Who chose EPDItaly tells its story: Bitron Group

Luca Ragusa, Sustainability Manager and Linda Visconti, LCA Supervisor

The Bitron Group is a family-owned multinational company operating in the automotive, home appliance, HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning), energy and electric vehicle charging stations sectors, collaborating with leading international manufacturers and assisting them not only in the production of components, but also in development and design. The Turin-based company decided to rely on EPDItaly to obtain EPD certification for some products.

In this regard, we interviewed Luca Ragusa, Sustainability Manager, and Linda Visconti, LCA Supervisor, both for the Electronics BU of the Bitron Group, who told us about the motivations that led the company to adopt EPD certification and what are the advantages of such a document.

Your Group is about to turn 70 years old. How has the market changed today and what values are most valued?

Throughout its long history, the Bitron Group has always distinguished itself from its competitors by its penchant for innovation. The target markets in which we operate are heterogeneous and follow very different rules and flows: Automotive, Home Appliance, HVAC, Smart Grid and eV Charging. These sectors have evolved a lot over time and our organization has had to cope with several changes, especially reviewing technologies and their applications. However, the innovative drive that our founders gave in 1955, when it all began, still lingers and involves us today-this is the secret of our success.

Which products in your company have obtained EPD?

We currently have 6 products that are already EPD certified. Specifically, these are 4 smart meters* and two home charging stations**, which are also the first EPD-certified eV-Charing products for our Group. Among the features we are proud of is the use of recycled plastics for the shells of our Getis 1.5, Gesis 1.5 and Waybox 4. In addition, all studies (LCAs) are entirely self-made, thanks to the know-how developed over the years, through training, by our dedicated team. The approach we have put in place is characterized by a real-time LCA process, which sets us apart from competitors and allows us to provide fast feedback, foster collaboration of all business processes through immediate dashboards, achieve improvement goals with data-driven actions, and monitor results over time.

Today making a good product is not enough. One must take utmost care in sustainable production. Do you agree?

Certainly quality and functionality are important in defining a “good product,” but it is not enough. End consumers are also increasingly paying attention to the sustainable dimension of the products they buy, placing extreme importance on how they were made (with what technologies, what raw materials, what environmental impact, etc.). Therefore, both we and our customers increasingly feel the need to improve, reducing our and our products’ environmental impact throughout the life cycle. We are proud to announce that the R&D department of Bitron Electronics has obtained ISO 14006 certification for ecodesign. In addition, we would like to make our expertise on LCA, digitalization and integration available in order to also accompany other companies on a path from measuring and being aware of their impacts to decarbonization strategies.

You have decided to certify more products through EPD. Why did you choose this scheme and not others? What benefits has it brought you? What are the impacts on the end consumer?

Among the many benefits we have gained by relying on EPDItaly is definitely the fact that this 14020 certification scheme is Italian and internationally recognized. This is a great business card for us to present to customers, who appreciate its seriousness and credibility. One factor we value in our work is transparency in what we do. Anyone who comes across one of our EPD-certified products can find the dedicated sheet on our website and check its environmental performance for themselves. Also, when we talk about sustainability, we have a duty to do so in a serious and concrete way, and avoid falling into greenwashing. It is not enough to say that a product is green, but it is necessary to make use of tests and certifications, such as those that EPDItaly provides, that give it depth and worth.

*Produced by Bitron Electronics S.p.A exclusively for Gridspertise S.r.l. and following the technical specifications of Gridspertise S.r.l

**Devices produced by Bitron Electronics S.p.A exclusively for Enel-x and following the technical specifications of Enel-x