Environment
"In running its operations the Pirelli Group is mindful of the Environment and public health. A key consideration in investment and business decisions is environmental sustainability, with the Group supporting eco-compatible growth, not least through the adoption of special technologies and production methods (where this is operationally feasible and economically viable) that allow for the reduction of the environmental impact of Group operations, in some cases even below statutory limits.
Pirelli has adopted certified Environmental Management Systems to control its operations, chooses production methods and technologies that reduce waste and conserve natural resources, and assesses the indirect and direct environmental impact of its products and services. The Group works alongside leading national and international organizations to promote environmental sustainability both on a local and a global scale."
(Ethical Code - "Environment")
The Pirelli approach to sustainable environmental management is set forth in accordance with the Sustainability System envisaged in the United Nations Global Compact, signed in 2004, and pursuant to the “Rio Declaration on Environment and Development.” The above principles are illustrated in the Social Responsibility Policy for Occupational Health, Safety and Rights, Environment, according to which Pirelli undertakes to:
- manage its environmental activities in compliance with the highest international standards;
- communicating and providing material information to internal and external stakeholders;
- promoting use of the most advanced technologies to achieve excellence in environmental protection;
- assessing and reducing the environmental impact of its own products and services throughout their entire life cycle;
- using material resources responsibly, in view of achieving sustainable growth that respects the environment and the rights of future generations;
- establishing and maintaining appropriate procedures to evaluate and select suppliers and subcontractors on the basis of, inter alia, their commitment to environmental accountability.
In its Quality Policy, Pirelli specifies that continuous innovation, product excellence and safety, and environmental protection throughout the product life cycle represent one of the principal sources of sustainable competitiveness in the global market, which leads to a choice of green investment made by socially responsible investors.
Safe for People, safe for the Planet
Personal and environmental safety are the guideposts used by Pirelli to achieve balanced, effective economic sustainability to satisfy the criteria of socially responsible investors. The development and realization of “Premium” products, even in environmental terms, are premised on a profound awareness of the interactions that the tyre has with the ecosystem over its entire life-cycle, from the production of raw materials to end-of-life management.
By managing its operations according to life cycle thinking, Pirelli uses scientifically recognized tools to assess strategic decisions as objectively as possible (Life Cycle Assessment). The following info-graphic illustrates the distribution of the environmental impact of a tyre over its entire life cycle, according to the Life Cycle Assessment published by ETRMA (European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers Association).
As it has declared to the market since it presented the Industrial Plan in 2010, Pirelli aims at full identification of its environmental footprint by 2013 on two issues whose sustainable management is of strategic importance for global development: water, with calculation of its own water footprint, and climate change, with calculation of its own carbon footprint.
Product environmental sustainability
In the Industrial Plan update presented to the market in November 2011, Pirelli stated its objective to achieve global leadership in the Premium segment by 2015.
Pirelli Premium products – which include the famous Green Performance family of tyres – are characterised by their high safety performance and reduced environmental impact. This involves the production of products that are safe for People and safe for the Planet, based on an innovative approach that implies all phases of the tyre life cycle, and specifically in regard to:
- research and development of innovative materials in view of environmental protection inter alia,
- reduction of tyre weight,
- definition of forecasting models and models of tyre-vehicle interaction fundamental to the design of products offering ever-better performance,
- development of innovative production technologies where efficiency plays a key-role,
- creation of devices that help drivers use tyres in such a way as to exploit their full potential, reducing their environmental impact,
- identification and realization of ways to re-use materials derived from discarded tyres.
Process environmental sustainability
As previously mentioned, during the tyre life cycle, less than 10% of the environmental impact is generated by the “process” phase, i.e. production of the tyre, as opposed to nearly 90% of the impact coming from use of the tyre itself.
The Premium logic that drives development of the company also characterizes the approach to process eco-sustainability, with the latter becoming a distinguishing characteristic of Pirelli at the international level.
Pirelli has set itself challenging objectives to reduce the impact of its own processes on the ecosystem. It announced them to the external community in its Industrial Plan 2011-2013 with Vision to 2015 and related 2012-2014 update (named Fast Forward) presented to the market in November 2011.
The reduction objectives concern the specific consumption of energy, uptake of water withdrawal, CO2 emissions, specific waste production and recovery and solvent consumption.
For further informations, please go to Interactive Report Sustainaibility