Whoever chose EPDItaly tells its story: Colacem

Interview with Ing. Fabrizio Pedetta – General Manager Colacem

What are the advantages of a EPD certification for a company?

Colacem produces cement, a highly energy-intensive industrial activity. The company has always invested in the best available technologies, deeply convinced that focusing on sustainability also means remaining competitive in an increasingly difficult market. Limiting the impact on the environment and ensuring safety and health in the workplace are priority values for us, as well as efficiency, quality and profit. We believe that having the EPD certification of our cements is a further step towards the sustainability of the company. This guarantees an indicator of reliable energy and production efficiency, able to monitor the improvement of the environmental performance of the entire process projected on products and services.

What are the reasons that led you to EPDItaly?

We live in a world that is becoming more and more aware of the effects of human activities on the environment. For Colacem, knowledge, technology and professionalism have been and remain the basis for sustainable industry. We are very environmentally conscious and strongly believe in dialogue with the communities in which our factories operate. A relationship that the company bases on transparency and facts. This commitment is represented by detailed information and data in the Sustainability Report that Colacem prepares annually on a voluntary basis since 2007, in accordance with the international standards of the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative). The Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), obtained according to an accredited and authoritative process, represents for Colacem a further step forward for sustainability and transparency, thanks to which the Stakeholders can verify the environmental performance of the products in a clear and objective way.

Do you think EPDItaly can contribute to spreading the culture of product sustainability?

We are convinced that the future will be only for sustainable companies. EPDItaly is actively and positively contributing to this process of cultural evolution that involves all market operators. In the past, the logic on which products were selected was based on substantially quantitative and performance criteria. We are experiencing a new reality, in which the choice of the product is made considering more and more indicators linked to the sustainability.

How important, in your opinion, is the presence of sustainable products made in Italy within a Program Operator that makes the international network one of its strengths?

Despite everything, Italy is still today a point of reference in various sectors; innovation, design, beauty, quality, originality are objectively part of our DNA. Our country is not always at the forefront of environmental protection challenges. Our sector has characteristics such as to be able to participate positively in the solution of some important problems, as, moreover, is already happening in large part of the countries that pay more attention to sustainability issues. In this sense, the role of EPDItaly can also be a great incentive.