Mapei 2023 Sustainability Report

Mapei's true commitment towards the environment, people and the planet continues in all five continents. The Group has published its second Sustainability Report with a worldwide scope: a further confirmation of the winning corporate strategy based on the importance of research, specialisation, internationalisation and sustainability. Solid pillars that have led the Milan-based company to record constant growth over the years.

Thanks to its great experience, long history and constant commitment to research, which has always been aimed at improving the results achieved and searching for new innovative and quality solutions, also in 2023 Mapei reached new and significant goals, continuing to be a solid point of reference in the building sector. 

The figures of the 2023 Sustainability Report confirm it: around EUR 3,9 billion distributed to stakeholders, EUR 63 million spent in research and development with an increase of 19% compared to 2022, and EUR 36 million spent for sports, cultural and social initiatives. 

Sustainability is, in fact, a core value for Mapei which synergistically and virtuously integrates the environmental, social and economic dimensions, being inextricably linked to the way it interacts with the communities and the territory in all the 57 countries of the world in which it operates.

Veronica Squinzi, CEO of the Mapei Group, declares: "This year we have continued to grow. A growth that took place in a balanced and responsible way in the belief that profit should go hand in hand with ethics, respect for people and the creation of value for the territory. With this eighth edition of the Sustainability Report, the second referring to worldwide scope, we once again confirm our commitment, also formalised in the new version of the Group's Code of Ethics reaffirming Mapei's will to guarantee respect for human rights, employees’ conditions and the principles of equal opportunities, diversity and inclusion in all its activities".

Marco Squinzi, CEO of the Mapei Group, states: "2023 was a year of great change and widespread uncertainty; this is why we are all committed to continuing to provide the construction industry with innovative, quality solutions to meet today’s challenges. In the same year, we offset 67 products including building mortars, waterproofers, paints, products for cleaning and installing ceramics and stone. A number destined to grow over time, involving entire installation systems, with the desire to steer the market towards more ethical and conscious choices”.

Mapei's attention to the environment and the planet is witnessed by important activities and initiatives all over the world and is based, first and foremost, on its real commitment to reduce the consumption of virgin raw materials and use a greater amount of recycled materials coming to its production activities, for a truly circular economy.

In order to mitigate its impact on the environment, in 2023 the Mapei Group continued to implement energy efficiency measures in several of its production sites. Several subsidiaries around the world have installed photovoltaic systems: from Poland to Bulgaria, Malaysia and Hungary.

Added to this is the ongoing search for new solutions with a low impact on the climate and the constant monitoring through the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) methodology of the Group's products' emissions impact throughout their entire lifecycle. During 2023, Mapei developed 97 new product- EPDs, reaching a total of 190 EPDs at Group level, aiming to do more.  Moreover, from 2023, the residual emissions offsetting project was extended to all Group subsidiaries and other product lines, reaching 67 products at the end of the year. 

Among the numerous solutions proposed by Mapei, the products in the RE-CON range play a fundamental role in the re-use of concrete residues and other cementitious materials, which through a transformation process are converted into reusable aggregates. In this way, these residues do not end up in landfills.

In order to obtain an increasingly accurate and detailed picture of its carbon footprint, the company has pursued a process aimed at quantifying the Group's Scope 3 emissions also including the calculation of emissions related to the production of packaging, finished products and services purchased during the year.

Research is one of the pillars on which Mapei has been built up. The company is deeply committed to supporting both Italian and international universities and the scientific community through numerous activities and initiatives. 

During 2023, the Group provided a total of over 390,000 euros to Universities and Research Institutes. These included the creation of the new research centre for sustainable concrete technology by Mapei AS (Norway), the collaboration as a partner in the Innovandi Global Cement and Concrete Research Network project, a global network bringing together 42 scientific entities and 34 key players in the cement and concrete industry.

From grass fields to oceans, from asphalt tracks to snow-covered ones, sport plays a fundamental role in the history of Mapei, which over the years has supported and promoted numerous sporting achievements, with one common thread: determination, commitment and the will to win.

