Evolve N°6 - ENG by MAIRE

NÂ°6

WE ARE RESILIENT! How adversity makes us stronger

DECEMBER 2020

N° 6 - December 2020 www.mairetecnimont.com

THE MAIRE TECNIMONT GROUP MAGAZINE EDITED BY Department of Institutional Relations and Communication Court of Milan registration - N. 338 on the 06/12/2017 EDITOR IN CHIEF Carlo Nicolais EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Massimo Dapoto PROJECT AND DESIGN Cultur-e www.cultur-e.it EDITOR Maire Tecnimont Spa Registered Office Viale Castello della Magliana, 27 - 00148 Roma - Italia Operative Headquarters Via Gaetano De Castillia, 6A - 20124 Milano – Italia PRINTER Gam Edit Srl Via Aldo Moro, 8 - 24035 Curno BG www.gamedit.it Issue completed: 10/12/2020 Photo reportage by Mjrka Boensch Bees The rights due for published texts are available for all parties that we were not able to contact.

02 04

EDITORIAL Towards environmental resilience Editorial by Gaetano Iaquaniello NextChem Chairman, KT Innovation Strategy VP.

STRATEGIES Knowing how to get back on a capsized boat

Has Covid-19 changed the energy scenarios?

A journey into human resources guided by those who have trained managers and athletes.

Interview with Alessandro Blasi (IEA).

A motivated leader leads by example

The worksite of transition

Interview with professor Pietro Trabucchi, sports psychologist and resilience expert.

Interview with Pierroberto Folgiero Maire Tecnimont Group CEO.

Has Covid-19 changed the economic scenarios?

Stories of resilience

Interview with Stefano Napoletano (McKinsey).

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CATEGORIES Resilience: nature versus city Modifying your structure to cope with climatic stress and increase well-being.

REPORTAGE The strength of those who have the ability to resist

Testimonies of the lockdown from Maire Tecnimont offices around the world.

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A journey into resilience to intercept its secrets and try to replicate its models.

TERRITORIES The green model of circular districts ÂŤWaste is the new oilÂť explains Fabrizio Di Amato, Chairman of Maire Tecnimont.

HISTORY History teaches resilience How have our cities changed in the wake of unexpected events? The memory of what happened in 1973.

SUSTAINABILITY Geopolitical resilience Interview with Gianni Bardazzi, Regions Coordination SVP Maire Tecnimont.

MOTTOS From resilience to entrepreneurship Not only a professional commitment: Entrepreneurship at Maire Tecnimont is a way of life.

EVOLVE | EDITORIAL

TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL

RESILIENCE

ore than forty years have passed since the great oil crisis that, as a result of the embargo decreed by OPEC in October 1973, stopped private cars in the United States and allied countries in Europe, including Italy. The Italian government passed an austerity decree that imposed price increases on gasoline and diesel fuel for heating, but also a sort of “curfew” to limit energy consumption, very similar to the lockdown we have recently experienced. Every Sunday restricted to bicycle use saved the equivalent of 50 million liters of fuel.

In the following years - still mindful of the measures they had undergone such as the cutting of public lighting, the reduction of stores opening hours, the early closure of cinemas, bars and restaurants and the suspension of television programs at 11 p.m. – observers and politicians of the time suggested that the way out would be to dismiss oil as an energy source, in favor of coal, which was not subject to the will of OPEC. Fortunately, we noticed that all of this did not happen: not only has coal not replaced crude oil, but the issue of sustainability and the focus on climate change has gained ground. Today more than ever, as we make our way out of the health and economic crisis of Covid-19, which has similarities to the oil shock of the 1970s due to the restrictions on mobility and the economic impact, sustainability is at the heart of any industrial restart strategy. The term is in use not only in companies at every level and among politicians of every rank: at universities, even before the coronavirus, future managers had already begun to redesign the development paradigms for the third millennium. Because the energy transition is an irreversible path, a new model of daily life: not simply a response to climate change. The pandemic has forced us, on one hand, to react from an economic perspective formulating strategies to bring back growth to our GDP; on the other hand, we have had to reflect

N° 6 - DECEMBER 2020

EDITORIAL | EVOLVE

upon the culture and type of thinking that we will need to face the coming decades. The challenge now lies in balancing welfare standards with the energy transition, moving from emissive, exhaustible, and concentrated resources (gas and oil) to widespread resources such as renewables. But also, from the perspective of the circular economy, towards the construction of new waste recovery and recycling plants and also plants for the production of biofuels for mobility and industrial use. In fact, the answer to the reduction of pollution and climate change cannot be “everyone at home in lockdown”, but a balance between classic consumption models and a different direction, aimed at sustainability. Drawing on the lessons that history has taught us, just as politics after the Second World War took to the field bringing a change of direction- and with the intervention of governments and institutions instead of the military today we are looking at the solutions Europe is proposing to us with great interest: the Recovery Fund and Innovation Fund, if well managed, are useful tools to redirect economic development. The same can be said of the Green Deal led by the European Commission, born with the general objective of achieving carbon neutrality in Europe by 2050. Investing in clean technologies, such as hydrogen or recycling technologies to support the manufacturing of products made with bio-based raw materials or chemicals from waste and waste recycling, implies a parallel attention to competitiveness in the international arena, knowing that in some areas of the world the focus on sustainability is not always a priority. Looking at Maire Tecnimont’s strategies, even the Circular Districts Model (for the green conversion of traditional industrial sites, which we will discuss in an article in this issue) is an effective response, provided that institutions move in synergy with companies. The project of the districts - illustrated by our Chairman Fabrizio Di Amato during the States-General with the Prime Minister of the Italian Government Giuseppe Conte - is an example of a resilient response, of a renewed vision supporting policies that are no longer short term, but with a medium to long term reach. And everything that Nextchem (Maire Tecnimont Group company for the energy transition) is planning in Marghera, Livorno

and prospectively in Taranto is going in this direction. I believe that the “grounding” of projects - by involving a specific area, national and local institutions and the citizens - is the right approach to ensure that it is not just an industrial initiative. This is why we at Maire Tecnimont have our focus on a global vision one which does not look at a limited range of technologies, but rather at a broad spectrum of unconventional innovations, so that we are ready for a world that is constantly changing. At Nextchem we consider this policy to be an asset, a form of resilience (technological and environmental) preparing us for the future, to anticipate scenarios and systemic risks. It would be easier to invest in conventional technologies, to focus on petrochemicals: instead, ours is an operation of courage that we are sure will be rewarded in time. Already today we are able to produce hydrogen using waste at a competitive cost with fossil fuels: in looking towards production that is completely green from now until the next 20 to 30 years, the problem of urban waste management will be solved. This requires the convergence of different worlds: the world of waste, the industrial world and the world of politics. In order to implement certain solutions, different actors must be brought together. One possible idea is to create regional, territorial clusters where on one side the waste problem can be solved and on the other hydrogen can be produced, also to be used for mobility. Resilience (the central theme of this issue of EVOLVE) remains a key feature in designing the strategies and models of the future. The first evaluation on smart working activities are decidedly positive: a modality towards which our Group was already structured a few years ago, and for this very reason has not led to a decrease in productivity. Smart working shows us the companies of the future. And if we look at the European Green Deal, with the “zero emissions” horizon by 2050, we cannot but think of our young people. On that date they will be in the prime of their lives, even more concerned than us about the issues surrounding the environment and sustainability: for this reason, they must be involved from the outset in the decisions to be made in order to outline the policies of tomorrow. This topic is linked to the emotional mobilization triggered by the coronavirus phenomenon. This drive for change has increased the attention to energy issues: an active interest that must be maintained and increased over time. If we must take one lesson away from this whole economic and health emergency for the future, I suppose it should be the one of systemic risk. We cannot return to the pragmatism of the status quo. Just as the increase of flooding and extreme meteorological events is unfortunately becoming more and more frequent, we have seen that a pandemic can also have a profound effect on our lifestyles and production models. There is no doubt that economic recovery will remain a priority: but all this cannot continue to take place at the expense of environmental sustainability. Gaetano Iaquaniello NextChem Chairman and KT Innovation Strategy Vice President

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EVOLVE | STRATEGIES

KNOWING HOW

GET BACK A CAPSIZED BOAT

n an age where uncertainty reigns supreme, the only thing we can be sure of is that our lives are changing with unprecedented speed and in totally unexpected ways. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to develop resilience, or rather the ability to face and overcome the difficulties of life, both personal and professional». An American from Missouri, Gregg Braden is considered an authority on making connections between the knowledge of the past and the science, medicine, and progress of our future. In addition to being a lecturer and author of numerous and intriguing international

«I

«THE RESILIENT PERSON FACES ADVERSITY AND ENGAGES IN A COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING. THE WAY OF LOOKING AT A NEGATIVE EVENT CHANGES BY MANAGING TO LEARN FROM IT, WHICH CAN SOMETIMES TURN INTO OPPORTUNITY». A JOURNEY INTO RESILIENCE GUIDED BY THE INSPIRATION OF TWO EXPERTS: GREGG BRADEN AND PIETRO TRABUCCHI.

best sellers, thanks to his ability for finding innovative solutions to complex problems, Braden was an innovation manager for the “Cisco Systems” network in the early nineties, effectively managing the global support team that ensured the reliability of today’s internet. In this issue of EVOLVE dedicated to the topic of resilience, we started from the philosophical (and practical) thoughts of two experts who have dedicated their lives to research in this field. In addition to having read and extracted snippets from the works of the “visionary” Braden (taken in particular from the essay “The power of resilience”), we interviewed Professor Pietro Trabucchi, psychologist and sociologist, professor at the University of Verona and collaborator of the Center of research in Bioengineering and Sport Sciences of Rovereto, as well as with the Institute of Sports Sciences of Rome. You will read his answers on the following pages. Over time, Trabucchi - who was the Psychologist of the Italian Olympic Cross-Country Skiing Team at the 2006 Turin Olympics and the psychologist of the National Triathlon Teams for many years - has been involved with training in companies on motivation and stress management. «With the Covid-19 emergency, we have been hit by a crisis of unprecedented impact and magnitude. For those who have the responsibility of people and businesses, the challenge is to accept the fact of having to experience hardships, aware that we might lose some of those privileges we have always taken for granted. The goal is not just to survive, but to navigate these months in a vital and constructive way, finding new ways and energy to start anew despite the climate of uncertainty. In the current context, individual as well as team resilience can really make the difference».

