LIBERTY Magona, with its more than 130 years of history, is continuing to make positive progress on its journey to be both sustainable and carbon neutral by 2030. The business has been ISO 14001 certified since 2001 and was among the first Italian companies to be EMAS registered but is now stepping up its environmental activities to reduce its CO2 emissions significantly, partnering with the best suppliers of low-carbon technologies available on the market and major Italian universities, through an efficiency program that will allow it to reduce emissions by 50% in the coming years and to reach zero emissions by 2030.

The first major step in this programme will be the construction of a powerful  photovoltaic (solar) system for the production of renewable electricity, which will allow a strong reduction in energy drawn from the National Grid.  The feasibility studies and planning work for the new system is underway.

The business is also investigating the production of green Hydrogen at the plant, using modern electrolysis cells powered by renewable electricity. The hydrogen produced, in addition to being used as a technical gas, will also be used as a fuel, replacing natural gas in LIBERTY Magona’s production processes, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In order to avoid pumping fresh water from groundwater, for use in the new hydrogen electrolysers, LIBERTY Magona has installed a modern desalinator which can meet not only its current needs, but its future ones. To ensure there is full environmental circularity, the desalinator can be powered using renewable energy.

As well as these major sustainability programmes, the business is also making good progress forwards through numerous short term, “quick-win actions”. Recently it started a process of analysis of the life cycle of its products that will lead it to the drafting and publication of Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) according to ISO 14025. Thanks to the continuous application of the most modern methods of continuous improvement and to the skills present at the site, LIBERTY Magona has also  been able to reduce the consumption of methane in its galvanizing furnaces by 10% and to reduce its electricity consumption by 30% when production is slower. The continuous improvement process, certified by JIPM in 2006 with “Award for TPM Excellence”, systematically generates new ideas to make its processes more sustainable every day with a vision which includes the reduction of natural gas consumption at its painting lines.

Lino Iallorenzi, the Managing Director of LIBERTY Magona, said: “I am very pleased with the progress we are making towards being carbon neutral by 2030, in line with LIBERTY’s CN30 ambition. We have some very exciting longer term projects which are now underway, while the short term progress we have made to reduce energy and water consumption will show that we are doing our best to be sustainable all the time. We are also making great progress with our social sustainability with an even greater focus on Health & Safety and ethical behaviour as our workforce continues to grow.”

LIBERTY Magona is one of the market leaders in the production of flat rolled galvanized and pre-painted steel. The first manufacturer in Italy to install a continuous painting line and one of the first to start a continuous galvanizing line, today it has two painting lines and three galvanizing lines as well as a pickling line and a rolling mill with a production capacity of about 900,000 tons / year. Since becoming part of the LIBERTY Group in July 2019, it has made important improvements in the guarantees of its pre-painted products, increasing their duration up to a maximum of 35 years, while expanding the range of guaranteed products. Since it became part of LIBERTY, the plant has increased its workforce up to 500 employees, with an increase of 20%.

The company has also made major efforts to improve the Health & Safety of those who work and visit the business. LIBERTY Magona certified OHSAS 18001 since 2008 and ISO 45001 in 2021, over the years has invested both in technical interventions and in the implementation of the “Be GFG Safe” safety culture, using targeted training programs and with the regular promotion of specific safety campaigns. Thanks to this relentless commitment to safeguard the health and safety of the people working in the plant, the business has practically eliminated the number of accidents at work.

The business is also committed to countering discriminatory behaviour, promoting inclusion within the company, equality and social justice. To this end, the company is in the process of obtaining ISO 30415 “Diversity & Inclusion” certification and has its own code of ethics and anti-corruption policy, based on GFG Alliances Code of Conduct, and an organizational model as required by the DLgs. 231/2001.

LIBERTY Magona has been ISO 9001 certified since 1993 and automotive IATF 16949 since 2010, while its products have obtained the D.M. 17.01.2018 “Technical Standards for construction” and KIII (Zulassung) qualifications required for the German market.