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the steps of the tyre manufacturing and distribution process. Everyday, the company works to make increasingly more sustainable, better performing and safer products. This is because, contrary to popular belief, the stage of the life cycle of a tyre with the highest environmental impact is that of use, not of manufacturing. Tyres influence the total fuel consumption of a car, mainly through rolling resistance and when a lack of maintenance results in incorrect tyre pressure. For this reason, Pirelli has been working since 2007 to improve products and lower rolling resistance by 20 per cent. The goal is to achieve a 40 per cent reduction by 2020. In practical terms, a reduction like this means saving 14 litres of fuel every 1000 miles driven, with a consequent 42 per cent reduction of CO2 emissions. Reducing rolling resistance, noise and weight, but also increasing durability and re-treading potentials, are the main factors on which Pirelli works day by day to make more Green Performance products. In 2016, Green Performance tyres amounted to 62.9 per cent of all tyre sales, significantly more than double those of 2009, which was the base line year chosen by Pirelli to gauge medium-to-long term sustainability goals. And integrating all this with a strong commitment towards intelligent mobility, Pirelli has created Pirelli Connesso, a system allowing predictive tyre maintenance through an app which informs the driver directly, including the indication of pressure drops.Management of environmental issues plays a fundamental part in Pirelli’s business strategy. The carbon and water footprints are constantly monitored with the goal of gradually reducing them. In order to obtain these results, Pirelli has set up a control and monitoring system to identify the environmental impact along the entire product life cycle – from raw material extraction and manufacturing, to use and end-of-life procedures – applying the Life Cycle Assessment method: „„During the raw material procurement and extraction stages, Pirelli adopts a careful approach aimed at respecting the environment and biodiversity, with particular focus on the natural rubber supply chain’s sustainability;„„During manufacturing, Pirelli carefully manages the use of water, energy resources and natural resources to contain the environmental impact also by choosing renewable sources;„„For tyre use, Pirelli is working to improve rolling resistance and reduce fuel consumption with consequent lower CO2 emissions;„„During the last phase of the tyre’s life cycle, Pirelli actively collaborates with major organisations on national and international levels to promote the identification and development of solutions aimed at sustainable recovery of end-of-life tyres.Pirelli’s commitment to protecting the environment has led to reducing its total water use by 7 per cent compared to 2015 and by 46 per cent compared to 2009. The 2020 goal as stated in the “2013-2017 Sustainability Plan With 2020 Vision” is to save 58 per cent of water compared to 2009. With the contribution of all manufacturing plants worldwide, 33 million cubic metres of water have been saved as a whole since 2009: this amount is equal to nearly the total use of the entire Pirelli group for three years. The waste recovery rate increased to 92 per cent during 2016, with a 19 per cent increase with respect to 2009. In this area, the 2020 objective for waste recovery is in excess of 95 per cent. On the environmental level, a reduction of 15 per cent in CO2 emissions was achieved, again with respect to the values of 2009, with an 18 per cent decrease in specific energy consumption. ■ABOUT THE AUTHORFilippo Bettini is the Chief Sustainability & Risk Governance Officer at Pirelli. He holds a degree in biomechanical engineering from the Politecnico of Milan and a Masters in Business Administration from Bocconi University of Milan. Mr Bettini entered Pirelli in 2008 to manage some of the non-core activities of the Group, while actively cooperating in company portfolio reshaping. He has been in his current role since 2010. From 2001 to 2008 he worked in the Telecom Italia Group covering roles with increasing responsibility in innovation management until being appointed the Chief Strategy Officer. From 1985 to 2001 Mr Bettini worked in the biomedical and biotechnology fields both in multinational companies and academic research centres.Filippo Bettini is a Board Member of CSR Europe and represents Pirelli at the UN Global Compact Lead and at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. He sits on several working groups addressing sustainable mobility programmes. Since 2014 he has been the President of Federazione Pictured: Filippo BettiniGomma Plastica, Confindustria.Above: Management of environmental issues plays a fundamental part in Pirelli’s business strategyBelow left: The new Pirelli Connesso. Every day Pirelli works to make more sustainable, better performing, safer and intelligent products 021