Nurture the world of tomorrow - Maccaferri on sustainability

Nurture the World of Tomorrow
Maccaferri Sustainability
July 2019

1. Table of contents
RECYCLED MATERIALS FOR INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS
THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF OUR PRODUCTS
SOCIAL BENEFITS
THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF CONCRETE
OUR COMMITMENT TO SECURE NATURE WITH ITSELF
ECONOMICAL BENEFITS
A SUSTAINABLE WORLD
INVESTING IN ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
2

“ Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs ”
World Commission on Environment and Development of the United Nations
3

1. A sustainable world: Maccaferri vision
Nurturing for Maccaferri means to
care, to protect, to be responsible for.
Our vision is not just about ‘what’ we
want to be but even more importantly it
is also about ‘how’ we want to be as an
organisation. Responsible,
respectful, caring, and sensitive not
only to the environment but also very
much to our people, our stakeholders
and to the world at large.
By Nurturing the World of tomorrow, harmonizing life and nature through innovative
solutions, Maccaferri pursues excellence and continuous improvement.
Nurturing
the world of tomorrow
4

5
Three dimensions of sustainability
ENVIRONMENT SOCIAL ECONOMIC
Maccaferri solutions provide environmental, social and economic
benefits mitigating natural and anthropogenic hazards, respecting
the environment, enhancing people safety and improving their lives.

We care about our Environment
Maccaferri’s solutions are designed and developed with an eye on quality of life
and on preserving the environment.
6

Reduced Carbon Footprint
What are the environmental benefits of Maccaferri solutions compared to traditional
solutions?
Re-use of ‘site-won’ materials
Re-vegetation and integration into the natural environment
Reduction of site waste by creating bespoke materials
7

SOCIAL BENEFITS
ECONOMICAL BENEFITS
A SUSTAINABLE WORLD
8

2. The Environmental Benefits of DT Products
Production of
the base
materials
Transportation
to the job site
Installation
activities
An independent comparison has been conducted on the carbon footprint of
Maccaferri “DT” wire mesh Solutions, Concrete Structures and Rip-Rap taking into
account the production and construction cycles.
Maccaferri “DT”
wire mesh
solutions
Concrete Solutions
Rip-Rap
9
Life cycle considered in the comparison
3
2
1
3

0
10000
20000
30000
40000
50000
60000
Traditional Reno Mattresses with stones from quarry Reno Mattresses with local river bank stones
kgCO2eq
Comparison of the Gabion versus a Concrete wall impact on the
environment in a retaining structure
Maccaferri gabions
(Stones from remote quarry)
Maccaferri gabions
(Stones from quarry <100km)
Concrete wall
1x
1.6x
11x
Emissions of CO2 (KgCO2eq)
for the construction of a 8-m high and 10-m long retaining wall
10
= Annual CO2 emissions of a passenger vehicle
Transport (KgCO2eq)
Material Input (KgCO2eq)

0
40000
80000
120000
160000
200000
kgCO2eq
Titolo asse
34x
18x
5.8x
Maccaferri Reno Mattresses
(Stones from remote quarry)
Maccaferri Reno Mattresses
(Stones from quarry <100km)
Rip-Rap
Emissions of CO2 (KgCO2eq)
for the construction of 5400 m2 of river bank protection
Transport (KgCO2eq)
Material Input (KgCO2eq)
11
Comparison of the Reno Mattress versus Rip-rap impact on the
environment in a bank protection

The use of Reno Mattresses
and Gabions filled with locally
available stones, can lead to
savings of CO2 emissions of
up to 90% compared to
equivalent structures.

