- Italcementi Group

Since September 24, Italcementi has been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index of the best performers among the 2,500 international business organizations in the Dow Jones Global indices, assessed on economic, environmental and social criteria.
Of the Italian companies in the prestigious sustainability rating, Italcementi is currently the only company active in the construction materials industry.

"This important recognition is a tribute to the Italcementi Group’s long-standing commitment to sustainability,” said Italcementi CEO Carlo Pesenti. “I believe that success in our business depends on an ability to satisfy growing stakeholder expectations with regard to value creation, respect for the environment and care for the community.
“From the strategic viewpoint, global players must have a vision of growth embracing sustainability; multinational groups should consolidate best economic, ethical, social and environmental practices in mature countries, but above all they have a duty to foster them in emerging countries.
“Italcementi’s entry into the DJSI should be seen above all as a new stimulus for the continuation over the coming years of an operating approach geared to increasingly sustainable growth for the new generations.”

As a correct balance between creation of economic value, protection of the environment and social responsibility, sustainability has been an integral part of Italcementi Group corporate strategy and company practice for many years.
The Italcementi Group consolidated its sustainability activities in 2000 when it joined the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), a group of 180 international groups who uphold common principles regarding sustainable growth.
Within the WBCSD, Italcementi subscribes to the Agenda for Action, the first formal pledge coupling the business operations of cement manufacturers with Sustainable Development Policies. Signed by the world’s ten largest cement producers, the protocol sets out a five-year action plan for industrial development designed to safeguard the future for the new generations on the basis of specific social, economic and environmental criteria. It covers six important areas for a “more sustainable” society: climate protection, responsible use of fuel and raw materials, workplace health and safety, reduction of
emissions, management of impact on the territory and local communities, and sustainability reporting and disclosure.
Carlo Pesenti, the Group’s Chief Executive Officer, has been elected Chairman of the Cement Sustainability Initiative.

Over the last few years, Italcementi has been promoting a special Sustainable Development Awareness Program for Group companies, to provide training and raise sensitivity to sustainability issues. Key projects include the Zero Accidents Program, adopted throughout the Group: introduced in 2000 the program has led to a reduction of more than 60% in the accident frequency rate.

The Group’s policies are summarized in the Values Charter, which sets out and links the basic principles of the Italcementi Codes of Governance and the Group’s Sustainable Development goals. The Values Charter is the point of convergence between the ethics of each individual employee and the corporate ethics of the organization as a whole.

The Sustainable Development report and economic, environmental, ethical and governance documents can be downloaded from the group website.