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Resilience, says Professor Trabucchi, is the art of getting back on an capsized boat. One wonders, when life capsizes our boat, why do some drown while others struggle hard to get back on it? It is with the verb “re-salio” that the ancients defined this action. The resilient person not only faces adversity but executes a cognitive restructuring. That is, the way of looking at a negative event changes and one manages to grasp the positive elements in it. In many cases, by reacting to opposition, lessons are learned, which sometimes turn into opportunities. Gregg Braden has also arrived at similar conclusions, convinced that human emotions influence DNA: «The power of resilience is the ability to adapt positively to change. Instead of swimming against the tide, we can express our ability to seize the opportunities that these changes offer us and experiment with new attitudes». Two authors, Trabucchi and Braden, both optimistic yet realistic, recognizing

5 the enormous amount of work needed to enter the new world that awaits us. From the reading of these essays, a reflection common to both emerges. The key to strengthening our resilience comes from our willingness to recognize the enormous scale of the challenge. Are we prepared to do that? The great journey that faces us today is very different from our experiences of the past: being that we are all engaged in the same excursion, we can no longer choose our partners in this adventure. This is not a trivial thought, but one that takes us into a deeply correlated and interconnected world where every transformation has some sort of repercussion for the entire planet. The globalization of the economy, climate change, the health emergency and economic crises are all factors that make us sailors of the exact same boat. The good news - as we will see in the following snapshots - is twofold: the first that humans were designed to cope with difficulties and stress successfully. The second is that resilience can be trained and enhanced. The real challenge is getting back on the capsized boat.

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R E S I LI E N C E E XC E R P T S

EVOLVE | STRATEGIES

CHANGE AS A CHALLENGE The resilient individual has a series of unmistakable psychological characteristics: he is an optimist and tends to “read” negative events as momentary and circumscribed; he believes that he has a large degree of control over his life and the environment around him; he is inclined to interpret change as a challenge, an opportunity rather than a threat. In the face of setbacks and frustrations, he tends not to lose hope. [Pietro Trabucchi]

NOW EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT

INTERMEDIATE OBJECTIVES

From the collapse of national economies to the emergency caused by Covid-19, from the reality of climate change to the failure of war as a method to resolve human differences. We are at the mercy of a convergence of extreme conditions never before seen. Since everything is now different, the old conceptions of the past will no longer be able to solve our problems. [Gregg Braden]

We cultivate the knowledge of ourselves, knowing that it is cooperation - and not competition - that marks the fundamental law of nature. Taking on more responsibilities than we can reasonably handle is not always effective. We learn to divide big jobs into smaller tasks, giving ourselves intermediate goals and delegating some parts of our tasks to others. [Gregg Braden]

GETTING UP AFTER MISFORTUNES

RECOGNIZE PROGRESS

The power of human motivation is astonishing. Other animals do not know how to learn from defeat, hold onto hope in the most unfavorable contexts, get back up and start rebuilding from scratch after misfortune has struck. Resilience is a cognitive ability and like all human abilities it can grow and improve, regardless of one’s natural inclination from birth. [Pietro Trabucchi]

Getting in tune with the intrinsic motivations of others, making people feel capable, recognizing their skills and progress: all of this has a much more powerful effect on motivation than resorting to incentives or authoritarianism. Trusting in the abilities of others is a specific behavior, not a wager. It can always be implemented and it bears fruit. [Pietro Trabucchi]

TWO TYPES OF DEMOTIVATION It was snowing very hard. Avalanches would soon begin to sweep the slope. “Get out of there now!”. Mr. I Can’t Do It, and Mr. Why Bother, each for different reasons, decided not to move. They ended up being buried by the first avalanche. To develop personal resilience, it is necessary to increase the sense of self-efficacy (“It’s possible for me to do it”) and increase the skills of willpower (“I will hang in there, it’s worth it”). [Pietro Trabucchi]

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STRATEGIES | EVOLVE

THE INTELLIGENCE OF THE HEART There are different types of challenges in life, each of which that can best be solved through various ways of thinking: sometimes with the brain, sometimes with the heart. The mind tends to justify the answers it arrives at, using circular reasoning: a fallacious logical reasoning, in which the premises derive from the consequences and vice versa. Accessing the intelligence of the heart, creating our own heart-brain coherence gives us the power to experience deep states of intuition. [Gregg Braden]

A GIFT WITHIN US We descend from people who have survived countless predators, wars, famines, migrations, diseases and natural disasters. We are built to live with stress on a daily basis. This is why we have a sort of gift within ourselves, a set of resources inherited from the past that constitute our “resilience”. [Pietro Trabucchi]

A PATH FOR THE “WHEEL” We are already in the possession of the solutions needed to create those breakthroughs capable of transforming our existence. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Rather, we have to build a “road” of thought that offers a surface on which the “wheel” of solutions can travel. [Gregg Braden]

Texts from: • Gregg Braden, “Resilience from the Heart”, Hay House Inc. • Pietro Trabucchi, “Perseverare è umano”, Corbaccio • Pietro Trabucchi, “Opus”, Corbaccio

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EVOLVE | STRATEGIES

A MOTIVATED

LEADER LEADS BY EXAMPLE n this time of Covid-19, a leader is someone who is able to mobilize people’s intelligence and engagement. With the aim to overcome that sense of disorientation which slows down our actions and absorbs our best helpful emotional energy. Promoter of the concept of resilience, Pietro Trabucchi (Psychologist of the Italian Olympic Cross-Country Skiing Team at the 2006 Turin Games and of the National Triathlon Teams) is currently dedicated to the National Ultramarathon Teams (24h, 100 km and Ultratrail) as well as to numerous athletes of endurance sports, including rowing. The author of several books - “Resisto dunque sono”, “Perseverare è umano” and “Opus” being the best known- Trabucchi is a professor at the University of Verona.

«Resilience, a concept that has been imported into the human sciences explains Trabucchi - is very useful to explain a series of phenomena. It actually has an engineering and metallurgical origin: in mechanical terms it is the ability of metals and alloys to withstand stress. From a psychological point of view, it is the ability to keep motivation both constant and high, in spite of problems and difficulties. Which, conversely, tend to have a demotivating effect».

By nature, man is not a sprinter, he is a marathon runner. Can we apply this statement to the behaviors that must be implemented in this delicate phase of emergency management? In what context does this aptitude for endurance apply? «Resilience is a transversal theme, present in everyday life. We identify it with precise actions, such as picking oneself up after a crisis, not giving up, accepting difficulties. I am personally involved with it in regards to sport, as resilience is one of the determining factors for athletic success and the building of great performances. But sport is simply an excellent laboratory, one that makes the playing conditions extreme: it shares a great similarity with our everyday lives, in the difficulties of a manager, an employee, an unemployed person, a student. The mechanisms with which we encounter difficulty are the same: if we have to withstand the pressure of a deadline, or face a difficult interview, or manage an economic crisis, the setting changes, but the processes used by our brain are essentially the same».

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Returning to the marathon metaphor, motivation is a fundamental component in the navigation through this time of crisis. Where does an individual find the motivation to look forward with serenity? Where does a goal-oriented sportsman, manager, person draw motivation from? «Today, we find ourselves in a context without structure, a situation without solid reference points. We need to train ourselves to live with uncertainty. In the past, motivation came from external sources: companies, political and religious institutions, family and school contexts provided reference points and horizons of certainty. Instead, today’s goals are constantly shifting and we can do nothing more than learn to motivate ourselves. Human beings have learned to motivate themselves as a matter of evolution. Before the invention of the bow and arrow, our ancestors survived for a million and a half

INTERVIEW WITH PROFESSOR PIETRO TRABUCCHI, SPORTS PSYCHOLOGIST AND RESILIENCE EXPERT. «HUMAN BEINGS HAVE LEARNED TO MOTIVATE THEMSELVES AS A MATTER OF EVOLUTION. BUT PAY ATTENTION TO INCENTIVES AND TALENT MANAGEMENT: ONLY THROUGH PROGRESSIVE DOSING OF GOALS WE HELP PEOPLE’S SELF-ESTEEM GROW».

STRATEGIES | EVOLVE

years by hunting their prey through persistence: armed only with sticks, they chased antelopes, gazelles and deer for hours - very fast mammals but less resistant than man - until the animal collapsed from sheer exhaustion. Along with physical and biomechanical evolution, this activity changed our cerebral architecture. The motivational areas, which are linked to the prefrontal areas of the brain, have become much more developed and active. The ability to maintain an objective for a very long period of time has been built into us for millennia. This is why we will actually be capable of dealing with the crisis, when one considers the resources that we hold within us to overcome it». In your book you explain that in today’s life and society, our innermost nature is hindered by extraneous and misleading concepts such as the myth of talent or the overestimation of the power of incentives. «Talent must not become an alibi, an invitation to be passive: it is a predisposition, a pre-requisite. You start with talent but then you must get to work and apply yourself. In companies, I see many young people who feel privileged just for having been selected: after which, their managers complain about them for their attitude of having won destiny’s lottery... I think it is a problem stemming from the educational curriculum: many people lack the ability to resist temptation, the practice of what was once called willpower. What makes the difference is the commitment to a goal. We live in a culture that values taking shortcuts, resulting in incredible personal resources being left unexpressed and unapplied. The same thing happens with regard to incentives. I refer back to research done on people’s brains: when one’s internal system is gratified, dopamine is produced, which slows down the rhythm of the challenge. But the world is raising the bar, and often incentives are not enough to keep up with the current competitive standards. At a certain level, incentives must be more emotional than economic: a person must see beyond, cultivate an intrinsic motivation, draw from inside rather than from outside». Working in a multinational corporation, how can you work on your self-esteem, even at critical times? «We often don’t have a good relationship with our limitations. But when we become acquainted with them by testing ourselves, we can strengthen our self-esteem. It is a matter of realistic goals: if a marathon runner has very high expectations, when he fails, he will fall from very high. Even among talented youth there is this risk: if managers do not dose goals progressively, and instead fuel unbridled dreams (as happens in the sneaky mechanism of social networks), young people will not be able to generate antibodies against frustration. And eventually their self-esteem will collapse. Leaders must be an example, developing their own ability to make motivation last, in spite of obstacles, difficulties and problems. If the manager of a team demonstrates resilience and an attitude of perseverance, every member of the team will be propelled to work on his own personal motivation: if he can hang in there, then we can too». You also talk about the importance of building a healthy system of relationships. What are the steps to generate a model that works? «I will refer to my team experience with mountaineering expeditions, where the group comes together through the sharing of a challenging

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Pietro Trabucchi goal. If what we call “relationship maintenance” is lacking, everything may collapse. Some expeditions fail simply because people get into conflict. Human beings influence each other with their emotional state: the sullen or absent boss demotivates collaborators, while a present and empathetic person changes the emotional experience. In any case, I am not proposing a solution sprung from the naive vision of a boss who becomes his collaborator’s best friend. I am saying, as neuroscience teaches us, that the motivation of human mammals is influenced by relationships: and a good boss knows how to build and maintain meaningful and personal relationships with employees while safeguarding norms and roles, just as an experienced coach does with his athletes. People must be listened to and they must be taken seriously. Not for simple “do-goodism”, but because if you don’t, the team won’t be able to reach any challenging goals». Let’s close by returning to the topic of sport. Why do professional athletes continue to be a great model to follow, even for complex organizations? What should we learn from sports dynamics? «Some athletes are a good model: in their efforts to achieve a determined result, they are able to keep their energy up over a period of time, even in the face of physical deprivation and metabolic deficiencies. I will cite some personal cases. In following Paralympic athletes with their stories of disability and resilience, one is provided with a constant injection of confidence in mankind. Who, more than them, can be an example for being able to get back up after a trauma? And in rowing, the mindset, spirit of resilience and trust in the team has helped Italian athletes to attain world excellence, although our physical baseline is less suitable than the athletic structure of Australian or New Zealand rowers. Finally, biathlon, a discipline where speed and power (of the cross-country skiing component), combined with relaxation and precision (rifle shooting) form a very interesting cocktail in terms of resilience. Let’s take another example from Italian female athletes: in women’s biathlon, our girls are among the strongest in the world!»