In most cases, the use of geosynthetic materials
replaces the use of other materials. The
environmental performance of geosynthetics were
assessed over the full life cycle and compared in
three different applications:
2. The Environmental Benefits of Geosynthetics
Production of
the base
materials
Transportation to
the job site
Installation
activities
3
2
1
4
Disposal of the
materials
Source: Study by ETH Zurich and ESU services LTD. commissioned by
the European Association of Geosynthetic product Manufacturers (EAGM).
Road foundation
Landfill
construction
Slope retention
• Geosynthetics based foundation
• Conventional road
• Cement/lime based foundation
• Geosynthetics drainage layer
• Gravel based drainage layer
• Geosynthetics reinforced wall
• Reinforced concrete wall
Life cycle considered in the comparison:
13

14
2. The Environmental Benefits of Geosynthetics
The environmental performance is assessed with the following impact category indicators:
CO
2
Acidification Potential provides a measure of the decrease in the pH-
value of rainwater and fog, which has the effect of ecosystem damage.
Eutrophication Potential provides a measure of nutrient enrichment in
aquatic or terrestrial environments, which leads to ecosystem damage.
Global warming potential (GWP) is a measure of how much heat
a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere up to a specific time
horizon, relative to carbon dioxide.
Particulate Matter is defined as a mixture of solid and liquid particles
of organic and inorganic substances resulting from human activities
and suspended in the atmosphere.
PM
How to assess the environmental
performance of Geosynthetics?

0
20
40
60
80
100
15
Environmental impact of a road foundation
Acidification Eutrophication GWP100 Particulate
matter
CONVENTIONAL
ROAD (NO
STABILITATION)
GEOSYNTHETICS
BASED
FOUNDATION
A conventional road causes higher
impact compared to a road
reinforced with geosynthetics in
all the category indicators. The
higher impacts is due to emissions
and resource consumption related to
the production and transportation of
the additional amount of gravel
required.
Percentage(%)
In the improvement of weak soils, a geosynthetic reinforced road is compared to a
conventional road.
*The case with the higher environmental impact is scaled to 100%
** Shown data refers to 12-m wide and 1-m long road stretch.
SOURCE: M. Stucki et al.,Comparative Life Cycle Assessment of Geosynthetics
versus Conventional Construction Materials

0
20
40
60
80
100
16
Environmental impact of a slope retention wall
matter
Percentage(%)
The retaining walls need to meet defined tensile and shear strengths. Retaining walls
reinforced with concrete are com-pared to soil slopes reinforced with geosynthetics.
GEOSYNTHETICS
REINFORCED WALL
REINFORCED
CONCRETE WALL
A geosynthetic reinforced wall
causes lower environmental
impacts compared to a reinforced
concrete wall in all impact
categories considered. Compared
to the conventional slope retention,
the geosynthetic reinforced wall
substitutes the use of concrete and
reinforcing steel, which results in
lower environmental impacts of
between 52 % and 87 %.
** Shown data refers to 1 m slope retention wall

0
20
40
60
80
100
17
Environmental impact of a waste landfill site
Percentage(%)
matter
The impacts of the conventional
drainage layer are more than twice as
high as compared to the impacts from
the geosynthetic drainage layer. The
main driving forces for the difference
between the geosynthetic drainage
layer in a landfill site and the
conventional gravel drainage layer is
the extraction and transportation of
gravel used in the conventional case.
The use of a geosynthetic drainage system is compared with a gravel drainage system
in a cap of a waste landfill site.
GEOSYNTHETICS
BASED DRAINAGE
GRAVEL BASED
DRAINAGE
** Shown data refers to 1 m3 mineral drainage layer

18
The Environmental Benefits of Geosynthetics
Using our Paraproduct geogrids for soil reinforcement enables the re-use of on-site
materials as structural backfill to the reinforced soil structures, reducing the environmental
impact of importing material and the associated transport cost.

30-50 cm of granular soil
without MACDRAIN®
with MACDRAIN® 30-50cm
5-10mm
5-10 mm thick MacDrain®
The use of MacDrain®
geocomposite for
horizontal drainage
applications can lead to
over 80% of material
savings with the
corresponding reduction
of impact on the
environment.
Our MacDrain® is capable of providing one or
more main functions: filtration, drainage,
separation, barrier and protection.

