The Company’s desire to minimise the environmental impact of its industrial activities through careful calibration of the technological processing cycle and the use of the best technologies and most up-to-date production methods, as set out in its Policy, is also (and above all) expressed through waste management and recovery. Within the Management System based on the ISO 14001 standard, each plant has specific procedures that regulate waste management, guaranteeing above all the necessary compliance with the regulations, but above all the continuous improvement of performance aimed at reducing the quantity of waste produced and ensuring it is recycled.
The management activities consist of separate collection of the different types of waste, their correct categorisation through product classification or chemical analysis, internal handling without the possibility of accidental spillage, their storage in suitable temporary storage areas, the definition of contracts with companies specialised in recovery/disposal, and the management of all formalities, including paperwork, to ensure traceability of the waste until it reaches the final recipient.
In 2022, there was an increase of 6.5% in waste produced, which is to be correlated with the growth in production volumes (+17.0% increase in vehicles produced).
At Italian plants, the percentage of waste sent for recovery improved, exceeding 95% of the waste produced.
The separation of hazardous from non-hazardous waste and the possibility of recovering waste is affected by local regulations.
Finally, it should be noted that a new two-wheeler assembly plant in Indonesia has been in operation since November 2022. The data for this plant are aggregated in the following tables together with those for Vietnam under the column “Asia Pacific”.
The analysis by type of waste produced shows that packaging waste (cardboard, wood, etc.) and construction and demolition waste are predominant.
Soil contamination
In 2022, as in previous years, no spills or polluting events of significance occurred at any of Piaggio’s sites.
At the Mandello and Pontedera, decontamination initiatives are under way due to historic contaminations. These situations emerged during demolition work in Mandello and during environmental monitoring campaigns in Pontedera. In both cases, the pollutants found have not been used in the production sites for several decades, providing the historical nature of their origin. In accordance with legal obligations, the two situations have been reported to the relevant authorities and are managed according to their instructions.
Disposal of end-of-life vehicles
Piaggio’s passion for the environment is channelled into its commitment to guaranteeing the environmental compatibility of its vehicles, from the design stage until the end of their working life.
2-Wheelers
Although no legislation on recyclability for two-wheelers is currently in force or is planned, the Piaggio Group has taken steps in this direction. The technologies and materials used for the design and construction of the Group’s scooters and motorcycles have targeted environmental compatibility and their effective end-of-life disposal since the introduction of the Sfera 50 model (1990). As from 2008, Piaggio has also changed the title blocks of drawings and information in its bills of materials so that materials used in constructing vehicles can be checked and disassembly can be optimised for easier disposal.
Through a partnership with UniFi, the characteristics of recyclability of the MP3 125 Hybrid in accordance with ISO 22628 were analysed. This was achieved by taking apart a real vehicle and registering all of its components. The recyclability rate was 88%, far higher than the limit of 85% set for the automotive industry for category N1 and M1 vehicles.
4-Wheelers
In the four-wheeler sector, the regulatory panorama is similar to that of cars.
With the introduction of the European Regulation REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical Substances) in 2007, automotive manufacturers are required to follow AIG (Automotive Industries Guidelines) which include monitoring the use of hazardous/prohibited substances, and checking the recyclability and recoverability rates of materials used.
Over the years, Piaggio has embarked on a challenging path to ensure a high level of recyclability of its vehicles, culminating in the production of a manual for end-of-life vehicle dismantling.
Piaggio constantly monitors the recyclability and recoverability rates of its vehicles according to an internal procedure that complies with the requirements of Directive 2000/53/EC, and these two indicators are always above permitted thresholds.
The indicators are calculated and supplied to Approval Bodies in an ISO 22628 format, according to the tables of the European Commission.
Starting from the production list of the complete vehicle, it is possible to trace the datasheet of each kit of components, with an indication of the relative materials with their codes and the recycling and recoverability percentages.
The survey also paved the way for a database, which updates vehicle material compositions and their recyclability and recoverability rates, from the design stage onwards.
The Recyclability and Recoverability values of the new Porter NP6 (calculated for the heaviest variant) are presented below.
