We directly operate limestone quarries using techniques based on a strategy of environmental remediation and reuse of the quarry area at the end of its operation. Our philosophy is simple: everything like it was before. This is why we have developed a very strict “quarrying culture” aimed at ensuring total respect for surrounding nature.

Our quarrying operations are designed to ensure equilibrium in terms of geomorphology, hydrogeology and the landscape, and consequently minimise the impact on the local environment. Moreover, we constantly measure the dust and noise produced during processing, so as to ensure quality of both the working and outdoor environment at all times. The best possible environmental remediation needs to be planned when designing the quarry and needs to be contextual to its management. In other words, the quarry needs to be managed with its final remediation already defined. Indeed, carrying out environmental remediation simultaneously with the extraction operations offers the chance to monitor in a timely manner the actual results of the remediation work and whether this meets the forecasts.

Careful design is therefore a prerequisite for mitigating the environmental impact on the landscape, flora and fauna, and to allow for appropriate environmental remediation of the area at the end of operations. It is essential to manage quarrying operations with techniques that are conceived with environmental remediation and reuse of the quarry area at the end of operations already in mind. Remediation does not necessarily mean restoring the area to its original conditions, rather is aimed at redeveloping the area in order to make it available for public use (educational, scientific, naturalistic or sports purposes) or for other uses, yet with the focus always on sustainable development.

Our opencast quarries are worked progressively downwards in horizontal levels, with each level being immediately remediated once the material has been extracted. Our quarries with underground crushing of the stone also involve less use of transport vehicles; the quarried material falls by gravity through a kiln into the storage area. The kiln is connected to the outside by a tunnel, where the primary crushing system is located. Conveyor belts then carry the mineral to the storage areas at the exit of the tunnel, where final processing is carried out.

Legambiente periodically conducts research to uncover data on the economic and environmental impacts of quarrying in Italy. The aim is to tackle challenges and seize opportunities from a circular economy perspective.

“Fassa Bortolo has acquired over twenty years of experience in operating limestone quarries, managing several different types of activities. The quarries with underground crushing chamber are the most efficient for a rational exploitation of mineral deposits with a limited impact on the surrounding environment. In this case, the vertical height between quarry working face and storage area is joined by a raise located centrally in relation to the extraction operations. A tunnel then connects the crushing chamber to the outside, where the limestone is transported on conveyor belts for further crushing, screening and finished product storage. The extracted material is mainly used for the production of premixed renders, lime and other building products.”
(2021 Quarry report – Legambiente).

Studies defining the role of lime in the removal and permanent storage of CO₂ open up interesting perspectives and may give the European lime industry a new role in the European campaign to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

The lime cycle reveals an ancient material with unique properties. The raw material used to produce lime is calcitic or dolomitic limestone, CaCO₃ and CaMg(CO₃)₂ respectively, the result of the precipitation of calcium carbonate in crystal clear water. Precipitation of this type of mineral can take place in water directly or through living organisms such as algae, corals and molluscs. Although limestones are very similar to the human eye, they are actually highly variable and complex, precisely because of their formation.

The most pure carbonates – once extracted, crushed and screened – are fed into lime kilns. Here, the heat provided by the biomass fuels used by Fassa Bortolo releases the CO₂ present in the limestone in the form of carbonate, thus transforming the raw material into quicklime or calcium oxide (CaO). This type of oxide is highly reactive to water. Once in contact with water, it transforms into calcium hydroxide Ca(OH)₂ – hydrated lime. This hydration reaction is rapid and releases heat. Once this mineralogical composition is achieved, when immersed in an aqueous solution, lime can easily carbonate by absorbing the CO₂ in the atmosphere to re-form calcium carbonate, the raw material in lime production, thus closing its cycle. This behaviour is the basis for the action of lime putties and frescoes. Many masterpieces have survived to the present day precisely because of this reaction.

LCA is a standardised method that evaluates the impact of a product on the environment, analysing its life cycle as a whole or only parts of it. The calculation includes the stages of preparation, production and distribution as well as the end-of-life phase of any packaging used.

Based on this assessment, the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) has been prepared for Calcitic lime and Dolomitic lime that reports environmental impacts in a credible, transparent and comparable way, based on the LCA.

The carbon footprint represents a subset of LCA data and CO₂ production is one of the most important categories. The assessment conducted made it possible to compare and measure the environmental impact generated by the various different production processes, measuring this in kg of CO₂ equivalent so as to identify the activities with the highest impact, demonstrate environmental performance as objectively as possible, offset the amount of CO₂ produced and try to reduce emissions at the source.

Our company has decided to adopt a certified EPD Process system in order to prepare EPDs. This means that the entire process of collecting data, conducting LCA studies and monitoring environmental impact is carried out in-house using a specific system that is certified by a third party in accordance with the most recent and updated international standards. In this way, the company is able to increase its awareness of the environmental impacts of its products, demonstrating a very high degree of focus on the issue of sustainability and maximum transparency towards stakeholders.

This type of approach has always been firmly rooted in all the company’s industrial and organisational policies, both in the choice of raw materials and production sites as well as the choices of the whole supply chain. In fact, it takes years, huge investments in human and economic capital and know-how to achieve the results we can now boast of today, but above all it requires a deep-seated vision. In a company like ours, the most important manifestation of this vision must be based on a careful analysis of the production processes and, thanks to this division, Fassa has proved itself one of the leading players in the market. As a matter of fact, CO₂ emissions from fossil fuels are well below the industry average, thanks in part to the use of biomass to feed the kilns.

The EPD is therefore an important milestone: on the one hand, it distinguishes and qualifies Fassa Bortolo and, on the other, enables customers to choose a product – lime – not solely based on quality, but also based on objective data that measure its environmental impact.