Sustainability Channel

IN THE FRONT LINE FOR EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

Yesterday, institutions and companies met at the headquarters of Assolombarda, Milan, in support of equal opportunity. Diana Bracco, President of the Sodalitas Foundation, presented the ‘Document for equal opportunity and equality at work’, a declaration of intent for the diffusion of a business and political culture of human resources free of discrimination and prejudice and capable of enhancing talent in all its diversity.

Promoted by the Sodalitas Foundation, AIAF (Associazione Italiana Imprese Familiari), AIDDA (Associazione Imprenditrici Donne Dirigenti d’Azienda), Impronta Etica, UCID (Unione Cristiana Imprenditori Dirigenti), the Ufficio Nazionale Consigliera di Parità with the support of the Ministry of Work, Health and Social Policies and the Ministry for Equal Opportunity, the Document provides a picture of reference evaluation to guide companies adherent to its application, containing non-detailed regulations but few programmatic commitments based on the principals and key elements of effective programmes of change, tested with success by committed companies that have been associated with the subject for some time.

Sixteen Italian companies voluntarily signed the document on the conclusion of a convention that took place, among the speakers at which were Maurizio Sacconi, Minister of Work, Health and Social Policies and Simonetta Matone, Head of the Cabinet at the Ministry for Equal Opportunity. Among the companies were Abb, Bpm, Bracco, IBM, Nestlé, l’Oréal Italia and Unipol. After having illustrated the commitment of the Group in drafting the Document and the diffusion of a culture of equal opportunity, Antonio Calabrò, director of Institutional and Cultural Affairs and a member of the Presidential Committee of Assolombarda for culture and social responsibility in business, signed the Document for Pirelli, a commitment for the diffusion of policies and resources free of discrimination and prejudice, also contributing in that way to the competitiveness and success of  the company.

To learn more go to pirelli.com

EIGHTY YEARS IN BRAZIL: THE STORY IS ON THE WEB

The celebrations to mark Pirelli’s 80 years in Brazil continue. The story of the PLunga in Brazil, from the 30s until today, is online at the address www.pirelli.com.br/80anos and is told through its factories, products, plantations, market successes and commitments in the country’s culture, sport and society.

The ship that begins this journey on the web flies the Italian flag. A tyre-narrator welcomes visitors and accompanies them through the years and in the areas built up by Pirelli, while sound effects and music recall the most significant stages, together with a video and multi-media material that mark the road, going deeper into the principal stages. In short, a young and entertaining account of a story that has become 80 years old, but which conserves the flavour and freshness of “being Brazilian in Brazil”.

CHINA, ANTIPARTICULATE FILTERS GROW

• with the the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea, the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People’s Republic of China in the presence of the Italian Minister, Stefania Prestigiacomo, Chinese authorities, and the Chairman of the Pirelli Group, Marco Tronchetti Provera. The agreement foresees collaboration among the three parties in development of projects for distribution of filter systems for reduction of particulate emissions from diesel vehicles already in circulation (‘retrofit’) and introduction of technologies and advanced products, as the Pirelli products have been shown to be following tests and pilot projects already completed. Part of the environmental cooperation program launched by the two ministries in 2000, the agreement  focuses on the five provinces recently singled out by the Chinese government for adoption of measures to limit circulation of polluting vehicles, among which Shandong (the location of the Pirelli plant).

   

• between the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea, the Municipality of Beijing and Pirelli Eco Technology to support installation of filters on polluting vehicles circulating in Beijing, is part of this commitment. The agreement follows the completion of a pilot project launched in 2008, which brought homologation of the filters produced by the Pirelli Group, thanks to their particular technological characteristics. The city of Beijing has already ordered a significant quantity of  Pirelli Eco Technology filter systems which will be fitted on buses in the capital city.

   

•  with Hixih Group (previously the Yinhe Group), already a partner of Pirelli since 2005 in tyre manufacturing, to build a plant for manufacturing of filters in Yanzhou, in the province of Shandong.

   

The new factory, whose construction is expected to begin in the first quarter of  2010, will be located in the same area where the manufacturing sites developed by the two partners for production of truck and car tyres were built, and will thus create a diversified industrial hub able to profit from synergies in manufacturing and distribution of the two products. The investment, already included in the 2009-2011 industrial plan, will take into account the evolution of the market and could reach 50 million euros in three years, with manufacturing capacity of around 100,000 filters per year and approximately 1200 employees. The industrial site currently uses advanced manufacturing technology and represents a manufacturing, logistics and commercial hub for the entire Asia-Pacific region for the Pirelli Group. Today about 60% of Pirelli’s overall production in China is for the local market, while the remaining 40% is exported to other Asia-Pacific markets.