EVOLVE | STRATEGIES

HAS

COVID-19 CHANGED

ECONOMIC

THE SCENARIOS? INTERVIEW WITH STEFANO NAPOLETANO, GLOBAL LEADER INFRASTRUCTURE & CAPITAL PRODUCTIVITY, MCKINSEY & COMPANY. «TODAY, ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, AND GOVERNANCE (ESG) ISSUES CAN AFFECT COMPANY BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE: IN THE POSTPANDEMIC WORLD, ESG IS NOT A FAD OR A FEELGOOD EXERCISE. ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUCCEED IN REINVENTING THEMSELVES WILL LIKELY DISCOVER NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH».

Stefano Napoletano, Global Leader of Capital Projects & Infrastructure, McKinsey & Company

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he Covid-19 health crisis has had a major impact on the economic system. Which economic sectors are suffering most? What are the sectors that will suffer permanent structural impacts, and which will have positive impacts on their growth?

COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on people’s health and well-being on a global scale. One of the most striking features of the pandemic is how broad its impact on consumers’ lives has been. According to our surveys, as consumers experience a prolonged period of financial uncertainty, they intend to continue shifting their spending largely to essentials, such as grocery and household supplies, and cutting back on most discretionary categories, such as apparel and travel. While some sectors will recover earlier as consumer start shopping again, for others the recovery will be longer, such as large events and air travel. More in general, organizations that succeed in reinventing themselves will likely discover new opportunities for growth. An area where companies have already adjusted well is using technology to address changing work environments and to stay competitive. Our survey also shows that organizations that are successfully responding to the crisis have deployed more advanced technologies, digital products, and tech talent to speed up innovation and they expect most of these changes to outlast the pandemic.

STRATEGIES | EVOLVE

Covid-19 is a global pandemic with geopolitical implications. From an economic point of view, is it possible that the Covid-19 has different consequences for the different world’s geographical areas as well? And if so, which are those that will come out better or worse than others? As knowledge partner of the ISPI ‘Centre on Infrastructure’, focus is given also to the analysis of geopolitical trends. As ISPI points out in its studies, the pandemic is acting as a threat-multiplier for countries that were already struggling with other threats, such as protracted conflicts, economic crises, and climate change. In this context, Africa and West Asia are in a more fragile position. But the pandemic has also exposed the vulnerabilities of wealthy countries: in the Gulf, for instance, where even rich economies are likely to face deep supply disruptions. Regarding the world economic scenario, as ISPI outlines, there are two big threats with a potential global impact: the increasing unemployment that could worsen the crisis of the global demand and the GDP contraction, and the rising global debt that could raise the risk of a new financial crisis.

Over the past six months, large companies have reorganized supply chains, set up remote operations and made difficult financial decisions, many of which demonstrate great resilience. With the aim of rebuilding in the long term, what do you think

are the first steps of a path to help companies emerge stronger from the crisis? In our survey of supply chain executives, 93 percent reported that they plan to take steps to make their supply chains more resilient and less vulnerable to shocks, including building in redundancy across suppliers, nearshoring, reducing the number of unique parts, and regionalizing their supply chains. Today technology – such as analytics and artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, advanced robotics, and digital platforms – is challenging old assumptions that resilience can be purchased only at the cost of efficiency. The latest advances offer new solutions for running scenarios, monitoring many layers of supplier networks, accelerating response times, and even changing the economics of production. Some manufacturing companies will use these tools and devise other strategies to come out on the other side of the pandemic as more agile and innovative organizations. At the same time, as more physical assets are digitized, it is critical to step up investment in cybersecurity tools and teams.

With social distancing, the increase in production automation and agile work, what are the organizational and structural changes that big companies will face? While remote working was already gaining currency before the crisis, the pandemic and the step-change in use of videoconferencing and other forms of digital collaboration has shown that remote working, where possible, is here to stay. That said, organizations should invest in effective long-term remote-working foundations, revamp their upskilling and retraining approaches, and adopt an agile approach to strategic workforce planning. They should also reimagine the role of offices in creating safe, productive, and enjoyable jobs and lives for employees.

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Kevin Sneader, Global Managing Partner at Mckinsey, explains that the pandemic has exposed the deep interconnection between companies and the world in which they operate. Employees, clients and stakeholders expect the company speak out on sustainability issues as well. In the comparison between profit motivation and a company’s social purpose, what has changed since the coronavirus emergency?

The Covid alarm has accentuated a general awareness regarding environmental issues. From another point of view, in the economic recovery phase where the attention will be focused on growth, do sustainable investment policies for the energy transition risk to become less important? The simultaneity of the Covid-19 crisis and the climate challenge means that the post-pandemic recovery will be a decisive period for fending off climate change. In the aftermath of Covid-19, a number of factors could slow climate action, among which for instance the easing or delay of environmental regulations in the interest of economic growth, depressed oil prices that make low-carbon technologies less competitive. By contrast, a climate-smart approach to economic recovery could do much to put the world on an emissions pathway that would hold the average temperature increase to a relatively safe 1.5 °C. We need to keep in mind that, not only does climate action remains critical, but the transition to a low-carbon future can drive near-term job creation while increasing economic and environmental resilience.

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Today it’s commonly recognized that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues can affect company business and financial performance. Expectations and scrutiny on ESG topics from investors, consumers, employees, and other stakeholders continue to grow, and taking action in these areas may help companies navigate rising pressure from stakeholders and distinguish themselves from competitors, creating additional value in five important ways: facilitating top-line growth, reducing costs, minimizing regulatory and legal interventions, increasing employee productivity, and optimizing investment and capital expenditures. To a greater extent in the post-pandemic world, ESG is not a fad or a feel-good exercise. Global sustainable investment tops $30 trillion, up 68 percent since 2014 and tenfold since 2004. This acceleration has been driven by increased social, governmental, and consumer attention on the wider impact of companies, as well as by the investors and executives who realize that a strong ESG proposition can safeguard a company’s long-term success.

STRATEGIES | EVOLVE

HAS THE

COVID-19 CHANGED

ENERGY

SCENARIOS?

he Covid-19 crisis has caused a decrease in the demand for almost all resources (mainly coal, oil and gas) and in CO2 emissions. Only renewable energies have withstood the shock wave. According to your projections, how will demand evolve in the coming years? And CO2 emissions?

The impact of Covid-19 cannot be overlooked. Global energy demand is set to decline by 5% this year. To put that in context it is seven times larger than the decline we had as a result of global financial crisis one decade ago. This is the result of strong plunge of global economy but also of measures implemented to curb virus outbreak that have impacted also energy-consuming sectors like mobility ones.

Alessandro Blasi, Special Advisor of the IEA Executive Director

INTERVIEW WITH ALESSANDRO BLASI, SPECIAL ADVISOR OF THE IEA (INTERNATIONAL ENERGY AGENCY) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. “THE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE HAS REMAINED VERY RESILIENT, DESPITE BEING HIT QUITE HARD”. THE IEA ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT ALMOST HALF OF THE EMISSION REDUCTIONS NEEDED TO ACHIEVE THE NET “ZERO” TARGET BY 2050 WILL HAVE TO COME FROM TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE NOT YET COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE TODAY. Emissions are set to decline proportionally in 2020 but there is nothing to celebrate on this as it results from a huge medical and economic shock and not from good policies aimed at change trajectory in our sustainability trends. Looking ahead, energy demand and emission trajectory will be function of two main aspects: a) how long and severe will be the pandemic and b) what policies and measures governments will implement to fuel global recovery. Past experiences showed us that in absence

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of serious and deep policies, we will resume the previous trend in terms of energy consumption and emissions as soon as the world will come out from the current crisis. In this respect, the pandemic offers a ‘window of opportunity’ to rethink our development model in a more environmental-friendly approach.

Several observers have compared the Covid-19 crisis to the oil crisis of 1973. The economic decline is reminiscent of the Great Depression of the 1930s. Looking at the energy sector as a whole, what elements of resilience have you noticed? I do not see a parallel between current crisis and the oil shock in 1973. As far as concerns the energy sector, the current situation is determined by exogenous factors and not internal one. The system has a whole has remained very resilient despite it has been hit particularly strong. But deliveries have continued, supplies have not been interrupted and the system has remained operative and reliable. We should all be grateful to millions of workers in the energy sector that during the peak of the crisis and lockdown

Hydrogen can play a key role in global clean energy transitions.

have continued to operate with great professionalism and dedication in order to keep energy flowing, allowing our society to deliver essential services.

IEA Director Fatih Birol has explained how this crisis has highlighted the deep dependence of modern economies on reliable electricity supplies. What kind of policies and investments will governments have to support to steer the global energy system towards a sustainable future?

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It is correct - the pandemic has highlighted the deep reliance of modern societies on reliable electricity supplies – for supporting healthcare systems, businesses and the basic amenities of daily life. That was a stark reminder of the importance of energy (and electricity) for our society. For a sustainable future there is not a silver bullet or a single technology that can ‘save the world’. Energy is a complicated thing and we need to keep in mind all different aspects. The IEA has offered governments the Sustainable Recovery Plan focusing on cost-effective measures spanning across six key sectors – electricity, transport, industry, buildings, fuels and emerging low-carbon technologies – that if implemented could simultaneously boost economic growth, save and/or create millions of jobs and keep 2019 as the real peak of emissions. IEA also argues that the chance to develop low-carbon hydrogen technologies cannot be missed. What role may hydrogen play in the global transition towards clean energy? Which are the areas where it will be mainly used?