SOCIAL BENEFITS
ECONOMICAL BENEFITS
A SUSTAINABLE WORLD
20

3. The environmental impact of concrete
21
hat happens when we use concreteW

What happens when we use concrete?
Concrete is made up of three basic components: cement, water, aggregate (rock,
sand, or gravel).
22
Cement manufacture is one of
the biggest emitters of
greenhouse gases, accounting
for approximately 5% of annual
anthropogenic global CO2
production
The extensive use of water
needed by the concrete
industry contributes to water
scarcity issues.
Extraction of gravel and sand cuts
off the sediment supply which
degrades the channel stability and
habitat functions. The extraction of
these materials can be very
damaging for the environment.
12% OF
CEMENT
6% OF
WATER
82% OF
AGGREGATES

Environmental issues due to cement production emission
Cement is the source of about 8% of the world's carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions, according to the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London
(Chatham House).
SOURCE: PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency
300milion x
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
23
12% OF
CEMENT
6% OF
WATER
82% OF
AGGREGATES

24
25 billion tonnes of concrete are manufactured globally each year. It is estimated
that 2,830 billions of litre are used in the annual production of concrete.
A study published by the well-known journal
Nature reports that concrete production was
responsible for 9% of global industrial water
withdrawals in 2012 (this is approximately 1.7%
of total global water withdrawal). In 2050, 75%
of the water demand for concrete production
will likely occur in regions that are expected to
experience water stress.
12% OF
CEMENT
6% OF
WATER
82% OF
AGGREGATES

25
Source: Impacts of booming concrete production on water
resources worldwide - Journal NATURE
Water stress is shown in the map as a ratio of
the water withdrawal for the production of
concrete to total water withdrawal. In rapidly
industrializing countries, such as India, China
and Brazil, the production of concrete to meet
building and infrastructure needs drives a
significant proportion of the industrial water
withdrawal, exceeding 20% in several
countries.
Most of the concrete production
takes place in area where there
is a high water stress.
˝
˝

26
According to the journal Nature, during the next 35 years, 2,300–2,800 km3
of water will be withdrawn by the concrete industry.
6 times the annual total water
withdrawal in the United States
x6
2,300–2,800 km3 is equivalent to:
5 times the annual water
discharge of Ganges river

Environmental issues due to sand mining
The amount of sand disappearing has a profound
impact on how coastal areas are able to deal with
the effects of climate change and natural
disasters, disturbing the beach profile equilibrium,
with consequences on the natural protection roles
of beaches to dissipate wave energy and to block
inundation.
The World Bank
27
Sand and gravel are mined worldwide and
“account for the largest volume of material
extracted from the earth,” according to the
United Nations Environment Program.
12% OF
CEMENT
6% OF
WATER
82% OF
AGGREGATES

Extraction of sand
from River system
Physical changes
to river system
Loss of habitats
Water quality changes
affecting physical or
chemical condition
Hydraulic changes
e.g. water flows,
flood regulation
Land losses through
erosion
Damage to
infrastructures e.g.
river embankment
DIRECT IMPACTS INDIRECT IMPACTS
28

Trucks looting sand from a river in India
29

Disastrous Effects of Sand Mining on the Mekong River
50 million
WWF estimated 50
million tonnes of sand
were extracted from the
Lower Mekong
mainstream in 2011
alone, much more than
the river produces in a
year. These drastic
disruptions of the
sediment regime are
already reshaping
landscapes
downstream.
Food
Between 1998 and 2008, the river bed in the two main channels of
the delta fell more than one metre, allowing salt water to penetrate
further upstream into fertile rice paddies. Often called Vietnam’s
“rice bowl,” the delta produces 50% of the country’s staple food
crops and 90% of its rice exports
The lower Mekong River is an hotspot for biodiversity and an
inexhaustible source of food for the population of Cambodia and Vietnam..
Environment
An average of 12 metres of land is lost along the coast of the delta
every year
People
The endangered Mekong delta is the most densely populated area
of Vietnam, home to 17 million people that are exposed to possible
disasters
30

THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF DT PRODUCTS
SOCIAL BENEFITS
ECONOMICAL BENEFITS
A SUSTAINABLE WORLD
31

4. Our commitment to secure nature with itself
32

The Environmental benefits of respecting ecosystems
The visual results of Maccaferri solutions are
living systems with shapes and colours of
vegetation and lives.
33

34
Case Study: A Habitat for Endangered Species
Cape Town, South Africa

35
Thesen Island is a marina development
within the Knysna Estuary, one of
South Africa’s most important areas in
terms of biodiversity.
Seventeen kilometres of pristine
water front property needed to be
protected in the most possible
environmentally-friendly way
against tides and waves.

