The tenth edition of the Conference & Exhibition held in fieramilano closed with a round table discussion about sustainable development for the industry

 Luigi Cuzzolin (Made in Steel), Antonio Marcegaglia (Marcegaglia Steel), Franco Bernabè (Acciaierie d'Italia), Giuseppe Pasini (Feralpi Group), Alessandro Banzato (Acciaierie Venete)
and Marco Mandelli (BPER Banca) took part in the round table discussion

Milan, 11 May 2023 – The tenth edition of Made in Steel ended with the conference "Steel: new futures". It was an opportunity to envision future sustainable development journeys for the steel industry in Italy and abroad, with the contributions of key industry players.

"We can face the future only by working together," commented Paolo Morandi, CEO of siderweb and Made in Steel. The title of the Made in Steel 2023 edition, "GENERATIONS, re-imagining our world" confirms that our world needs young people as much as young people need great examples to follow. This tenth edition was a success. It was the first edition for my sister Francesca Morandi, content manager, and myself. We accepted this new role with enthusiasm and the support of a fantastic team. We broke every record. We are still waiting for the official attendance figures, but we have surely improved on the previous 2019 record numbers. We can be delighted." 

Luigi Cuzzolin, vice-president of Made in Steel, opened the last event of the International Conference & Exhibition for the steel supply chain: "In 2000, together with Emanuele Morandi, we started siderweb as an exchange platform for supply chain players and to foster a meaningful dialogue with the outside world. We did it because the steel sector is a strategic, innovative and sustainable industry. We have many challenges ahead of us, including remaining competitive despite increasingly stringent rules. We must address these challenges together, as a system, with the help of the new generations."

Antonio Marcegaglia, president and CEO of Marcegaglia Steel, stressed: "We must interpret the concept of sustainability effectively and comprehensively for every steel group wishing to embark on this journey. Given the environmental challenge our sector is experiencing, we must commit tenaciously to combining the much-needed transition to decarbonisation with the economic and social dimensions. To protect our industry and manufacturing sector in the long term, we must broaden our horizons and involve more countries, and industry players, avoiding any temptation to isolate ourselves within the European borders. It takes a pragmatic, broader and global effort.”

The decarbonisation effort is also affecting integral cycle steel production plants, as highlighted by Franco Bernabè, president of Acciaierie d'Italia: "Acciaierie d'Italia's commitment to environmental rehabilitation has been truly remarkable over these years. I think there are no previous investments of this size. We have allocated a total of 1.4 billion euros which, together with the amount allocated by the extraordinary administration, amounts to a 1.8 billion euros investment for environmental projects. It is a colossal effort that will be complemented by a large decarbonisation project, in which Acciaierie d'Italia and DRI d'Italia are responsible for the production of the pre-reduction necessary to power the first of the electric furnaces that we will build inside the steel plant. It is an ambitious program aiming at decarbonising our entire production process. It will take a full ten years. I believe that the working method, which includes the support of local institutions and trade unions, can lead to positive results. Therefore, the journey is clear, and we must continue on the path set forth during the meetings at the Ministry of Economic Development and Made in Italy».

"The Italian steel industry – said Giuseppe Pasini, president of Feralpi Group – stands out not only for its traditions, technologies and quality but also for its achievements in sustainability. 80% of our steel comes from electric furnaces. It's a remarkable result, but it is not enough to achieve the decarbonisation objectives demanded by the EU. The path to follow includes the energy transition. At Feralpi, we approach this epochal change by integrating an ESG strategy with our business model, using a science-based approach, defining targets that guide our industrial plan and with investments to reduce our environmental impact. Our main objectives include electrification processes to diversify our energy sources, strongly focusing on renewables. A sector that is "facing an epochal change – continued Giuseppe Pasini –, where we must look at the future of our steel industry. Once again, the role of young people is pivotal: we need their energy, ability to imagine the future and passion. Enhancing people's skills will increasingly be a business lever to support our organisations in this transitional phase. The ability to attract talent is decisive for the future of our steel industry.This should be done at the sector level if we want to bring young people closer to our world."

"Sustainability – said Alessandro Banzato, president of Acciaierie Venete – is primarily an environmental issue. In this regard, the Italian steel industry is 100% sustainable. Firstly because production is mainly from electric furnaces. We should not forget that steel has infinite life cycles. However, sustainability is a 360° concept. Our groups have a strong responsibility towards the communities where we operate. Our companies are scrutinised both for their financial results and for their behaviours. The steel industry must give a positive example. The initiatives undertaken by the steel universe are aimed at improving our societies from within. We must continue along this path, always seeking to improve and invest in new technologies." 

The Banking sector can support the steel industry with the investments necessary for sustainable development projects, as pointed out by Marco Mandelli, Chief Corporate & Investment Banking Officer BPER Banca, partner of Made in Steel: "We are proud of supporting such an important event and having been a key industry reference point for so many years now. Made in Steel has always been a great aggregator. Today's main topic was sustainability. At BPER we believe that banks should pay heed to their customers, their needs and make concrete contributions to help them achieve their projects and ESG objectives."