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Hydrogen can play a key role in global clean energy transitions, but for this to happen; hydrogen production must be low-carbon. Today, practically all hydrogen production is based on natural gas and coal, generating significant amount of CO2 emissions. There are basically two areas for low-carbon hydrogen: the “green hydrogen” – from electrolysis using renewable electricity – and “blue hydrogen” – from fossil fuels whose emissions are captured and stored or reused. Blue hydrogen today is cheaper than green hydrogen, but as the costs of renewables and electrolysers continue to fall, green hydrogen will become more competitive. In the long run, each country and company will choose between the two options depending on which is cheaper in their own respective context (Ed.: in addition to these, there is a third option, the one of circular hydrogen from waste, developed by NextChem, about wich you can read at page 18). What matters in the end is that the production is low-carbon and affordable and applications can span from industry to transport and other sectors where electrification alone might not be sufficient to solve the climate issue.

What are the other clean technologies alongside hydrogen to get a sustainable, clean, safe and affordable energy system? What does planetary Green New Deal exactly mean? Thanks to efforts from governments, companies, researchers, and other stakeholders in the energy sector, we have made tremendous progress in clean technologies. In the power sector, solar and wind – including offshore – have seen spectacular decline in costs; electric vehicles, batteries and storage are making important progress and further to hydrogen there is a very important momentum in carbon capture utilisation and storage. Said this, there remains huge scope for governments and companies to scale up efforts in innovation. The amount of spending in R&D for low carbon technologies remain very modest, especially if compared to other sectors like technology one. To accelerate on that front is crucial. IEA analysis shows that almost half of emission reductions needed to achieve net zero targets by 2050 will have to come from technologies that today are not commercially available yet. The political momentum, the stepping up of many companies on sustainability front and the ultra-low interest rates following quantitative easing can be a fantastic cocktail to finally move on sustainable trajectory.

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EVOLVE | STRATEGIES

THE

WORKSITE OF

TRANSITION he coronavirus is not a black swan». This is what Nassim Nicholas Taleb, the author of the bestseller “The Black Swan”, that EVOLVE covered in December 2017, said on the subject of antifragility in a newspaper interview. The Lebanese philosopher who had foreseen an unexpected event capable of overwhelming everything and everyone, changing history - explains that we cannot compare the current Covid-19 pandemic to a black swan. «It lacks an essential aspect - says Taleb - the unpredictability. If we look at the disease itself, years ago the scientific community started giving warnings that sooner or later a global epidemic would break out. And it’s not a black swan because of the collapse of the markets, either: a noticeable correction was in the order of things, because prices were too inflated, both in the USA

«T

Pierroberto Folgiero, Maire Tecnimont and NextChem CEO

INTERVIEW WITH PIERROBERTO FOLGIERO, CEO OF MAIRE TECNIMONT AND NEXTCHEM. «TO GET OUT OF THIS CRISIS AND LEAD THE WORLD IN A SUSTAINABLE DIRECTION, IT IS NECESSARY TO CHANGE THE BENCHMARK OF SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL VALUES». and in Europe. A little ‘drainage’ will only do some good. There have been many such moments, even without epidemics». With this in mind, we asked Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Maire Tecnimont and NextChem, some questions about resilience and post virus reconstruction. Even though Covid-19 has highlighted the fragility of our system, this crisis can become a historic opportunity to lead the world towards a sustainable direction. «All of a sudden, the pandemic has confronted us with what can happen to the planet when a systemic risk becomes a reality. Apart from the deep sorrow for the victims of this virus and their families, we can draw a positive side from this event: the realization that we can live in a way unthinkably different from how we were used to. We must use the sense of surprise that millions of people have experienced in realizing that smart working actually works, if well organized, to consider the fact that many other things can be done very differently. We need to look ahead in the long term, because it will not be enough to just reduce emissions and energy consumption. We need to change social, economic and financial behaviors and values».

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How do we plan a quick and lasting reconstruction? «By preparing the industrial system for the reduction of risk and economic loss resulting from pollution and climate change and the impact they have and will have on many sectors. National economies will have to become more and more resilient and industrially autonomous, because the Covid-19 crisis is showing us that the oil & gas era has begun its transformation trajectory. Private investment in the fossil fuel sector is no longer as attractive as before, with financial analysts assigning a much higher rating to innovative green technology projects. Albeit with slowdowns and areas of resistance, we are moving towards the fourth industrial revolution: the one where the physical, digital and biological worlds will increasingly become a single entity».

How do you envision the general and Italian scenario in the short term? How should companies and institutions move? «Maire Tecnimont is a leader in technologies for the transformation of natural resources into both energy and products that are innovative and sustainable: every day, for us, the energy transition means agility, flexibility and internationality. This is why I have the image of a large worksite in my mind, a globally oriented “worksite of transition”. Obviously, it would also be a great priority for Italy, which is the second largest manufacturing country in Europe, to devote its time and resources to defining simplified procedures for those who want to invest. In this context, it is necessary to guide companies on how to use the available

resources in order to start long-term projects. The ingredients? On the one hand the ability of companies to create a system, pushing new supply chain agreements with joint platforms for research and concrete application. On the other hand, the ability of institutions to be able to support innovation in this sector when they are presented with workable innovative projects».

Politics and business do not always go hand in hand. How could governments intervene? «Green platforms are needed so that demand for capital, goods and services can be met by businesses. Governments will have to facilitate more courageous investments in sustainability with rewarding tax incentives for processes that improve energy efficiency, the carbon footprint and recycling technologies. There is still a lack of regulatory infrastructure and incentives to support the production of goods made from organic and non-fossil-based raw materials, as well as chemical products made from recycled waste. By acting for innovation we make industries more competitive and less exposed to future systemic risks».

In terms of resilience, is green chemistry a viable solution to ensure self-sufficiency? «With green chemistry we can create a basket of locally produced goods, available within the country and able to provide greater autonomy in terms of raw materials, products and energy. The energy transition is an opportunity: every company knows that where there are new paradigms to explore, innovation and business grow. The birth of NextChem is going in this direction: to position ourselves in a promising market, the one of technologies for the low-carbon and circular economy. Waste is the oil of the new millennium, although in Italy we are struggling to recognize it on both an institutional and societal level. Let’s recall the Nimby syndrome: it springs up spontaneously every time we think about how to transform waste into resources».

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Technically, how does this translate into NextChem?

How do we find the right balance to intelligently manage resources? «The energy transition cannot disregard the development of the circular economy to save natural resources, by recovering as much post-consumer material as possible, a real treasure of precious molecules. This way we will reduce our dependence on other countries for the supply of raw materials. We need to start thinking about the development of green technologies by carefully looking at the biomasses that will be used as a feedstock for industrial transformation processes».

There is still debate whether certain types of waste can be considered biomasses. «The availability of biomasses is the real challenge for the sustainable economy of the future. To make the circular economy grow, we must make an effort to observe the system with a wide lens, able to detect the symbiotic relationship between different sectors, between agriculture and industry, between the agri-food supply chain and chemistry: what for one is waste, for the other can become raw material».

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«Our patented Upcycling technology makes it possible to obtain perfect circularity: it enables the transformation of post-consumer plastic waste into high performance polymers able to replace virgin plastic. Our bio-based technologies for green chemistry can be integrated into existing plants to produce intermediates and biofuels from residual oils and fats. At NextChem, we have developed chemical recycling technologies that enable the production of circular gas, circular hydrogen, methanol and other valuable molecules from non-recyclable plastic or dry wastes. With the double benefit of circularity and CO2 reduction, without neglecting economic sustainability. In collaboration with ENI, we have a project for the refinery in Venice underway, aimed at producing Circular Hydrogen, extracted from the synthesis gas generated by the chemical conversion of waste such as Plasmix (the miscellaneous remnants of the separated recycling, that is difficult to recycle mechanically) and RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel). Again, with ENI, we are also carrying out the project for the Livorno refinery, where we will produce methanol using the same process. I believe that our Circular Hydrogen is an intermediate step towards a sustainable production of green hydrogen generated through electrolysis powered by renewable energy sources».

In a separate article in this issue of EVOLVE we will talk with Chairman Fabrizio Di Amato about the Circular District model developed by NextChem and presented to Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte at the States-General of the Economy. What do you think about this project? «It was an important testimony that the Chairman and Majority Shareholder of Maire Tecnimont, Di Amato, brought to the government table. Our idea of the Circular District includes patented and licensed technologies

STRATEGIES | EVOLVE

the coronavirus crisis. With the aim of creating a participatory approach, the research world must also be integrated into the drive towards the transition. How can collaboration with companies be strengthened?

in an integrated framework, with significant operational synergies and environmental benefits. It is an effective solution for brownfield industrial sites that need to be decarbonized or upgraded with a more environmentally sustainable footprint. But, also for energy-intensive and traditionally fossil industries, such as steel, glass, waste management and petrochemicals. We are very motivated by the fact that these technologies will provide innovative solutions to the waste problem, which is one of the most complex issues of this century».

Digitalization and smart working. How was the challenge experienced by managers, technicians and employees? Just another step towards organizational resilience? «The entire company has responded with a great sense of responsibility towards itself and the stakeholders who are watching us carefully. I have repeatedly affirmed my pride in seeing that the Maire Tecnimont Group had already started to go upstream some time ago, training itself in spreading digital culture at all levels and operating in true smart working motivated by agile thinking. Our Group courageously thought about the solution before the problem became evident. Managing the digital development of a leading multinational company in hydrocarbon and green chemistry plant engineering is a complex and motivating endeavor. With more than nine thousand professionals located in over forty-five countries within fifty different companies, designing the future of tomorrow - with all its variables, sometimes even a “black swan” - is for us a task that would... make Taleb and many other geopolitical experts jealous».

Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, specifically urges that clean energy be at the heart of support plans to combat

«The position of the IEA’s top management is shared by a growing number of economists, experts and business representatives. This is also the goal of the recently formed European Alliance for a Green Recovery, connecting tens of opinion leaders, Institutions and CEOs from overall Europe, as it is the meaning of the recent Manifesto of the Italian Foundation for Sustainable Development (where we are among the Founders), and the message of the Symbola Foundation within its Climate Manifesto, that we also signed. On the innovation side, Maire Tecnimont has been working for a long time with universities and research centers to put technologies that allow for a sustainable transition into practice. Participating in European and national projects, also through open innovation platforms, allows us to intercept ideas and positive energy, of which we then test the applicability at pilot level and on an industrial scale. I believe that the time has come to share with the main decision makers - both institutional and corporate - an important plan for an industrial reconstruction that has a positive impact on the economy, society and the environment».

