Wienerberger AG: Wienerberger points the way to building for the future

Vienna (pta014/28.06.2013/10:00 UTC+2) Michael Braungart: sustainability is not liability management
- Healthy living as a key issue
- Timo Leukefeld: with energy-independent houses in Germany, heating costs are no longer a major concern
- Michael Pech: attractive and affordable housing in major cities

Wienerberger AG today announced the release of its 2012 Sustainability Report. On the evening before the presentation, the company invited media representatives and decision-makers to a thought-provoking discussion on the subject of "Building for the Future". The focal point was the search for answers to a wide variety of global challenges. Climate change, limited resources, population growth, rising poverty, migration, demographic change, urbanization, the loss of biodiversity - all these trends have a significant influence on the way we want to live in the future. Well-known experts from science and industry presented visionary approaches and practical examples and discussed their concepts and ideas with the guests from politics, management, the media and NGOs.

Michael Braungart: sustainability is not liability management
The central message in many lectures by Michael Braungart, who has spoken to the German Parliament as well as the Utopia 2008 in Berlin, is that sustainability should never be seen as liability management. Discussions on sustainability should not focus on reducing consumption or sacrificing living quality, but on using the right materials. As an example, he named the edible or recyclable covers that are now frequently used in place of the standard, often hazardous textiles on aircraft seats. In the area of residential construction, he mentioned the building material brick, which stands out with its long service life of more than 100 years and - as is demonstrated in Belgium - is also completely recyclable. Another important aspect is the issue of health. Building for the future means, above all, achieving and maintaining a healthy indoor climate and living comfort. People in the western industrial countries spend roughly 90% of their time indoors - and the quality of the interior air generally leaves a lot to be desired: pollutants, dry air, dust and mold not only have a negative influence on the indoor climate, but also represent a major health risk. The air quality in an air-conditioned office is four-times worse than Berlin's inner city. For Michael Braungart, it is no coincidence that asthma is currently the most frequently diagnosed disease among children in Europe. The use of the right building materials can make an important contribution to improving the quality of living. Bricks are absolutely free of pollutants and are also permeable. In other words, bricks can "breathe", which means they equalize the humidity in the room. Bricks also help to save energy, both in heating and cooling, because of their natural air conditioning properties. The accumulation capacity of bricks evens out temperature fluctuations by absorbing heat during the daytime and releasing it in the night, or vice versa. Bricks are therefore one of the best building materials for the creation of a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere. This was also confirmed in a second speech by Timo Leukefeld.

Timo Leukefeld: energy-independent houses are possible today
In his talk, Timo Leukefeld presented a house project that illustrates building for the future. These energy-independent homes are built with high thermal insulating bricks based on his concept. Energy consumption is met in full with renewable resources, while surplus energy can also be stored and is no longer fed into the public supply network. These houses need no connections to public electricity lines because the generated energy is stored on site and can be used whenever it is needed. Sufficient energy is therefore available to cover the energy requirements of the house at any time of the day or night, with enough capacity to also power an e-car. In addition to energy-independence, these homes create an optimal quality of living as well as a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere. The brick construction produces a healthy, balanced indoor climate. There are no limits on leaving doors or windows open and heating is possible without a thought about the next electricity bill. Timo Leukefeld calls this concept "intelligent wastefulness" as a substitute for "unintelligent restraints".

Michael Pech: housing must be affordable
In all the discussions on sustainability and health, affordability must also remain a key issue. Michael Pech, managing director of Österreichische Siedlungswerk, showed the way to make housing not only attractive (apartments whose size, lighting, open spaces and green areas are designed to meet the needs of residents), but affordable based on several examples of multi-story urban housing projects.

Heimo Scheuch, when asked for his comments on the event, drew a very positive balance for Wienerberger: "I can only underscore the statements by these experts. We need sustainable solutions that guarantee healthy and affordable housing, high quality of living and supply security. Our building materials make all this possible today, and I see this as confirmation that Wienerberger is perfectly equipped to meet the challenges of the future."

Wienerberger Group
Wienerberger is the world's largest producer of bricks (Porotherm, Terca) as well as number one on the clay roof tile market (Koramic, Tondach) in Europe and the concrete paver market (Semmelrock) in Central-East Europe. In pipe systems (Steinzeug-Keramo ceramic pipes and Pipelife plastic pipes), the company is one of the market leaders in Europe. Wienerberger generated revenues of 2,356 million Euro and operating EBITDA of 246 million Euro in 2012 with 221 plants. In May 2012 Wienerberger completed the full takeover of Pipelife and set an important milestone in the expansion of its core business.

Our Sustainability Report 2012 can be downloaded under: http://www.wienerberger.com/

For additional information contact:
Barbara Braunöck, Head of Corporate Communications
T +43 1 601 92 - 10221 | communication@wienerberger.com

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Wienerberger AG is a pure free float company, whereby the majority of shares are held by Austrian and international institutional investors. Additional information on the shareholder structure is provided under http://www.wienerberger.com/investor-relations/the-wienerberger-share/the-wienerberger-share/shareholder-structure

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Emitter:	Wienerberger AG Wienerbergstraße 11 1100 Wien Austria
Contact Person:	Barbara Braunöck
Phone:	+43-1-60-192-10221
E-Mail:	communication@wienerberger.com
Website:	www.wienerberger.com
ISIN(s):	AT0000831706 (Share)
Stock Exchange(s):	Vienna Stock Exchange (Official Trade)