Sustainability Channel

ON THE WHEELS OF SUSTAINABILITY: HENKEL AND PIRELLI TOGETHER FOR ROAD SAFETY IN THE COMPANY

Pirelli pit-stop Pirelli at Henkel’s offices; for the first time tyre maintenance and control directly at the place of work

Henkel continues is path towards sustainable mobility and announces a new project in collaboration with Pirelli, a high profile sustainable partner committed to the dissemination of the cultre of road safety. Henkel employees, on the occasion of its first ‘Sustainability Day’ at its Milan headquarters, installed a tyre pumping station available to all employees. The Pirelli station represents a new piece of a wider sustainability strategy which Henkel has been pursuing successfully for many years, also directly involving employees in sensitizing initiatives. Even an apparently simply gesture like checking one’s tyre pressure can contribute to ensuring  vehicle and passenger safety on the one hand and increasing motor efficiency, therefore reducing consumption and emissions, on the other.

During the inauguration of the station, Henkel employees also had the possibility of speaking with Pirelli technicians to learn things about correct tyre maintenance like tread depth, damage that can compromise safety, the difference between winter and summer tyres, pressure and methods of inflation.

The initiative was part of Henkel’s first Sustainability Day, conceived to motivate employee engagement with themes of importance to the company such as the consumption of resources, waste management, safety, social progress and the growth in value of company activities.

“We recently announced a new sustainability strategy which will see us committed from now until 2030 to increasing our efficiency by 30%, with short terms targets set for 2015. To achieve these results it is indispensable that everyone be involved, along the entire value chain and in all areas of activity, with a continual monitoring of the milestones reached. With regard to safety, we are implementing a strict policy of eliminating all types of workplace accidents, through continuous training in responsible behaviour. The theme of safe driving is dear to our hearts; our goal is to shine a light on such arguments also as a way of caring for the health of our employees,” said Giacomo Archi, Chairman and CEO of Henkel Italia.

“In Pirelli we live sustainability as a natural way of managing our business and of creating value for all stakeholders”, said Filippo Bettini, the Pirelli Group’s Director for Sustainability and Risk Governance.  “For this reason we developed a plan that fully fits into the business’s growth strategy and which will lead us to become ever more committed to process innovation, with more challenging targets, such as a 70% reduction in the drawing of water by 2015 or the 15% reduction in specific CO2 emissions and energy consumption in the same time frame. And, obviously, a commitment to continuous product innovation, developing tyres that deliver safety, performance and driving comfort in all atmospheric conditions, as well as environmental efficiency. At the heart of Pirelli plan, underlined Bettini, “is the quality of the workplace environment and the quality of the work of our employees, as well as a commitment to transforming the education of road safety in a true culture of safety. Occasions like today constitute a further cultural enrichment and a stimulus for future commitments”.

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Pirelli with InterCampus in Mexico

The new activity will involve children to help them grow towards the values of the sport

Social integration against youthful hardships, in areas at risk, support for the educational system, educational training by the instructors: all of this is Inter Campus and now it is also in Mexico. Pirelli supports the Inter Campus projects in various parts of the world by the process of growth and integration of the young generation through sport, creating a link with the social fabric in which the society is present.

The Inter Campus programme has been active since 2004 at Queretaro, a colonial town 200 kilometres north of Mexico City, where the Marcelline sisters continues to offer underprivileged children from the peripheral quarter of Bolanos and the Girasol school the chance to take part in sports activities on the attractive seven pitch of synthetic grass inside their college grounds. The activity is run by coordinator Ernesto Ortega, professor of physical education at the institute, who has organised a theoretical course with eight trainers and a group of about 15 students from the Autonoma University of Sports at Queretaro. The theoretical courses, held every morning, are followed by practical ones in the afternoons on the pitch in which over 100 children participate.

As further development of the activities that have been in operation for years, the visit of an Inter Campus delegation was an opportunity of activating two new centres. Starting from 17 March, the Mexican project was expanded to include new activities that will involve the children. Christian Valeiro of Inter Campus will work directly with the project as he already had experience with other groups in Mexico: after a carefully inspection in Mexico City, he has given his OK to begin.

Another centre has been activated on a small cement pitch within the structure near the Fundaciòn Renacimiento located at Tepito, one of the most underprivileged and dangerous quarters in the Federal District. In line with tradition, the distribution of shirts to 25 children participating in the first training session was carried out and the event was run successfully by Ricardo and Omar, social workers with the same past as the children hosted by the institute, who manage the activity during the course of the year.

Boys and girls from 6 to 14 years-old, who share a difficult existence, come together with football in a cheerful and surprisingly equal game for all the children throughout the world. The ‘callejeros’, children of the street, learn respect for the others by playing and are taught tolerance through the sport.

Metzeler Roadtec Z8™: synonymous with safety

Metzeler Roadtec Z8 Interact™ is the safest sport touring tyre on wet roads.

As certified by the German Motorrad TestCenter, which carried out a test for which it bought the Metzeler products and those of its direct competitors.

To guarantee a high level of safety to motorcyclists, Metzeler decided to develop new tread compounds for its Roadtec Z8 Interact tyres with the clear objective of offering them not only the latest technological solutions in the area of wet handling, but also the chance of having a tyre that represents the new point of reference in all weather conditions, from wet and cold to dry.

The values taken into consideration by the Motorrad TestCenter test in the wet were: riding precision and characteristics, maintenance of trajectory under acceleration, ease of riding, grip when cornering, grip of the front and rear tyres in lean angle, grip in acceleration, handling on the limit, response when leaning and braking stability in the complete braking phase with ABS.

The motorcycles selected for the test were a Honda CBR600F ABS and a Suzuki Bandit 1250 ABS. The test took place at the Vizzola Ticino track network last January and February in the dry in slightly cloudy weather.

The Metzeler Roadtec Z8 Interact™ was not only the safest tyre in the wet, but also the fastest over the timed lap. Considering all the values taken into account, the Motorrad TestCenter crowned the Metzeler Roadtec Z8 Interact™ superior to its competitors in its segment.