The headquarters of the Group is in Italy, although Maire Tecnimont is present in forty-five countries. What elements of national resilience can bring inspiration to offices scattered across five continents? «As Italians we are showing all our propensity to find effective solutions when problems are articulated. We always try to draw new motivation from adverse circumstances. Other countries are very good at coming out of crises through more standard and routine, long-term paths. Over the years, working all over the world, we too have learned that it is not enough to be disciplined: Italian engineers represent an increasingly global excellence because they are disciplined and creative, they are “humanistic engineers”. Probably the extra “something” comes from the ability to draw on problem solving and our basic transversal culture: by trusting our intuition, perhaps more than others, we find alternative solutions that open the way, bringing flexibility and resilience to the system. The women and men of Maire Tecnimont, even before the Covid-19 crisis, have repeatedly demonstrated their ability to make the most of this professional cultural heritage. Now is the time not to be afraid to overcome the existing paradigm, creating the right mix between rational ideas and creative strokes of genius. I am thinking of Taleb, who used to say that resilience is built alongside anti-fragility: uncertainty is not only a source of danger from which to defend oneself, but an opportunity to seek benefits from volatility and disorder, and even from mistakes. I am sure that the bad experience of the pandemic will lead us to look at the future, of our businesses and of people in general, with different eyes. With the view of explorers who already imagine what’s on the other side of the sea they are navigating».

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EVOLVE | STRATEGIES

STORIES OF RESILIENCE he pandemic tsunami arrived suddenly, disrupting the order of business priorities and working practices. Covid-19 forced all organizations to reshape their activities by focusing on concepts still unexplored in the working world, such as social distancing and lockdown. Some companies were better prepared: smart working, remote testing, advanced digital systems and intelligent work organization. These are the companies that, despite the pandemic, continued to tell stories of the goals achieved, reacting to difficulties with promptness, vision and sacrifice.

Obviously, a resilient organization is not created out of nothing, it requires the full trust of the employees towards the managers and vice versa, as well as towards the company itself. At the base of everyone’s motivation, for Maire Tecnimont, is the sharing of the objectives to be achieved and the provision of the best tools to do so. During the pandemic crisis and the restrictive measures that followed worldwide, we received confirmation not only of the motivation but also of the excellence of our people. All of them committed to reacting, transforming and reshaping their daily activities in order to continue their work, respecting deadlines for deliveries and inspections, even in the days of the lockdown when time seemed suspended. Women and men who, at whichever geographical latitude, through teamwork often at a distance, developed creative and innovative solutions to solve problems of various kinds. We are proud of this, but not surprised: we are well aware that the complexity of our work at Maire Tecnimont has long taught us that every day brings a new challenge. And overcoming it has made us and will continue to make us stronger.

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THE TESTIMONIES OF OUR EMPLOYEES DURING THE LOCKDOWN PERIOD HIGHLIGHT THE RESILIENCE ABILITY THAT HAS PREVENTED OUR PROJECTS TO STOP. HOW DID WE DO IT? HERE ARE SOME STORIES, AMONG THE DOZENS COLLECTED, THAT HAVE SEEN COLLEAGUES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD COMMIT THEMSELVES TO THEIR WORK DESPITE THE DIFFICULTIES.

STRATEGIES | EVOLVE

Brave choices in remote areas This is shown by a story set in Egypt: a very difficult choice that involved the team engaged in the project of the Kima Fertilizer Complex. ÂŤIt is March 15 - say Pawan Gambhir (Project Manager) and Mauro Attuati Travostino (Site Manager) - when the Egyptian government announces the closure of the international airport and the suspension of flights, leaving us with two choices: return home to our families at such a complex time or stay and conduct the performance test scheduled for a few days later. Staying meant not knowing when we could return home. But leaving would have meant postponing the long-awaited test indefinitely, putting the plant and its activities at risk. After making a detailed analysis of the situation, in the end our team decided to stay on site

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to complete the test on March 22. Self-motivation, commitment and resilience were what made the difference». The same adaptability and courage convinced the team of the ZCINA GPL Train 4 Project to maintain the isolation of the camp where they work, located in a remote area of the Algerian desert. «To prevent any risk of contamination - explain Alfredo Montigliani (Project Manager) and Davide Roldo (Site Manager) - in addition to adopting the strict HSE guidelines of the Group, all the Friday trips that the staff would make to the nearest city were interrupted. In a nutshell, there was complete commitment to the project, without exceptions».

The importance of high performance and advanced technologies Stories documenting how the investments and progress made in the technologies shared by the Group have been fundamental to completing complex activities during the health emergency. This is the case in the management of the remote walk around using Smart Helmet, narrated by Enrico Anzoino (Layout & Piping Manager): on that occasion the team members of the PDH Tobolsk project, in the Russian Federation, accompanied the customer to the plant virtually, managing to provide all the necessary technical suggestions. An experience also shared by Claudio Cristofori, Process Control & Automation Manager: «I am happy to share the latest results on digital technologies and remote connections used during the Baytown Project in Texas. The Tecnimont Automation team planned to perform the Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) of the control and security systems of the plant exclusively by remote, with an approach that would contain the overall cost of the project. As a result, we have been able to verify the remote system configuration, performing a complete system test, from the virtual loop check activities to the validation of the control strategy, through to the display-operator check. Following the approach of this remote test, the team has also developed new tools to share the test results internally among the parties involved (EPC contractor, End User, System Vendor) in real-time, allowing us to immediately observe the progress and corrections that need to be made to the system configuration».

Beyond the comfort zone The difficulties also lead to this: finding the courage to improve and overcome their comfort zones, sometimes taking on new responsibilities. Stefano Scaramelli knows this well, working with Maire Tecnimont in the Amur Gas Processing Plant UI&O Project in remote Siberia. «Due to the travel restrictions imposed by Italy and the

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Russian Federation, our Site Project Director and the Construction Director are temporarily absent from the site. Therefore, in addition to maintaining my original position as Project Control Manager, I am now acting as Site Director at the head of a staff of 245 people. An experience that has pushed me to make many important decisions to ensure the safety and psychological well-being of our employees». And precisely to ensure the psycho-physical well-being of workers, Gupta Gopal, communications specialist at Tecnimont India, explains the launch of a communication campaign aimed at employees working from home during the lockdown in India. «The objective is to keep everyone involved, healthy and productive. Our campaign contains a number of messages such as time management, positive attitude, meditation, exercise and even cooking, which can be done either with family members or alone. Our colleagues have received a daily online card with several ideas about the suggestion of the day».

STRATEGIES | EVOLVE

The strength of solidarity The messages of Tecnimont India’s communication campaign highlight a fundamentally valuable aspect of facing difficulties: the strength of relationships. Here is a story of solidarity, of friendship between two countries, whose title is a proverb: “The man who moves a mountain begins by taking away small stones”. The main characters are KT - Kinetics Technology, a Maire Tecnimont Group company, and China Chemical Engineering, chosen to play the role of Second Construction Company (CCESCC) as subcontractor of the Luanda refinery expansion project in Angola. From the very beginning of the collaboration, the Italian and Chinese teams have established a strong spirit of cooperation that not even the pandemic has been able to affect. China was the first country to face the Covid-19 epidemic, and in that period KT and CCESCC continued to work together to ensure the continuity of the project. Days when our team was always concerned about and interested in the health conditions of our Chinese colleagues. Then Covid-19 spread to Italy. What happened then? CCESCC helped us by sending 5,000 masks by surprise. A gesture of great generosity and solidarity from a country already hard hit by the pandemic. The best words to close this journey, among the thousand forms that resilience has taken in Maire Tecnimont, are those of the Director of the BCEP project - Baytown (Texas USA), Carlo Bussi: «The people of Tecnimont and their families are strong and resilient. We know how to adapt to changing circumstances, becoming stronger together as we face the new challenges we encounter. We know how to face a Mission Impossible, all around the world: from Milan to Houston, Mumbai to Tampico».

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EVOLVE | CATEGORIES

RESILIENCE:

NATURE VERSUS CITY

Resilience has different ways of developing and can take very different forms: this is demonstrated by some animal and tree specimens capable of surviving in extreme conditions, but also by some urban areas that have modified their organizational structure to cope with climatic stress or factors of other kinds.

The most resilient animals TARDIGRADE Also called the “water bear”, it is a tiny marine invertebrate that can reach a maximum of half a millimeter: it has 8 legs, inhabiting the ocean floor and some humid environments (rocks and reefs). It can survive up to 30 years without food or water and is capable of withstanding temperatures ranging from -272° C to 150° C. Scientists say it could live for over 10 billion years, much longer than life has on Earth. ANOLIS SCRIPTUS This is a common lizard found throughout the archipelago of the Turks and Caicos Islands. Harvard University scholars compared the characteristics of these specimens before and after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and found that the surviving lizards had smaller bodies and longer, more gripping legs. This is why they have been renamed as “the lizards that defy hurricanes”.

The most resilient trees in the world DESERT ROSE Defined as a “wondrous tree” - not only because it manages to survive, but also to bloom in conditions of extreme drought - it is a tall shrub native to the Middle East and tropical and sub-tropical Africa. It has a unique appearance due to its swollen bottle-shaped trunk and thick branches arranged in a spiral. TREE BENT BY THE WIND IN AUSTRALIA The saying “I bend but I don’t break” is perfectly suited to this particular shrub found in Western Australia in the Yalligup steppes. For centuries, its trunk has been completely bent sideways due to the strong wind. Regardless of this, it quietly carries on growing.

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TREE OF LIFE IN KALALOCH The roots of this tree rest on two strips of land separated by a deep chasm, but despite the emptiness below, the Tree of Life of Kalaloch in Washington State (USA) continues to sustain its precarious balance and germinate every year. THE “CROOKED FOREST” IN POLAND The Crooked Forest got its name from its 400 pine trees, all of which have a strange northward curvature at the base of their trunk. And yet they have managed to grow in height throughout their development without any problems.

