity use: one of them is the installation of the Pry-Cam, an energy monitoring tool that Prysmian produces and markets and capable of detecting the energy consumed in real-time and sending data (and alarms) to a display platform.

In 2023, Prysmian environmental projects are estimated to have saved approximately 3.3M€.

Greenhouse gas emissions

Prysmian publishes a “GHG Statement” with the aim of monitoring its progress against set targets and providing transparent disclosure of the carbon footprint of the entire value chain.

GHT STATEMENT 2023

Other atmospheric emissions

Prysmian monitors Group-wide Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions from certain production processes and maintenance operations.

Significant reductions in these emissions have already been achieved in the past by gradually introducing new methods and/or products, particularly for cable degreasing, cleaning and stamping operations. In any case, Prysmian continues to monitor this indicator, estimating – as a precaution – that the total amount of VOCs emitted into the atmosphere is equal to the total consumption of substances containing organic solvents.

In 2023, the total amount of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) emitted into the atmosphere was approximately 500 tons. In 2022, the amount was approximately 440 tons, while in 2021 300 tons. The data coverage is 100% of Prysmian's perimeter.

Hazardous and non-hazardous waste

In total, Prysmian generated 235,163,841 kg of waste in 2023. Hazardous waste accounted for 5.2% of the total (vs. 6% in 2022), with nonhazardous waste accounting for the remainder.

In compliance with the requirements established by European legislation, the main waste from production activities has been divided into specific categories, assigning a hazardous/non-hazardous status to each. Different use/destination categories have been defined for each type of waste:

• Recycling, for which Prysmian has set its own group targets (to increase the recycling rate);

• Incinerator;

• Landfill;

• Other uses/destinations (residual category).

Waste by destination (kg) 2023 2023% 2022 2022%
HAZARDOUS WASTE 12,381,045 14,050,194
Landfill 1,740,750 14% 2,166,186 15%
Incinerator 2,852,812 23% 2,815,748 20%
Recycled 6,027,126 49% 6,620,003 47%
Other 1,760,357 14% 2,448,257 17%
Waste by destination (kg) 2023 2023% 2022 2022%
NON-HAZARDOUS WASTE 222,782,796 220,355,520
Landfill 41,793,434 19% 42,373,457 19%
Incinerator 13,030,721 6% 13,104,990 6%
Recycled 162,821,860 73% 159,240,565 72%
Other 5,136,781 2% 5,636,508 3%
Waste by destination (kg) 2023 2023% 2022 2022%
TOTAL 235,163,841 234,405,714
Landfill 43,534,184 19% 44,539,642 19%
Incinerator 15,883,533 7% 15,920,738 7%
Recycled 168,848,986 72% 165,860,569 71%
Other 6,897,138 3% 8,084,765 3%

Circular economy

The Group’s approach to circularity addresses three main aspects:

  1. Procurement of recycled materials: In recent years, Prysmian has focused effort on research into and the development of a supply chain capable of offering recycled materials, especially metals and plastics for the insulation and protection of cables;
  2. Minimization of scrap materials: Over the years, Prysmian has worked hard to make better and more conscious use of its resources, thus reducing the scrap generated by every production process;
  3. Recycling of waste downstream of the factories: For several years now, Prysmian has set targets in order to increase the percentage of recycled waste, thus also reducing the amount of waste sent to the landfill and/or for incineration. In addition to communicating its targets, the Company shares its views, ideas and results with various stakeholders in order to facilitate collaboration and create meaningful relations.

In 2023, the percentage of waste (hazardous + non-hazardous) sent for recycling reached 72%, and the portion of waste sent to the landfill constitutes, on average, about 19% of the total amount of waste generated.

Water consumption

At Prysmian's production sites, water is mainly used for cooling. On-site wells are the main sources of water, satisfying more than half of all water needs, supported by other sources of surface water and the public water main. In order to optimize the consumption of water and energy, the process water used for cooling at many Prysmian plants is recirculated, either totally or partially, depending on the situation. As a result, the volume of water drawn is low in many cases.