36
Polymer coated Reno Mattresses for scour protection, Knysna Basin, South Africa

37
Several studies have been carried out
on the endangered Knysna
seahorse Hippocampus capensis.
The findings suggest that artificial Reno
mattresses provide novel habitats for
this endangered species, highlighting
the usefulness of these structures in
future conservation activities.

Brittlestars populating Reno Mattresses

SOCIAL BENEFITS
ECONOMICAL BENEFITS
A SUSTAINABLE WORLD
39

5. Recycled materials for innovative solutions
40
Recycled material use will be increasingly
demanded over the next few years. We are
already part of this change.

Our commitment to recycling raw materials
Raw steel materials are certified to not
come from blast furnace production.
For steel wire mesh a target has already been
achieved because most of the steel rods used
for the production of the steel wire come from
steel recycling.
Recycled Polymers
Recycled Steel
41

42
Case Study: Environmental benefit of recyclable stone production
An interesting pilot project
developed in France consists
of the production of recycled
rip-rap by the re-use of
dredged materials. This
project started in 2017
between Maccaferri and the
Voyes Navigable de France
(VNF).
Lille, France

In order to guarantee a sufficient
depth for the passage of boats,
dredging of the waterway was
necessary. The pilot project
between Maccaferri and VNF
allowed the use of dredged
materials to produce recyclable
stones.
43

Maccaferri has already developed a proper mix design to be used based on the
available on-site material in order to have a suitable production with a maximum flexibility
of the quantity of stones required.
When there is the
presence of polluted
materials, there is also
the possibility of
combining the base
materials along with
cement and some
nano-components in
order to allow for the
absorption of the
polluted contaminants.
44

Recyclable stones produced in France from dredged materials are used to
fill a Reno Mattress for river bank protection.
45

46
Case Study: The Re-use of site-won materials
A significant problem for Indian
people was changed into a
solution by Maccaferri with a
“Waste to Wealth” approach
of maximising the use of
Redmud as a resource.
India

Redmud, a waste product from
the production of Aluminium, was
used in India as a structural fill
component eliminating the export
of external structural fill and the
polluting truck movements in this
region. It also increased the cost-
effectiveness of the project.
Case Study: The Re-use of site-won materials
47

SOCIAL BENEFITS
ECONOMICAL BENEFITS
A SUSTAINABLE WORLD
48

6. Investing in Environmental Sustainability
49

A research project to support green infrastructure
REQUALIFE is a web platform that
supports designers and specialists to
assess the eco-morphological impact of
hydraulic works.
REQUALIFE was developed with the
support of the Faculty of Science and
Technology of the Free University of
Bolzano along with other partners.
50

51
Our environmental impact transparency
What is an EPD?
An Environmental Product Declaration (EPD)
is an independently verified and registered
document that communicates transparent
and comparable information about the life-
cycle environmental impact of products
We promote our commitment to transparency as a means of improving the environment
and increasing sustainability, providing objective, reliable and comparable information
about the life-cycle environmental impact of our products.

The aim of her work is to better inform the public
about the existence of vast assemblages of plastic
material in the oceans, called the Garbage Patch –
one of the most serious phenomena of
environmental pollution.
Commitment to a Better World
We continue to demonstrate our attention to sustainability and the environment by
supporting the artist Maria Cristina Finucci, author of the “Help the Planet, Help the Humans”
52

The Installation during Fuori Salone week in April 2019
at University of Milan. To form the huge inscription
"HELP" over two tons of coloured plastic caps
enclosed in bags of red nets for food and enclosed in
65 PoliMac gabions.
53

The 2018 Installation at the Fori Imperiali in Rome.
54

55
Roots for the future
We are celebrating our 140th Anniversary keeping
an eye on sustainable development. 140 trees were
planted in all the Maccaferri subsidiaries around the
world. A message that comes from our history and
our vision: strong roots, teamwork and continuous
growth, harmonizing life and nature through
innovative solutions.
Actively contributing to find sustainable solutions
ITALY, HQ