Resilience in the language of flowers LOTUS FLOWER This flower symbolizes the power of resistance because it shows how to transform adversity into potential: it is similar to a water lily but sinks its roots into the mud of lagoons and lakes. It retains its seeds much longer than all other flowers, so long that it can last up to 30 centuries before blooming without losing its fertility. DANDELION The dandelion is also called taraxacum, or lion’s tooth, due to the serrated and jagged shape of its leaves. It blooms annually in spring, producing beautiful yellow flowers. It can proliferate anywhere, even in the most adverse conditions and in the tightest spaces. This is why the dandelion symbolizes strength, hope and trust. In fact, legend has it that Theseus ate exclusively dandelions for 30 days straight in order to become strong enough to face and defeat the Minotaur.

CATEGORIES | EVOLVE

GLOSSARY OF RESILIENT CITIES Blue infrastructure The range of technological and natural solutions capable of managing the water content in urban settings effective at improving water quality, increasing biodiversity and promoting urban cooling as well as managing excess water.

Green infrastructure The clear and linear organization of the elements of nature, capable of connecting existing and fragmented green spaces, from the most central to the most peripheral areas, to restore ecological continuity and bring nature back to paved and cemented areas. The benefits not only being environmental, but also economic and social.

Health infrastructure Areas with a high assured bed capacity (especially in intensive care), networks for epidemiological surveillance and testing (local primary care units and laboratories), networks for the distribution of protective equipment (pharmacies).

Infrastructure for the mobility of people Characterized by flexible public transport integrated with private transport and by an increase in alternative modes of transport and the mobility of goods.

Communication networks The coverage and performance of fixed, mobile and Wi-Fi TLC networks to guarantee that the technological networks can provide all individuals with immediate communication in the event of an emergency and to enable smart working, smart education and entertainment online.

Urban sensors and control units (traffic, safety, energy and environment) The sensors located in cities produce a large amount of Big Data which, after being collected in special platforms and control centers, is analyzed and used to make decisions in emergency conditions.

MODEL CITIES OF RESILIENCE ROTTERDAM, THE SPONGE CITY Undisputed global model of resilience, capable of adapting to the effects of climate change, not to counteract them, but to live with them: this is the philosophy of the urban plan of Rotterdam, a Dutch city that is located below sea level and that has been increasingly affected by the problem of flooding. To relieve this burden, the Watersquare project, implemented in Benthemplein square in 2013, was extended to the entire city: originally a recreational area equipped with outdoor sports areas, the space became a real “sponge” in the event of strong rains and floods by being turned into a catchment and storage basin for excess rainwater. Today, the entire city has been transformed into an interconnected system of squares, parks, fountains and canals that become, when necessary, actual systems for the containment, collection and runoff of high tides, guaranteeing the city’s viability even during the most severe floods.

DETROIT SAVED BY URBAN GARDENS Detroit is the perfect example of how urban agriculture can transform an industrial city into a green city. Known for decades as the American capital of industry and the automobile, after the severe crisis that led to the closure of the city plants of Ford, Chrysler and General Motors, it suffered a 40% decline in population and accumulated a debt of over 20 billion dollars. Then, thanks to the launch of urban agriculture projects and the greening of abandoned industrial plants, Detroit was reborn. Since 2000, urban gardens have transformed the face of the city, contributing to the annual production of hundreds of tons of fresh produce. Today, Detroit is considered the capital of the American green revolution.

COPENHAGEN AND ITS RAIN GARDENS The presence of green areas in a city is not only important in terms of better air quality, but also to limit the damage caused by heavy rains that hit with increasing violence in built-up areas, causing flooding and extensive damage. Copenhagen teaches this lesson, where numerous rain gardens have been built, gardens that keep us safe from “water bombs”. These projects counteract the overbuilding of the surroundings, which have caused the land to reduce the rain absorption capacity. They are able to retain more than 50% of rainwater and gradually release it into the sewer system. Rain gardens consist of 50-60% sand, 20-30%, compost and another 20-30% of surface soil.

STROLLING ON THE GREEN ROOF OF SINGAPORE The Nanyang Technological University of Singapore is composed of three curved forms that intersect each other: huge arched structures that start from the ground and have the unique feature of being covered along their entire length by a soft blanket of grass. Students can use the roof for walking or as a meeting place. But there’s more: green roofs are effective for reducing heat, have the ability to absorb and drain city flooding and increase efficiency.

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EVOLVE | HISTORY

HISTORY TEACHES RESILIENCE istory teaches us that many people have had their resilience put to the test in order to overcome an unexpected crisis: resilience is a capacity needed by materials and plants, animals and people, communities and states. When faced with a crisis, it is best to move forward towards a goal of resilience, building a new and functional balance in order to recover from a big and sudden change. For centuries, writers, philosophers, physicists and historians from all over the world have been writing and talking about it. Giacomo

HOW HAVE OUR CITIES CHANGED IN THE WAKE OF UNEXPECTED EVENTS? WE CAN SEE HOW IN THE STRATEGIES THAT WERE PUT IN PLACE TO RESPOND TO THE 1973 OIL CRISIS (SIMILAR TO THE LOCKDOWN CAUSED BY COVID-19). A TIME WHEN METROPOLITAN AREAS FOUND THEMSELVES WITH CARS AT A HALT, LEFT WITHOUT POWER AMONG ROAD SIGNS AND LAMPPOSTS. NÂ° 6 - DECEMBER 2020

HISTORY | EVOLVE

Leopardi exalted its importance in 1836, when he wrote “La Ginestra or the flower of the desert”, celebrating the resilience of a plant that grows on the slopes of volcanoes in an arid environment where lava burns everything: yet those intensely scented yellow flowers are always reborn. Here in the poet’s verses, the ability of the flower to resist in a hostile environment becomes a metaphor for the struggle to survive and affirm life. This principle is well established in Physics, which describes resilience as “the ability of a material to absorb energy elastically when subjected to a load or an impact, before reaching its breaking point”. History reiterates this with authority in the recounting of how men, communities and Nations have demonstrated the ability to cope with extreme situations that were seemingly irremediable breaches of normalcy.

Evidence of resilience in the present and the past With the pandemic crisis caused by Covid-19, we have witnessed a profound upheaval in our lives and habits. Everyday life has been restructured, as has our surrounding environment. To avoid contagion, we were confined to our homes, leaving cities deserted and silent, empty of cars, traffic and noise. Urban areas have also become resilient, they have changed direction to adapt to this unexpected crisis. But it is not the first time that this phenomenon has occurred in Western history: in 1973 it was not the fault of a mysterious virus, but of an energy crisis due to a sudden increase in the price of crude oil. Almost half a century ago, the series of events that changed the face of urban districts was a direct consequence of the Arab-Israeli war that took place on Yom Kippur. Between 16 October and 20 October, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Libya decided upon a 70% unilateral increase in the price of a barrel of oil, a cut in production and an embargo against the United States and the allied nations who supported Israel, which was attacked by Egypt and Syria in response to the war of 1967.

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EVOLVE | HISTORY

The response to the oil crisis created major change in cities Many people have had their resilience put to the test in order to overcome an unexpected crisis.

The consequences of the first global energy crisis did not take long to arrive in all the countries affected by the embargo: measures were imposed upon Italian citizens, as they were for many other people from Western nations, in the attempt to contain energy consumption, which greatly affected daily life. On 2 December 1973 the Italian government, chaired by Mariano Rumor, established a set of measures in the name of austerity: the first Sunday prohibiting the use of private cars and other unauthorized motor vehicles was put in effect, with a savings of 50 million liters of fuel per day. New speed limits were set and the closing times of shops, public offices, bars, restaurants and cinemas anticipated. Television programs also had to end by 10:45pm. Public lighting in inhabited areas had to be reduced by 40 percent and all commercial illuminated signs had to be turned off. For some countries, such as Holland, the oil crisis led to the urban bicycle transport revolution.

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HISTORY | EVOLVE

The culture of sustainable development is born Thanks to the oil crisis of 1973, for the first time, newspapers began to talk about sustainable development models, making appeals for energy savings and a new awareness of the search for alternative energies. Unfortunately, this lesson in history did not result in the reduction of the use of fossil fuels: even if it is true that the 1973 crisis acted as an incentive to promote energy efficiency, in OECD countries the consumption of oil was only reduced during the 1975-1982 economic downturn, and then once again started to rise until the end of the last century, far exceeding the pre-crisis figures. Today, the question we are called upon to answer regarding resilience is, almost half a century after the oil crisis of the 1970s, whether we are finally willing to implement the so-called â&#x20AC;&#x153;green changeâ&#x20AC;?.

Building a new and functional balance in order to recover from a big and sudden change.

A change that will be able to defend us from the consequences of freezing the economy for systemic risks such as Covid-19 and the effects of climate change.

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EVOLVE | REPORTAGE

THE STRENGTH OF THOSE WHO HAVE THE ABILITY TO RESIST “In this issue, Evolve sets out into the meanders of resilience to intercept its secrets and try to replicate its models: in our daily, personal and professional lives, complex and articulated as never before. Rapid, intuitive, essential. Cats are one of the most skillful animals at predicting risk and avoiding danger. What about us? How can we imitate them when it comes to jumping into the void, slipping into uncertain spaces, running swiftly towards the desired destination?”.

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REPORTAGE | EVOLVE

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EVOLVE | REPORTAGE

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REPORTAGE | EVOLVE

“Regardless of the elements that surround them, plants grow in the pursuit of light, with tenacity and resilience. Roots sink deep into the ground pushing past rocks and minerals. Or they resist the movement of water, along rivers and streams, just as the branches point towards the sun, to feed on energy beyond the clouds. It is nature, with its laws and primordial forces, that very often guides us along our path. Even on days when the sky, seemingly, is not blue”.

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EVOLVE | REPORTAGE

“How can our sail stretch so incredibly far, despite the storms and winds that blow to push us out of the way? The secret is in the fabric with which we made it, the patience with which we reinforced it. This is what makes it resilient, elastic and flexible. And incredibly solid when waves overwhelm us”.

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REPORTAGE | EVOLVE

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EVOLVE | REPORTAGE

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REPORTAGE | EVOLVE

“Safe energy and economic flows, at the foundations of cities, to try and live together with the “earthquakes” that may shake our daily lives. The Japanese, with their thousand-year old wisdom, have learned to build their future by relying on the elastic properties of the elements, the capacity for intrinsic resilience. A model of security that becomes a metaphor: is our “home” - both exterior and interior as solid as we think? Will it be able to withstand the adversity we encounter along the way?”.

