Those who have chosen EPDItaly tell their story: Bassanetti Group
Interview with Emanuele Emani – Bassanetti Group Technical Director
What are the main reasons that pushed you towards the voluntary EPD certification?
Having an awareness of the environmental impacts related to the production of a material allows you to further improve production, optimizing the use of raw materials and reducing energy consumption, as well as emissions in general. Even in the phase of purchasing goods and packaging, we proceed to search for the one that guarantees the minimum environmental impact in order to further enhance our finished product.
Which product of your company has obtained the EPD? What are its main features?
They are essentially natural inert materials extracted from an artificial quarry basin, ie sand and gravel. In particular, the environmental performances of 4 categories were determined: DAMP SAND, DRY SAND, DEFERRISED WHITE SAND, GRAVEL. For each category of aggregates there are different products identified with different trade names.
For the general evaluation, the different phases are considered, from extraction to wet separation, from which I get the first wet products, to drying which allows to obtain dried sands. As a corollary to the above we have the iron removal plant (the only plant in Europe that produces humid sand with a high content of humid silica, starting from sands of fluvial origin) and the packaging departments of BIG BAG and bags. The main characteristics are related to the unique quality of the product which has allowed to have an inert granulometrically and mineralogically controlled.
What are the main advantages obtained from the publication of the Environmental Product Declaration? What are the repercussions on the final consumer?
Certainly the need to refer to the analysis of the product life cycle (Life Cycle Assessment) allows us to become aware of the consumption of resources (materials, water, energy) and the impacts on the surrounding environment in the various stages of the life cycle. Even the final customer appreciates the fact that the product is certified, with information obtained from objective analyzes and comparable with other products in the same sector (even if for companies operating in our sector there are frequent EPD type certifications). Some customers have rewarded our products thanks to the transparency in the presentation of environmental performance, indicative of a much appreciated transition towards the green economy, in which we strongly believe. Adopting this policy certainly allows for an improvement in the corporate image which, in addition to innovation, can now count on environmental sustainability of production.
Do you think that EPDItaly can contribute to spreading the culture of product sustainability?
I believe that, thanks to the seriousness of this certification, it can play a very important role. The sector in which we operate has always had to face problems related to environmental impacts, both during the excavation phase and in the processing of the product. This choice has allowed our company to understand where we can still proceed further in reducing the current impacts, but it has also allowed us to expose our customers objective, comparable and certified information on how we are working. This certification attests to what the company has done and how it moves with a view to improvement, in particular for energy efficiency and for the consumption of products.
How important, in your opinion, is the presence of sustainable Italian products within a Program Operator that makes the international network one of its strengths?
Surely it is important to have inert materials which, especially now that the problem of sustainability represents an enhancing and necessary point to preserve the environment, are the result of a process with the lowest possible environmental footprint, allowing everyone to compare the results of this effort with others. corporate. The choice was difficult and demanding, but the fruits will be reaped over time.