Pirelli rolls out sustainability logo

In addition to featuring the Elect marking on the sidewall, the P Zero E is the first Pirelli tyre to wear a new logo that identifies it as a product containing at least 50 per cent sustainable materials. This new marking depicts two arrows in a circle and will also be present on future tyre models made from half or more bio-based and/or recycled materials, underlining Pirelli’s commitment to the environment and simplifying the purchase of more sustainable tyres.

The entire Pirelli P Zero E launch range contains more than 55 per cent materials of bio-based and recycled origin, as certified by Bureau Veritas. Pirelli will continue to rely upon third-party verification of eco-compatible materials across all future products that adopt the new logo.

“For several years, Pirelli has consistently reduced its environmental impact: a policy confirmed by all the main sustainability indices, which have recognised our commitment and transparency both in terms of results and ethos,” says Giovanni Tronchetti Provera, head of Sustainability and Future Mobility at Pirelli. “For this reason, for example, we indicate the percentage of sustainable materials by saying ‘at least’ rather than ‘up to’. We will now continue down this road, which our car manufacturer partners also recognise and appreciate.”

The logo consists of two arrows in a circle (Photo: Pirelli)

Ambitious targets

Pirelli’s path towards reduced environmental impact includes an increasing use of sustainable materials and the company has already achieved its initial objective, originally set for 2025, two years early thanks to P Zero E. The next step, set for selected product lines by 2030, envisages the use of at least 60 per cent materials of bio-based origin and 12 per cent recycled, with less than 30 per cent of ingredients being fossil-derived. Furthermore, Pirelli intends to “regularly improve” these targets in light of technological innovation achieved by the different departments involved in its tyre development.
According to Pirelli, such innovations have “set in motion a virtuous path” both at the quantitative level, thanks to increasingly higher percentages of sustainable materials, and in terms of quality, through the certification of supply chains to internationally accredited standards. In 2021, for example, Pirelli was first to produce an FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified tyre that uses natural rubber and FSC rayon. As a result, customers had the guarantee that all materials sourced from forests came from plantations that promote biological diversity, while bringing economic sustainability to the lives of local communities and workers.

Sustainable materials in P Zero E

The main challenge in developing the P Zero E was to combine the need for sustainability with the high performance required from a UHP tyre. This objective was reached thanks to new materials, which include:

Lignin: A material that comes from the scrap of the pulp and paper industry. Lignin contributes to tyre durability and foreseen rolling resistance reduction.

Rice husk ash silica: Derived from the scrap of rice cultivation. Silica is widely used in tread compounds to obtain a high level of performance in wet conditions. Rice husk ash silica is a good replacement for fossil-based silica in such tread applications.

Circular carbon black: Carbon black derived from end-of-life tyres pyrolysis oil. Pyrolysis is a way to prevent landfill disposal of end-of-life tyres. Carbon black is used in rubber compounds to optimise stability, strength, and durability of tyres.

Bio circular polymers: These are made from monomers derived from used cooking oils or tyre pyrolysis oil. They are a replacement for fossil-sourced polymers.

Natural rubber: Obtained from the latex of Hevea Brasiliensis, the rubber tree. This is a material 100 per cent derived from biomass.

Bio-resins: Bio resins are plasticisers deriving from vegetal biomass such as plant seeds (sunflower or canola) or forest-based resins. Bio resins are versatile ingredients, providing a better balance of dry and wet performance.

Rayon: A textile reinforcement of a tyre, with fibres deriving from cellulose.