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EVOLVE | REPORTAGE

“What is hidden in the heart and muscles of an athlete at the limit of his or her effort? How does a cyclist, a marathon runner, a team of rowers on the thread or a boxer at the mercy of his opponent draw on a reserve, at times inexhaustible, of physical and emotional resources? Women and men of all ages who put themselves to the test in order to challenge their own limits and understand which goals they have in front of them. This is the great lesson of sport, a metaphor for our daily undertakings, which day after day, gives us meaning and models to refer to. By preparing with commitment and dedication, by silencing the thoughts that invite you to surrender, by fixing your gaze in the direction of the finish line and not down below, in the jungle of obstacles. At the end of this photographic journey of ours, deep within ourselves, we know that - only by relying on our resilient core, on the strength of mind that keeps pushing our hearts one step further - we will make our way back to the calm waters of the port. Fully satisfied”.

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REPORTAGE | EVOLVE

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EVOLVE | SUSTAINABILITY

GEOPOLITICAL RESILIENCE Amursky is a concrete example of business that fosters socio-economic development in local areas. We are talking about a project to build the largest gas treatment plant in the world, with a capacity of 42 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year. On the border between Russia and China, Maire Tecnimont has created a city within a city: a construction site measuring 870 hectares, which employs over 28 thousand people of 20 different nationalities. In addition to the cultural mediator - fundamental for improving the working and living conditions of the staff involved in the project - during the Covid emergency we faced numerous tests of our resilience: including the one of recruiting all the barbers from the nearby village, asking them to come and work exclusively for us...».

«A

From the story of Gianni Bardazzi, Vice President of Maire Tecnimont for the Russia and Caspian region (as well as Group Special Initiatives and Regions

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INTERVIEW WITH GIANNI BARDAZZI, REGIONS COORDINATION SVP MAIRE TECNIMONT: «INTERACTING WITH THE REGION AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES, CREATING VALUE FOR CUSTOMERS, IS A FUNDAMENTAL ASPECT OF THE IDENTITY OF A MULTINATIONAL GROUP». A PROJECT IS UNDERWAY, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CASSA DEPOSITI E PRESTITI, TO SUPPORT THE ITALIAN SUPPLY CHAIN.

SUSTAINABILITY | EVOLVE

Coordination SVP), interesting testimonies emerge that convey the dimension of an unprecedented design commitment. And which help us understand the scale of the challenge faced by Maire Tecnimont’s management during the difficult months of the lockdown, in an area completely surrounded by the Siberian tundra for thousands of kilometers. Coordinating, in the middle of the quarantine, a task force of over 900 engineers and technicians of different specializations, through 17 operational centers distributed in 10 different time zones (from Milan to Mumbai, from Moscow to Ningbo) is equivalent to a field-medal in the specialty of “extreme resilience”. In the different geographic areas where Maire Tecnimont is present - despite the ever-changing difficulties and beyond the design and business aspects - even in the complex interaction with local communities and institutions, management of the discontinuity generated by COVID-19 was never lacking. All this comes from what Bardazzi defines as the “DNA of listening” (in addition to a thorough preparation in the agile work, already in place for several years, which allowed Maire Tecnimont to be ready to operate with smart working). A highly relevant trait for a multinational company engaged in the

consolidation of the supply chain and in the creation of value and sustainable development. At the heart of this commitment in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) - and in compliance with the principles of the Global Compact promoted by the United Nations - the Group has taken the statement “Making global goals local business” very seriously. «Our approach to sustainability is global continues Bardazzi. Interacting with the territory and local communities, creating value for all stakeholders, is a fundamental aspect of the identity of a multinational group. We do it in India, where there is great sensibility for cultural values and projects related to sustainability. It happens in Russia, a country where the attention to growing local realities and sharing know-how is a main priority. It happens in the United States where, with an appreciation of their business culture and operating models,

We design a customtailored model for each individual context based on the geography, environmental peculiarities and social contexts of the places in which we operate.

you can work with excellent engineers motivated by team spirit. In Azerbaijan, great importance is also given to supporting universities and engineering laboratories, with positive impact on the employment of young local talent. Again, in Azerbaijan, Maire Tecnimont Group works proactively with local suppliers and subcontractors to enhance local expertise. In fact we design a custom-tailored model for each individual context based on the geography, environmental peculiarities and social contexts

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EVOLVE | SUSTAINABILITY

of the areas in which we operate as a general contractor. A form of geopolitical resilience that allows us to anticipate local dynamics, as well as to adapt to laws, regulations, guidelines and new requirements related to local content». Therefore, Maire Tecnimont needs not merely to manage the possible repercussions on the project schedule and budget: the objective is to simultaneously develop the ability to create and release value locally, considering the relevance of the projects, the size of the plants and the development of local professional skills. Becoming part of the dynamics of a territory (ensuring direct support for local employment, training people, structuring the supply chain, consolidating relationships with institutions) drives us to adopt responsible business practices, which in turn generate a positive impact in the communities where we operate. «In this extremely complex scenario, Maire Tecnimont has taken action to strengthen all of the financial support tools to safeguard its supply chain, particularly those represented by Italian companies. In the field of sustainability reporting - continues Bardazzi - we have initiated a more analytical and thorough process able to assess the value generated and distributed locally. The evaluation of the socio-economic impact has been developed using an econometric “Input-Output model”, which has allowed us to determine the economic and working effects (direct, indirect and induced) generated by our Group through the support of the Italian supply chain in detail».

Supporting the strategic supply chain As part of an overall rethinking of the ways of approaching the supply chain Maire Tecnimont is investing on a global scale in order to implement a project aimed first and foremost at Italian suppliers. The results of the “In-Country Value” (ICV) analysis and estimates show how Maire Tecnimont Group, in the period from 2017 to 2019,

Baku Higher Oil School student awards ceremony (Azerbaigian)

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To support the Italian supply chain, within the In-Country Value approach the “Maire Tecnimont UP” project was born.

has contributed - through its national supply chain - to generating a positive and substantial socio-economic impact on the Italian territory, both in terms of added value and sustained employment. Within the ICV approach, the “Maire Tecnimont UP” project was created, with the aim of supporting the chain of Italian suppliers that have high technological content and are considered strategic (“Champions”) on a path of managerial and industrial growth in order to improve their performance (“Growth Programme”). «The results of the project - explains Bardazzi - help us to become more aware of how Maire Tecnimont’s strategic and operational commitment also provides a strong return of value sharing with the stakeholders. Enhancing the Group’s supply chain, particularly the Italian component, does not exclude comparisons to an increasingly competitive market: in fact, suppliers are expected to participate with Maire Tecnimont in the paradigm shift. If we look at the socio-economic impact generated by Maire Tecnimont through the Italian supply chain, we see an added value of about €2.2 billion generated in the three-year period from 2017 to 2019, with about 39 thousand jobs supported by the demand of Maire Tecnimont in the same period, compared to a total expenditure of €2.17 billion». In other words, this means that on average per €1 million spent on Italian suppliers, €1.01 million in added value is generated for the economic system and 18 jobs are supported. Globally, Maire Tecnimont has launched structured activities to integrate environmental, social and governance

SUSTAINABILITY | EVOLVE

factors within its supply chain, from the search for suppliers to the qualification process and post-order management. This approach, which has proved capable of producing a direct and positive impact for the Group, has led to the reduction of quality non-compliance and an improvement in performance, also due to greater synergy with the stakeholders concerned. We can summarize by saying that Maire Tecnimont mainly operates abroad, but quite often relies on Italian suppliers. This is particularly relevant also considering the geographical areas in which the Group operates, the protectionist economic policies that encompass the use of local labor or supplies. In the post Covid-19 scenario - which has led to an objective and overall slowdown in production and commercial activities worldwide (with subsequent repercussions on the entire supply chain of all major industrial groups) - Maire Tecnimont has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Cassa Depositi e Prestiti to support its strategic suppliers also from a financial point of view. The initiative represents concrete support for the competitiveness of the companies in the supply chain in Italy and worldwide. Thanks to the support of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Maire Tecnimont’s supply chain will be able

to access financial resources and credit facilitation, thus fostering a sustainable and market-oriented relationship. «In Italy - said Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Maire Tecnimont - we have outstanding competences in the natural resources transformation industry: yesterday with Cassa Depositi e Prestiti we are taking another decisive step forward to support them abroad, equipping them with tools to strengthen and adapt to those geographies where it is crucial to synergize with local players, a fundamental driver of competitiveness». Fabrizio Palermo, CEO of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, explained that «it is of great importance to continue supporting Italian strategic supply chains which represent a significant part of the industrial and technological heritage of our country, as well as a demonstration of the excellence of the Made in Italy in the world, with important repercussions on the Italian economy even for ancillary industries».

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EVOLVE | TERRITORIES

GREEN MODEL OF CIRCULAR

THE

DISTRICTS

Italy

long the path to get out of the Covid-19 emergency and relaunch the economy, the strategies that look toward the sustainable goals of the United Nations shift the focus from a linear economy to a circular one, based on a system designed to reuse materials in subsequent production cycles, reducing waste and the supply of virgin raw materials to an absolute minimum. «By implementing the mechanical recycling of plastics, and promoting the chemical one at the same time, we are able to shape an economy designed for self-regeneration - explains Fabrizio Di Amato, Chairman of Maire Tecnimont. This is in essence an existential transformation». According to the report of the World Bank “What a Waste 2.0”, every year we generate about two billion tons of waste. «If we don’t take urgent action - says Di Amato - by 2050, with the increase in global population and urbanization, global waste will increase by 70%, with a production of 3.4 billion tons».

Waste is the new oil, although for decades the cost to dispose of it has been high, both in economic and environmental terms. Now with the new project of the Circular Districts, thanks to its proprietary technologies, NextChem - a Maire Tecnimont group company that was

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«WASTE IS THE NEW OIL» EXPLAINS FABRIZIO DI AMATO, CHAIRMAN OF MAIRE TECNIMONT. «BY IMPLEMENTING MECHANICAL RECYCLING OF PLASTICS AND PROMOTING CHEMICAL RECYCLING, WE ARE SHAPING AN ECONOMY DESIGNED TO REGENERATE ITSELF». SIMULTANEOUSLY HELPING THE RECONVERSION OF INDUSTRIAL SITES IN THE PETROCHEMICAL AND STEEL INDUSTRIES.