Among the most beloved sports, soccer represents a great passion for the company both inside and outside Italy.  In addition to supporting Sassuolo Calcio since 2003, the Group and its subsidiaries support various local sports teams. Mapei Argentina, for example, is the main sponsor of Club Atlético Lanùs, currently playing in the first division of the Argentine championship. 

 Besides soccer, Mapei's history has long been intertwined with cycling. A history that knows no boundaries and a bond that celebrated its thirtieth anniversary in 2023: the Group's support for this sport began as sponsor of a first division team and has continued since 2008 as Main Partner of the UCI (International Cycling Union) Road World Championships. In 2023, the Group was also the Official Partner of the World Cycling Championships, held in Scotland.

Mapei's commitment to sport also extends to other disciplines, all capable of stimulating aspects such as competitiveness, team spirit and the desire to overcome one's own limits. In fact, the company continues to support, as a Global Sponsor, Ambrogio Beccaria in his modern ocean sailing project with the Alla Grande team, which in 2023 obtained important victories in the main transoceanic regattas; it continues to support Derthona Basket, a basketball club from Tortona (Alessandria) whose first team currently plays in the Italian A series championship. As far as winter sports are concerned, in the last six seasons Mapei France has supported La Féclaz, the main Nordic skiing club in France, while in the Asian continent Mapei has been present in various marathons with a social background, such as the Fujian Run, organised by the Fujian Flooring Association and Mapei Construction Materials (China).

The promotion of culture has been a constant in the history of Mapei, which also in 2023 continued its longstanding partnerships and supported a series of new events promoting the cultural heritage of the territories in which it operates.

In the field of music, the historic bond between Mapei and the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, of which the company is a Permanent Founder, continued. It sponsored the Extraordinary Concert of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester conducted by Maestro Daniele Gatti. For the first time in its history, Mapei Bulgaria began sponsoring the New Symphony Orchestra, founded in Sofia in the early 1990s and now one of the country's best known musical institutes.

On a global level, Mapei France  was involved in the conservation of local cultural and historical heritage, participating in the renovation of the Pierre-Paul Riquet castle near Toulouse; Mapei Suisse was a Silver Sponsor in the creation of the "Space Eye" project, completed in 2023 after 5 years of work, an observatory housing the largest public telescope in Switzerland near Bern; Mapei Canada is one of the Main Sponsors of the Italian Contemporary Film Festival (ICFF), which has become one of the largest film festivals and one of the most eagerly awaited  cultural events of the summer in Toronto and across Canada; Mapei Australia continues its support of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre as one of the main sponsors.

The Group pays special attention to the wellbeing of people and communities in the areas where it operates, translating this focus into various charity initiatives.

During the year, the Parent Company supported the Veronesi Foundation in organising a charity concert to celebrate its 20th anniversary, with the aim of raising funds to support research projects for women's cancers. The historical support for the Archè Foundation and Gomitolorosa Onlus also continued., The collaboration with bee4, a social cooperative that develops activities aimed at reintegrating inmates of the Bollate prison, is now in its second year. The Parent company relied on Bee4 for various data entry and document digitization tasks.", Again in Italy, Mapei is a technical partner of the TOG Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing the best specialist care for young people with serious neurological pathologies. By supplying its products, Mapei participated in the construction of the new cutting-edge TOG Carlo De Benedetti Centre in Milan.

Charity initiatives also see the participation of the various subsidiaries all over the world: Mapei Kft (Hungary) promotes the 'Focus on Children' programme, through which it has carried out maintenance work in the homes of families in difficult situations; Mapei Romania, , has dedicated its attention to the younger generations, sponsoring the associations New Odyssey, a behavioural analysis centre dedicated to therapies for autistic children, and Lindenfeld, which supports the education of children from reception centres or disadvantaged backgrounds.

Mapei Colombia supports an association for children living in a neighbourhood with poor resources near the Estrella plant; Mapei Vietnam participated as Gold Sponsor in "Run for the Heart of 2023", an event aimed at raising funds to finance surgeries on children suffering from heart disease.