From the analysis conducted on 93% of the operating units, the results show that most of the factories have recirculation systems, with percentages ranging from 99% to 100% in 45% of the cases and from 95% to 99% in 27% of the cases. Recirculation rates below 95% were found in about 10% of the plants. This situation does not apply to the remaining 11% of plants.

The most significant water-related impact is mainly associated with the supply chain, particularly the production cycle of metal suppliers. For this reason, in addition to continuing to track and audit “critical” suppliers, Prysmian extended assessment of the risks related to water availability to the entire supply chain in 2021.

In addition, the Group has introduced specific rating systems, including ISO14001 certification and completion of the CDP Water Security Questionnaire, as indicators of the proper management of all environmental aspects/impacts by its suppliers.

Water drawn by source – 2023 Water stress areas All areas Total
Water from wells 1,497,471 2,430,695 3,928,166
Water from public water main 457,524 2,134,877 2,592,401
Water from other sources – Fresh water - 519,512 519,512
TOTAL 1,954,995 5,085,084 7,040,079

For the reasons described above, water consumption is assumed to be well approximated by withdrawals.

To emphasize the importance of the “water” topic, in 2023 Prysmian signed the WASH PLEDGE, which is the first corporate-sponsored initiative on access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene at the workplace, launched in 2013 and re-proposed in 2021 by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). With this pledge, Prysmian aims to ensure access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene in the workplace for all workers at the Group's production units, supporting partners throughout the supply chain and the communities where our units are located.

 

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The protection of biodiversity

Prysmian aims to delineate activities that are respectful of natural habitats in order to maintain their balance without adversely affecting the biological functions of the areas chosen to carry out the activities, both on land and at sea, while restoring habitats that have been damaged by such activities.

In line with its HSEE Policy, updated in 2023, Prysmian is committed to identifying and assessing any biodiversity-related risks, applying a hierarchical mitigation approach (avoid, minimize, restore and compensate) to all operations. Prysmian has established an inventory of protected areas, compiled directly by each plant, which is updated annually. Analyses conducted and inventories show that to date most of Prysmian's plants are not located within or near protected areas or where endangered species are potentially present.

In 2023, the Group screened with the “Biodiversity Risk Filter” tool provided by WWF, taking into consideration the location of Prysmian sites and applying different risk categories and indicators. About 13% of Prysmian sites are potentially affected by risks related to biodiversity, but an analysis at the level of each plant confirmed the absence of potential dependencies or significant impacts on biodiversity for all of the Group's production sites.

Certifications 2023

Prysmian's goal is to exceed customer expectations and meet commitments to its stakeholders, who are people, partners, suppliers and shareholders, while strengthening its position as a solid market leader.

The management systems in all of Prysmian's production sites are ISO 9001 certified, demonstrating the Group's commitment regarding Quality Management System performance and continuous improvement of its processes. On an annual basis, certification verification audits are conducted by an external agency covering the company's major processes including: performance analysis, risk management, purchasing, planning, design and sales.

At the end of 2023, the percentage of ISO14001-certified plants, concerning Environmental Management Systems, is 98%, while the ISO45001-certified ones, concerning Health and Safety Management Systems, is 75%. Various types of organizational unit within the Group have also been certified, such as R&D, installation activities, and assembly and distribution centers, adding up to 6 ISO 14001 certificates and 6 ISO 45001 certificates.

By the end of 2024, a centralized HSEE management system, which integrates energy according to the requirements of the ISO 50001 Standard, will be adopted by all Group operating units.

The Group's Quality, Health, Safety and Environmental rules and methodologies aim to ensure that all activities comply with customer requirements, technical standards, applicable laws and regulations, and internal company standards. Indeed, Prysmian is committed to promoting a business model that integrates economic, social and environmental responsibility in all its aspects and activities.