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ESG Plan

ESG: Webuild Group's sustainability goals for the 2021-2023 three-year period

Focus on strongly reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving workplace safety and increasing the presence of women, while also substantially investing in innovation

At the end of April, the Webuild Group presented its new ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) Plan, with its goals up to 2023, which confirm a business strategy increasingly oriented towards achieving the UN’s SDGs sustainable development goals.

Webuild's priorities in the ESG field concern fighting against climate change and promoting a circular economy (Environmental), protecting and enhancing its people (Social). And innovation, as a strategic lever for sustainability and for improving business efficiency. All while ensuring high governance, integrity, transparency and stakeholder engagement standards (Governance).

In particular, the 2021-2023 ESG Plan aims at achieving a series of specific objectives: a 35% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (from fossil fuels and electricity) in 2022, compared to 2017 values, a value that includes the consolidation of Astaldi; a continuous decrease in accidents, reaching a 40% reduction in the LTIFR accident rate (i.e. those marked by days of absence) in 2022, compared to 2017; the presence of 20% of women in the positions identified in the succession plan of key roles, by 2023; and finally, again for the same date, €30 million of additional investments for high-impact innovative projects.

Webuild 2021-2023 ESG Plan at a glance

ESG Plan and Rating

At work to reduce emissions by 35%

For construction sites, the ESG Plan which provides for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 35%, by 2022, compared to five years earlier, includes implementing green solutions in start-up projects: Green TBMs (the so-called mechanical moles); high efficiency prefabrication; electrical efficiency and predictive maintenance systems; renewable energies (photovoltaic, mini-hydro, storage systems, hybrid generators); low-emission vehicles and charging stations; eco-sustainable logistic fields; remote control systems for water and other water efficiency improvements.

In the corporate sphere, the Plan envisages developing further objectives according to the Science-based methodology (2021), specific training activities on climate change for headquartered and construction site staff (2021-2022), developing LCA methodologies for assessing the Coal/Energy footprint (2022), and the related testing on a sample of new business initiatives (2023).

 

Health and Safety in the workplace: reducing accidents, our absolute priority

By 2021, Webuild expects to apply its Safety Builders program to all its Italian construction sites, and to align Astaldi - again by 2021 - to meet the Group's health and safety objectives, achieving the goal of evermore reducing accidents, arriving, in 2022, at a 40% reduction, compared to 2017. Webuild concomitantly will also develop new clauses on the matter, for 100% of its new Italian supply contracts.

Pilot projects and replicability tests will subsequently be implemented by 2023, on innovative technologies for monitoring hazardous areas; checks on suspended loads and work at height; anti-collision procedures; vehicle-operator behaviours.

 

More women in key roles, and greater attention to diversity

The ESG Plan aims at bringing the presence of women in key roles to 20%. It will include a series of activities in the Diversity and Inclusion area, with dedicated training, mentoring for women, coaching reserved for senior managers, and training on cultural diversity. As regards development and leadership activities, the ESG Plan also provides for extending performance management activities, developing programmes, assessing key resources and periodic succession planning.

Webuild, with regard to Diversity and Gender Inclusion, for equal pay matters, can already record a substantial absence of significant gaps for corporate resources. A greater presence of women is also expected in the pipeline of possible successors in key roles.

 

I as in Innovation. D as in Digitilization

By 2023, the resources allocated to these activities will see the available resources increase by €30 million, which will be added to the ongoing innovation investments. Investments will concern four areas of intervention: €20 million will be allocated to a Digital Roadmap to develop an integrated Group IT technological infrastructure, which will consist of 10 specific actions; over €10 million will instead be invested in studying and applying innovative technological solutions that will improve environmental, safety and quality performance; as for Open Innovation, on the other hand, a technical scouting programme is also foreseen to identify suppliers of sustainable solutions and technologies (2021-2023), strategic partnerships with suppliers for developing customized green solutions (i.e. smart boxes, green TBMs , hybrid/electric fleets) and a new series of Innovation Days that focus on sustainability (2021-2022). Finally, Smart Communication which, as regards external communication, provides for live coverage of construction sites with webcams, live streaming and chats with artificial intelligence, identifying Italian construction sites that can use the technology employed to build the new Genoa bridge (2021-2022); on the internal communication front, the ESG Plan provides an extension of our Intranet coverage, through apps and totems, in construction sites (2021-2022).

Attachments

ESG Plan

Piano ESG

Information material - Bridge project over the Strait of Messina
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