When was Arvedi Group founded? Can you give us a recap of the group's history from its foundation to today?

The Arvedi Group was founded by Giovanni Arvedi, in 1963, with the first two companies, Arvedi Commercio and ILTA. Then, in 1973, came Arvedi Tubi Acciaio, which introduced state of the art technology for manufacturing steel and welded tubes. But the real turning point came in 1992 when, after much hard work and many sacrifices, the revolutionary Acciaieria Arvedi project came into being in Cremona, which used cutting-edge technology, developed on the basis of Giovanni Arvedi's original ideas, for manufacturing flat rolled steel without interruption. Since it was first introduced, this Arvedi technology has been constantly refined and developed and now plays a leading role in the steel technology sector. In 2022, our Group acquired Acciai Speciali Terni (today Arvedi AST), a European leader in the production of stainless steel. Today, we have seven companies coordinated by Finarvedi, the holding company established in 1985.

In which sectors does the Group operate? And can you give us some key figures?

We operate in the production and processing of carbon and stainless steel. Our annual output is over 5 million tonnes of steel products, producing a consolidated turnover of over 6 billion euros. The products are mainly destined for the Italian and European markets. The Arvedi Group today has about 6,400 employees.

In 2022 Acciaieria Arvedi was the first in the world to reach the goal of zero net carbon dioxide emissions, as certified by RINA. How much investment did it require to reach this goal?

The goal required investments of around 300 million euros and forward-looking and important initiatives, such as the decision to close the blast furnace in Trieste and the redevelopment of production into low-consumption plants that can also be adapted to the use of hydrogen and into products with a longer lifespan.

What technological innovations have you applied to achieve carbon neutrality? What measures have you taken to limit direct emissions?

Our strategy is based on three pillars:

1. Use of advanced technologies, such as our ISP and ESP production lines powered by the latest generation of electric ovens, which allow for shorter processing times, reduced space requirements, and above all the elimination of traditional energy-intensive production processes.
2. Circular economy: use of post-consumer materials in casting, avoiding the use of non-renewable virgin materials as much as possible. In order to achieve this goal, massive sorting and preparation facilities for melting ferrous scrap were required.
3. Zero Waste: all the waste produced is the subject of continuous study and applied research to identify its use in our production cycle and beyond, according to an industrial symbiosis that will bring waste production to zero.

What about indirect measures? What kind of energy supplies do you need for the production process?

To reduce indirect emissions, we have implemented a series of energy efficiency measures, first and foremost the application of the ISP and ESP direct rolling process, but also important energy recovery systems using the thermal waste of the production process that involved the use of excess heat from some lines, for others that needed steam, for example. We therefore have a share of self-produced energy and have purchased renewable electricity with GO (Guarantee of Origin) mainly from wind and photovoltaic energy produced in Italy, while we have not purchased renewable energy from nuclear sources.

Water plays a key role in metalworking, for the cooling processes. Which measures do you implement to save water?

Water in our production process is mainly used for cooling, and we have adopted closed circuits that allow water to be reused and recirculated many times, thus greatly reducing consumption. We have also adopted rainwater recovery systems for use in the production process, collecting it in special tanks and reusing it within 96 hours.

What percentage of processing waste do you manage to recover? How are these scraps reused? In which sectors are they used?

About 90 per cent of processing waste is reused. Their main use is in the cement and asphalt conglomerate industry, but there are also several smaller uses as binders, in ceramics making and even in art.

Have you calculated the tonnes of CO2 that are no longer released into the environment each year thanks to your policies?

Between 2019 and 2023 we have reduced emissions (scope 1 and scope 2 throughout the organisation) by 58%, or about 900,000 tonnes of CO2. If we compare emissions per product unit (scope 1+2) with flat-rolled products from technologies other than Arvedi, we are about 10 times lower.

Tell us about the vision that led to these environmental policies? In your case, can it be said that sustainability has positively influenced the company's competitiveness?

The strategic plan for the future aims, on the one hand, at growing our core business by consolidating and expanding our position in our reference markets, with new and increasingly qualified products, thanks also to Acciaieria Arvedi's innovative plants, and on the other, at disseminating the Arvedi Steel Technology in the international steelmaking plant market.
It is no coincidence that, thanks to the aforementioned investments and the development of sustainable processes, Acciaieria Arvedi has secured important international orders from companies interested in reducing their carbon footprint.
This is the case with the agreement signed in 2023 with Mercedes-Benz. The German automotive giant has secured the supply of Arvzero, a sustainable steel, the result of over 30 years of research and development, which is produced from recycled raw material and to produce which we use 100% energy from renewable sources. Mercedes was searching for a type of material that would guarantee both quality and reliability and found these characteristics in our steel, produced in an electric furnace and based on the Arvedi ESP technology. The perfect answer to its needs.

Another important order, secured precisely because of your focus on sustainable production, comes from the Chinese steel giant Zhongshou Special Steel Group. What will you be giving the customer in this case?

Due to its characteristics, steel is a sustainable material because it can be recycled without losing its qualities. The world's leading manufacturers are interested in making their production processes more sustainable. Our Arvedi ESP technology is currently the only one on the market for carbon-neutral casting and rolling of thin sheets. Besides carbon neutrality, the technology also ensures very high outputs. The Zhongshou plant in Luanzhou, Hebei Province, will become operational in 2025.

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