56
ITALY, Headquarters

57
India and Nepal
Greece
USA
Indonesia Philippines

58
MalaysiaTurkey
Russia
France

59
Actively contributing to find sustainable solutions
ROUNDTABLE IN THE EMBASSY
OF ITALY, WASHINTGTON DC

SOCIAL BENEFITS
ECONOMICAL BENEFITS
A SUSTAINABLE WORLD
60

7. The social benefits of Maccaferri Products
Our solution can be installed by unskilled workers
allowing the involvement of local labour.
61

Help local communities
Display of Gabion assembling and installation – San Pedro Sula (Honduras)
The construction of a Gabion wall can be carried out using only local resources and local
available materials
Gabions have been often preferred over other solutions such as Concrete or Rip-Rap for
their social value.
Local people can be trained on how to install gabions
Local stones can be used for filling the gabions
This enables the involvement of local people in the construction process giving them
the chance to work and to learn new skills.
62

63
Case Study: Ethiopian Railway Construction
The Awash-Weldia/Hara Gabaya
Railway Project is one of the
biggest projects implemented in
Africa over the past few years.
The use of Reno Mattresses and
Gabions for the scour protection of
the railway bridges enabled the
involvement of local manpower.
This would not have been possible
if concrete or big boulder scour
protections were designed.
Ethiopia
63

Local people involved in filling the Reno
Mattresses for the Ethiopian railway
construction.

Case Study: Protection of world cultural heritage
The Saptashurungi Gad Temple is a site
of pilgrimage for Hindus in India with around
3,000 pilgrims per day, increasing to
600,000 during the religious festivals of
Chaitrostav and Navratostav.
The temple is constructed on moderately
weathered and fractured basaltic rock
hanging dangerously at many locations,
posing a risk to pilgrims.
Maharashtra, India
65

Maccaferri protects pilgrims and people visiting the Saptashurungi Gad Temple in India
from falling rocks. Local people, motived by their religious beliefs collaborated in the
project works.
The local religious community was of
fundamental importance in having microclimate
data and by sharing information about the
accessibility to the top of the sacred hill.
66
Case Study: Protection of the world cultural heritage

67
Our involvement in world heritage protection
Our social commitment include the development of solutions to protect our historic heritage. Our products constitute
an architectural lever when it comes to landscaping and urban design being in sympathy with their surroundings.
For this reason, our systems have been widely used to protect historical sites, monuments and other famous
landmarks. Furthermore, our solutions are used to protect people and assets.
National Flag Square, Baku (Azerbaijan)

68
Italy, Rome
Case Study: Our contribution to preserve an UNESCO World Heritage

Terramesh systems have been
used in various locations within the
Historic Centre of Rome (UNESCO
World Heritage).
69

Aesthetically pleasant and unobtrusive walls were
designed to protect the Ancient Romans ruins.
70

71
Çamlıca Mosque is the largest mosque in Turkey. The mosque can accomodate about 63,000 people.
A Green Terramesh retaining wall was built behind the mosque and MacRes Vertical Walls were
erected along the access road.
Case Study: Supporting the construction of a majestic religious structure
Istanbul, Turkey

72
Venice, Italy
Case Study: Engineering solution to preserve Venice uniqueness

73
Venice, has often been affected by floods in
the last few decades.
The Mose System, a mechanical system to
protect the city from high sea tides, is being
developed.

74
Maccaferri researched and developed
a tailored scour protection solution to
be deployed around the new tide
barriers that will protect Venice from
future floods.

75
Case Study: Enhancing people safety
Livorno, Italy
The Control Room, the most important
part of the L.P.G. deposit, is surrounded
by imposing tanks on three of its four
sides.
Since all the actions in both standard and
emergency situations are coordinated and
directed by the Control Room, the safety
level of this structure required
considerable accessibility improvements
protecting it from eventual overpressures
that could lead to a disaster.

