The Mapei Group, world leader in the production of chemical products for the building industry, today inaugurated a new research centre for sustainable concrete technology in Sagstua, in the municipality of Nord-Odal in Norway, in the presence of the Norwegian Minister for Agriculture and Food, Nils Kristen Sandtrøen, the Ambassador of Italy in Norway and Iceland, Stefano Nicoletti and the local authorities.
With a total investment of NOK 127 million (approximately €11 million), of which NOK 26.4 million will come from Innovation Norway, the Norwegian government body responsible for innovation and sustainable development of companies in the country, Mapei's new laboratory will be dedicated to research into innovative sustainable concrete technologies and will play a fundamental role in the development of sustainable solutions for the construction industry of the future.
The project to expand the plant of Mapei's Norwegian subsidiary, which was launched at the end of 2024 in the presence of Prime Minister Johas Gahr Støre, is an important step towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions from cement, concrete and mortar. The goal is to contribute to the reduction of 450,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in Norway, the equivalent of 7.5 per cent of the emission reduction required of mainland Norway by 2030.
"Concrete is an essential material in construction which, at global level, has an annual consumption of approximately 30 billion tons , second only to water, and contributes to 8% of the total CO₂ emissions - declares Marco Squinzi, Mapei CEO -. In order to reduce this impact while maintaining the quality and durability of the product, Mapei will work in the new laboratory in Sagstua, in coordination with the corporate laboratory in Milan, on three innovative projects: the production of cement with low CO2 emissions, the production of concrete with low CO2 emissions and the increase of its recycling in the industrial process, to the benefit of the whole sector and the environment. Thanks to our global presence, we will, in fact, be able to bring these technologies to other markets as well, increasing the effectiveness of their impact".
"In order to face this challenge, close cooperation between the public and private sectors is also necessary," adds Veronica Squinzi, CEO of Mapei. "Awareness-raising and education of the entire supply chain, right up to the end consumer, is fundamental. This project, realised thanks to the cooperation between Mapei Norway and the local institutions, is the result of almost thirty years of activities and relations that have also led to the realisation of important infrastructure projects such as the Follobanen, the long railway tunnel connecting Oslo to Ski and the Bergen airport, or buildings for culture and scientific research such as the Oslo Opera House and the Global Seed Vault, the famous 'world seed vault' located in the Svalbard archipelago, approximately 1,300 km from the North Pole. Challenging and innovative projects that have made both this country and our company grow in the right direction".
In his speech at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Ambassador of Italy to Norway and Iceland, Stefano Nicoletti underlined that "the opening of Mapei's new R&D Centre confirms the Italian company as one of the most dynamic and significant industrial realities in this market. Norway shares with Italy a long tradition in the field of research into sustainable building and construction materials, and I am sure that this new investment by Mapei will provide an essential contribution to the achievement of the Scandinavian country's emission reduction targets in the hard-to-abate sectors".
Mapei has been present in Norway since 1999, when it acquired the local company Rescon, founded in 1976 in the municipality of Nord-Odal. Today, the company, with a sales and production site in Sagstua, records a turnover of 1.3 billion Norwegian Kroner (approximately 112 million Euro) and employs about 220 people, offering the local market durable, quality products, able to withstand the arctic climate.
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