State-of-the-art brick production: wienerberger modernized plant in Romania

• The brick plant in Berca, Romania, was converted into a high-efficiency state-of-the-art facility with reduced resource utilization and significant CO2 savings
  
• Products and solutions manufactured in Berca considerably contribute to the construction of net zero buildings

Vienna – As part of its ongoing investment in the comprehensive ecological transformation of its global value chain, wienerberger, the leading international provider of innovative solutions for the entire building envelope, has modernized its brick plant in Berca, Romania, over the past 8 months. Sustainability was a key focus of this investment, and the factory meets the highest standards in terms of efficiency and environmental impact. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, it enhances production efficiency while reducing resource utilization. Additionally, carbon emissions will be reduced by approximately 4,000 tons per year thanks to a new drying process. The plant was officially reopened on September 16.

wienerberger has been present in Romania since 1998 and is one of the country's largest producers of building materials. With Berca, the company operates a total of seven production sites in the country and employs around 550 people. The production site is located near Bucharest, a city with significant construction activity and strong demand for wienerberger products, which support the development of net zero buildings.

Heimo Scheuch, CEO of wienerberger, says: “The Romanian market is of great importance to us. I am therefore particularly pleased that we are opening our next state-of-the-art ecological plant in Berca. This step will not only strengthen the regional economy, it also moves us forward on our path towards resource-saving and sustainable production. With these and other innovative solutions, we will achieve climate neutrality along the entire value chain by 2050.”

As a center of excellence for sustainable production, the brick plant in Berca is constantly being developed further with new technologies. This makes the plant an essential part of wienerberger's overall sustainability strategy. Within the framework of its sustainability program, wienerberger is pursuing ambitious targets. With its focus on decarbonization, a circular economy, and biodiversity, among others, the company is setting the course for a sustainable and desirable future for generations to come and supporting the European Green Deal. The targets of the program are updated every three years, most recently in 2023. Among other things, the company will reduce its emissions in production by 25% by 2026 and increase the proportion of recyclable or reusable products sold to over 90%. In addition, by then 75% of total building material sales will be generated from products for the construction of net-zero buildings with a neutral carbon footprint. This makes wienerberger a leading driving force towards a sustainable construction industry.

The reopening-event was attended by the Romanian Minister of Investment and European Funds Adrian Câciu, the Romanian Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism Radu-Ștefan Oprea, local and central authorities, important business partners and members of the local and national press.