76
Therefore, the Maccaferri top
quality defensive barriers,
DefenCell MAC, was chosen
by the contractor as the best
option to solve the problem
related to the protection of the
control room in case of
overpressures caused by
unexpected explosions in
emergency cases.
The Costiero Gas Livorno SpA had the necessity to protect the control room of
the largest Italian L.P.G. deposit in an effective way.
Case Study: Enhancing people safety

77
Case Study: People protection from human threat
Nice, France

78
Case Study: People protection from human threat
In response to the need to upgrade security in
public spaces, Maccaferri has developed a new
vehicle incursion prevention system.
Vehicle access prevention plays a critical role in
counter terror strategy and our new system has
been developed in response to a need to
continuously improve public safety.
A recent installation in Nice is designed to stop a
19-ton truck travelling at 50 km/h, impacting at 20º.
The system is crash test rated and accredited by
the IUAV (University of Venice).

SOCIAL BENEFITS
ECONOMIC BENEFITS
A SUSTAINABLE WORLD
79

6. Economical Benefits of Maccaferri solutions
Durable and cost-effective solutions to
minimize construction costs and environmental
impacts.
80

Economic benefits of Maccaferri solutions
Gabions reduce transportation
and the overall retaining wall
costs using stone materials
already on site. Gabions are a
high value-added product as
their return is unmeasurable if
you take into account variables
such as environmental and
aesthetical achievements.
81

Case Study: Safawi-Iraqi boarder roadway
Safawi-Iraqi border
is an arterial
roadway in the
eastern part of
Jordan, which
connects the country
with Iraqi borders.
The road needed
rehabilitation works
for a total length of
20 km.
Iraq
82

Case Study: Safawi-Iraqi boarder roadway
Maccaferri engineered an asphalt reinforced
solution through the use of Roadmesh. This fast
and economical solution allowed the reduction of
the asphalt layer thickness from 12 to 7 cm. This led
to a cost reduction of 50% and a saving of about
2,400 truck trips from the plant to the jobsite.
Maccaferri came up with a solution that reduces the
overlay thickness from 12cm to 7cm, through the
use of Roadmesh L within the asphalt layer over the
milled surface.
Material Savings: 5 cm of asphalt
12cm7cm
83
MACCAFERRI ALTERNATIVE
ORIGINAL ASPHALT LAYER

84
Case study: Restoration works after natural disasters
Hurricane Maria is considered the worst
hurricane that has ever happened in Puerto
Rico. Because of hurricane Maria, the island of
Puerto Rico suffered more than 600 failure
slopes. One of these failures occurred in
Guayama, in the southeast part of the island
along the PR-179, km 13. Due to the heavy
rains, a full section of the road collapsed.
Puerto Rico

85
Maccaferri was involved in the project of
the restoration of several infrastructure and
revitalization of livelihood and
economies to make communities less
vulnerable to future disasters and increase
their resilience. Several roads
were stabilized with the use of gabions,
Terramesh, Green Terramesh or MacMat R.
Case study: Restoration works after natural disasters

86
Case Study: Recovery and Reconstruction after a Natural Disaster
Fort Pierce, Florida, USA

87
In 2004, Hurricane Frances caused
$14.9 mln of damage to boats and $13
mln of damage to the marina facilities in
Florida.

88
Maccaferri was involved in the
coastal protection of the area
of Fort Pierce with permanent
wave barriers, an artificial island
breakwater, habitat creation and
artificial reefs.This solution
provides long term protection
from potential future storms.
The state of Florida has
recognized this project as a pilot
study for its environmentally
friendly and sustainable
elements – potentially setting
the bar for future storm damage
protection projects.

Why are we sustainable?
89
Offering the best and most innovative
solutions to our clients according to eco-
sustainable principles is a fundamental
commitment for Maccaferri. This requires a
sense of responsibility and the ability to
make authentic choices in order to
supply designers, contractors, workers and
clients with solutions which have the
lowest impact on the environment.NATURE
CLEAN
INVOLVEMENT OF LOCAL PEOPLE
LOW CARBON FOOTPRINT
SUSTAINABILITYECOLOGY
PEOPLE
RE-VEGETATIONENVIRONMENT
WILDLIFEHABITAT
DURABLE STRUCTURE
BUDGET-FRIENDLY

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