Fabrizio Di Amato, Maire Tecnimont Chairman and Founder

TERRITORIES | EVOLVE

CIRCULAR CHEMICALS FROM CONVERSION OF PLASMIX AND CSS THE NEXTCHEM MODEL FOR DECARBONIZATION BY RECYCLING

PLASTIC AND DRY WASTE CHEMICAL CONVERSION & PURIFICATION

CIRCULAR GAS

CIRCULAR HYDROGEN LOW CARBON INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES & MOBILITY

SUBSTITUTION OF NATURAL FOSSIL GAS IN INDUSTRY PROCESSES

CIRCULAR ETHANOL BIOFUELS HEALTH CHEMISTRY

CIRCULAR METHANOL BIOFUELS

conceived from the concept of energy transition, circular economy and green chemistry - is able to produce new products and raw materials for industry from waste, contributing to the reduction of emissions. Di Amato explains: «During the States-General of Economy held last June, convened by the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, we presented NextChem’s Circular District model, which represents a solution for both reducing the amount of waste disposal as well as for the green conversion of industrial sites in the petrochemical and steel industry, traditionally based on resources and raw materials of fossil origin». The model integrates technologies allowing for a quality mechanical recycling of plastic waste and for the

chemical recycling of plasmix and RDF through a chemical conversion process that makes it possible to obtain synthesis gas from which compounds such as hydrogen, methanol and ethanol are produced, the latter which at the moment is completely imported from abroad in our country. In addition, the district can also integrate green hydrogen production technologies through electrolysis from renewable resources. «With the Circular Districts - says the Chairman - not only do we significantly increase the recycling rate of our country, but at the same time we reduce the emissions altering climate, promote sustainable mobility, create jobs, professional growth and new opportunities for the territory and the companies in the sector. In addition to meeting the objectives of the National and International (EU) Action Plans on the subject, the solution overturns the concept of waste as a problem to be disposed of, since it replaces

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EVOLVE | TERRITORIES

the chemistry of coal and oil with a chemistry based on the recovery of resources that would otherwise be discarded. A sustainable solution from an environmental, social and economic standpoint, of which Italy can become a leader in Europe, winning the challenge of change».

The model developed by NextChem The valorization of consumption waste, the extension of the life cycle of products, the use of secondary raw materials for recycling and the use of energy from renewable resources all contribute to the definition of a model of sustainable development for the environment and economic growth. The model developed by NextChem includes an integrated platform of green chemistry technologies and, more precisely, quality mechanical recycling (Upcycling) of plastic waste, chemical recycling of plastic waste and dry waste and production of green hydrogen through electrolysis. The patented Upcycling technology makes it possible to obtain perfect circularity, transforming post-consumer plastic waste into high quality polymers (and able to replace virgin plastic). While DownCycling – that is, simple recycling - gives waste a chance to be reused in “poorer” products, Upcycling gives the original characteristics of a virgin material back to the recovered plastic, increasing its environmental and economic value. Di Amato explains: «In Italy we have already implemented this technology in an industrial plant in the province of Brescia. Managed by MyReplast Industries (a subsidiary of NextChem) the Bedizzole plant is currently one of the largest and most advanced in Europe: in one year we have transformed 40 thousand tons of recycled polymers, equal to the plastic consumption of one million people. This activity has made it possible to save 270,000 barrels of oil per year, equivalent to about 8,500 tons of CO2». As previously mentioned, the Circular District model is particularly suitable for the green conversion of traditional industrial sites with processes based on the use of raw materials derived from fossil resources, which would be replaced with feedstock derived from renewable and circular resources. «The contribution to the decarbonization and green conversion of brownfield industrial sites - says Di Amato - began with a project in collaboration with ENI for the Venice refinery with the aim of producing Circular Hydrogen. Another project involves the refinery of Livorno,

where we will produce methanol again using the same process, while in Taranto the Circular District model designed for the territory foresees the partial replacement of feedstock deriving from fossil resources, currently used by the industries of the industrial sector. The production of Circular Gas will be placed in a context of industrial symbiosis, thanks to an industrial district of excellence in which the infrastructure, facilities and skills of the former Ilva steel plant and the Eni refinery remain». At the end of September 2020, the Alliance for the Circular Economy comprising 17 companies (including NextChem) presented a position paper for the development of a circular economic model. According to the Alliance, a unique opportunity has arisen today to relaunch a coordinated and decisive commitment to a new development model. «The Covid-19 crisis - explain the companies - reinforced what the climate crisis predicted and showed how systems (natural, economic and social) are strongly interconnected: pursuing a circular economic model is not only an obligation but an opportunity to relaunch the overall competitiveness of the country». The vision of the Alliance calls for a circular development that starts from the enhancement of Italian excellence, and which will be realized, on the one hand through the support of companies to promote sustainable innovation, and on the other hand through the involvement and support of the supply chains, in order to extend the useful life of products and maintain their value. «Networking with the companies of the Alliance for the Circular Economy - concluded Di Amato - allows us to compare these issues from a broader perspective. The aim is to provide a stimulus for these issues to grow in the economic world and in civil society».

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TERRITORIES | EVOLVE

CHEMICAL RECYCLING The technological solution developed by NextChem, integrating several established technologies, combines two objectives, circular economy and decarbonisation. On one side it provides for the domestic production of chemicals that are currently imported from abroad. On another side, it allows the green relaunch of brownfield industrial sites, with positive consequences for the sector industries and employment. A central element of the technology platform is the chemical conversion of hydrogen and carbon contained in Plasmix (the waste discarded from sorted plastics) and RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel consisting of plastics and other dry material separated from organic matter) into a valuable chemical product, synthesis gas. This gas is obtained through a process of partial oxidation, followed by a subsequent purification phase, which does not produce pollutants: for this reason, it can be considered a “Circular Gas”, as it comes from post-consumer materials that are recovered in this way. Circular Gas can be used as it is, due to its reductive qualities, in production processes such as steelmaking and as a replacement for

synthesis gas produced from methane or coal derivatives (such as carbon dust), reducing the emissions altering climate generated and with a lower cost. Circular Gas can also be used as a base for the production of “circular hydrogen”, or methanol, or ethanol, or a variety of other chemical compounds essential for industry. These “circular” chemicals reduce the need to extract fossil fuels, reducing imports, contributing to decarbonization and recycling, and providing low-carbon fuels to the transport sector, a sector that has a significant impact on global CO2 emissions. As part of the “Waste to Chemicals” technology, conversion plants are currently being designed in Italy, one for the production of circular hydrogen for the Eni refinery in Venice and one for the production of circular methanol for the Eni refinery in Livorno. A plant for the production of synthesis gas and circular hydrogen at the Eni refinery in Taranto is also currently under study.

THE CIRCULAR DISTRICT RENEWABLE

NEW PLASTIC

ENERGY

GOODS

PLASMIX POST-CONSUMER PLASTICS RDF AND DRY FRACTIONS

MOBILITY

UPCYCLING QUALITY MECHANICAL RECYCLING

CHEMICAL RECYCLING

ELECTROLYSIS

GREEN AND CIRCULAR HYDROGEN GRANULATES

INDUSTRY

EVOLVE | MOTTOS

FROM

RESILIENCE

TO ENTREPRENEURSHIP alking about resilience has acted as a bridge to the topics that will be covered in the next issue of EVOLVE, which will be dedicated to the sense of entrepreneurship each employee has within a company. Under the Motto “Not just the company, This is your company!”, we will get into the logic behind the creation of value that is generated by the proactive efforts of each member of the team. We will ascertain how important the sense of entrepreneurial responsibility put at the service of an organization is: before being a life choice and professional commitment, Entrepreneurship at Maire Tecnimont is a way of being. As it is in the case of complex projects, such as the one in Amursky, in extreme Siberia, a construction site where temperatures go from 30 degrees in the summer to 50 degrees below zero on long winter nights. The entrepreneurial history of our founder Fabrizio Di Amato teaches us that by putting oneself on the line without hesitation (at the age of 17, the current Chairman of Maire Tecnimont was already running a small company and at 19 he started his own business with three employees), working hard and becoming accustomed to looking towards the future, in time one comes to create a solid group in which excellent skills make the difference.

There are several testimonials in the pages of this issue of EVOLVE. The theme of resilience has been explored both from a personal perspective as well as from the group approach. In the interview with Alessandro Blasi, Special Advisor of the IEA Executive Director, we have seen how the energy system as a whole has remained very resilient, despite the impact of the pandemic. Maire Tecnimont CEO Pierroberto Folgiero spoke about systemic risk and suggested a sustainable direction for changing social, economic and financial reference values. Then there is the fundamental contribution of the Chairman of our Group, Fabrizio Di Amato, who explained how the Circular Districts project - developed by NextChem - contributes to the definition of a sustainable development model for the environment and economic growth. In the next issue of EVOLVE we will see how the ability to engage employees to create a sense of responsibility around common values is one of the pillars to renew culture within an organization. Recognizing

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Before being a life choice and professional commitment, Entrepreneurship at Maire Tecnimont is a way of being.

what Professor Andrea Prencipe, Rector of Luiss and Full Professor of Organization and Innovation, told us in a previous issue of EVOLVE, stating that «organizations and the human beings who live in them are characterized by an intrinsic resistance to change linked to practices, methods and culture», at Maire Tecnimont change is also managed through the sense of responsibility and leadership inherent in each team. «Managers must set an example for their team - says CEO Folgiero - and start thinking with fewer stop lights and more traffic circles: everyone must be helped to express their effective contribution». Only by building the success of a Group together, do we create that shared value of “being entrepreneurs, in a network of entrepreneurs”. Will this be the path to developing the resilience needed to face the continuous changes taking place in the energy sector? We will answer this is in EVOLVE issue 7.

RIDE THE TURNAROUND!

The challenge of our Group: impeccably deliver our portfolio through operational and financial discipline.

Master the change, be actively part of it!

EVERY SINGLE DECISION COUNTS! Our work-success is the result of a thousand single choices made in the right sequence. There is no time for procrastination.

Your contribution makes a difference!

BE ADAPTIVE!

Fast changes in the market create discontinuities while opening also opportunities to the most responsive players.

Agility is the key!

NOT JUST THE COMPANY, THIS IS YOUR COMPANY! Building together the success of our Group creates shared value to everyone.

Be entrepreneur in a network of entrepreneurs!

TAKE THE CHALLENGE!

Managing uncertainties is the core of our job… As a sailor faces the sea every day.

Let the passion for results drive your actions!

STEP UP AND MAKE THINGS HAPPEN! Talk and listen directly to your colleagues. Sending an e-mail could not be a solution. Let’s keep our doors open.

Beat the bureaucratic approach!

WE ARE RESILIENT!

Recovering quickly from drastic changes is part of our noble and precious DNA. We live in a tough environment, but adversity made us stronger.

Let’s capitalize on lessons learnt!

OUR TOMORROW IS NOW! These are extraordinary times. If we stay focused on our corridor of growth we will be ready to build the next decade of Maire Tecnimont.

The floor is ours!

Evolve N°6 - ENG

Articles inside

SUSTAINABILITY

CATEGORIES

MOTTOS

HISTORY

STRATEGIES

EDITORIAL