Sustainability Channel

THE MUSEUM OF RUBBER IS BORN IN MILAN

Rubber is a widely used material in our daily lives. Where does it come from? What is it for? How is it transformed?

To provide answers to these questions and more, the new interactivity area devoted to rubber was inaugurated this morning at the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan.

In the great Italian techno-scientific museum, a space is now active that illustrates the cultivation, production and use of rubber in the past and today, with historical objects, multi-medial positions, audiovisuals and interactivity.

Today, more than half the rubber produced is used to make tyres. Among the objects on display, there had to be a contribution from Pirelli, which has donated an ultra-high performance P Zero 265/40 ZR 18 and 10 Pirelli Evo 21 scooter tyres plus a Tipo N from the 1913-15 period, one of the first tyres to use carbon black in its compound. Pirelli has also contributed to the production of a video on the cultivation of rubber, as well as having offered its scientific support for the creation of the area itself relative to tyres.

The new interactive area devoted to rubber, realised by the museum in partnership with Assocomaplast (the National Association of Constructors of Machines and Moulds for Plastic and Rubber Materials), with a contribution from the Lombardy Region and the Milan Chamber of Commerce, inaugurates a period of cooperation between these important Milanese institutions and Pirelli in a commitment to disseminate technological culture among the young generations.
Education is one of the fundamental objectives of the museum, a premise Pirelli shares with its constant attention to scholastic and university education.

To know more:
www.museoscienza.org

METZELER ELEPHANT BRAND IS "BESTE MARKE 2009!"

For the second consecutive year, Metzeler has been elected the king of European motorcycle tyres. The ‘Beste Marke 2009‘ award has been made to the company after a survey carried out by ‘Motorrad‘, the authoritative magazine of publisher Motor Presse and a publication which has grown substantially in Europe over the last three years.

Divided into 160 categories, from brakes to crash helmets to riding boots, the survey asked the magazine’s readers to express their preferences on the basis of a number of important parameters, like availability, value, safety and communication.

In this year’s ‘tyre’ category, 65.8% of the 30,000 readers from 12 different countries who responded to the survey said ‘Metzeler’. A matter of great satisfaction and the result of the Interact™ communications programme, which enabled Metzeler to enter into direct contact with the world of the motorcyclist in 2008, involving them in events and initiatives on the web, like the Roadtec Z6 Interact™ competition and the 2008 Experts on the Road trip.

“This is a fantastic result and confirms that all our activities for this brand have been well received by the marketplace and it also shows what a strong value this brand in Germany represents“, stated head of marketing and sales, Michael Müller. “We see this title as an example of our focus on producing safe and high quality products which are engineered for motorcycle riders, by motorcycle riders. We value this award and will fight to achieve additional successes in 2009.“

PIRELLI IN PARLIAMENT ON SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENT

A Parliamentary audience yesterday for Chairman Marco Tronchetti Provera with the Transport Commission of the Camera dei Deputati, presided over by the Honourable Mario Valducci. The audience was part of a cycle of consultations by the representatives of the automotive sector of the Camera on the subjects of safety and the environment.

After an in-depth appraisal on the provisions of the Government for the support of the sector, the Chairman of Pirelli insisted on the need for a renewal of the tyre park in Italy in conformity with the European Union directive EU 201/43 CE: tyres of new generation, environmentally compatible and much more suited to the preservation of safety (roadholding and braking distances), eliminating tyres which are non-homologated, of greater pollution capability and unsafe.

In the view of Chairman Tronchetti Provera, it is fundamental that the competent authorities also control the roads for worn tyres: according to recent surveys by Inail and Assogomma, about four million vehicles are currently circulating on Italian roads with smooth, illegal and dangerous tyres. It is, naturally, necessary that there should be adequate sanctions.

In his audience, the Pirelli Chairman also insisted on the subject of anti-particulate filters to drastically reduce harmful emissions. The commission took note of the data and indications provided with lively interest, and assured the Chairman that there would be close examination of the subject and subsequent audiences.