Support for the Initiative to Include a Charity Auction for A F1 Tire
Autographed By F1 Drivers and Soccer Players and the #P4peace Social Media Campaign: A Selfie for Peace
Milan, 25 August 2014 – Multicultural, multi-religious and multi-ethnic values have always been an integral part of Pirelli’s culture, so it was only natural that the company would be proud to participate in the Inter-religious Match for Peace. A focus on the needs of society can be seen in the work Pirelli does every day. As a company with production facilities in 13 nations and a commercial presence in over 160, a manufacturer that employs 39,000 people of 34 nationalities and who speak over 20 languages, the values that the Inter-religious Match for Peace hope to convey – namely multicultural dialog and respect for others – have always been a part of Pirelli’s genetic makeup.
In conjunction with the Inter-religious Match for Peace, Pirelli has designed a number of initiatives to help everyone – from the company’s employees to the online community – to express their support for the event. Sport, of course, plays a central role, and soccer and Formula 1® – where Pirelli has been the sole tire supplier since 2010 – in particular. The members of the two teams playing in the event on 1 September, along with the drivers from all Formula 1® teams, will be autographing a P Zero Grand Prix tire, which will then be auctioned off on the PUPI Foundation eBay channel beginning on 25 August, with the proceeds from the auction to be donated to the Scholas Occurrentes and PUPI Foundations.
Pirelli has also launched the social media campaign #P4Peace. The initiative, which started within Pirelli with selfies of employees from around the world, had already seen the participation of over 2.5 million people and been supported by over 70,000 fans by mid-August; this included celebrities from the worlds of sport, fashion, art and entertainment, who continue to publish selfies on their social networks, all signed with a “P” for peace drawn on their hand, on their face, on a t-shirt, or on a flag or banner. The selfies of Pirelli employees have also been made into a video – which will be shown at the Olimpico stadium on the evening of the match – underlining the values of multi-culturalism and integration which the event aims to promote and which have always distinguished Pirelli’s entrepreneurial culture.
Finally, in conjunction with the event, Pirelli and PZero have created a limited-edition t-shirt featuring the word “Peace” written in the world’s major languages. This “t-shirt for peace” will be available for purchase at the PIRELLI CORSO VENEZIA flagship store, through the online stores of Pirelli PZero (www.pirellipzero.com) and the PUPI Foundation, and at the stadium on match day. All of the proceeds from the sale of these t-shirts are to go to the Scholas Occurrentes and PUPI Foundations.
By supporting the Inter-religious Match for Peace and developing related projects, Pirelli has reiterated the company’s commitment to promoting sport as a powerful means of cultural and generational dialog and integration. Through this association with sports to which the company has been committed since 1907, with activities over the years ranging from motorsports to sailing, golf and soccer, Pirelli has promoted many social initiatives to help local communities of the countries in which the organization operates. This commitment to sports has even become synonymous with ethics and solidarity, particularly among young people. Getting youth engaged in sports is a way to educate children from a range of social classes on the importance of integration, while also working to prevent situations of hardship such as isolation and solitude, thereby promoting growth, health and a spirit of teamwork that can then be reflected in society both now and into the future.
Passion for sport
Pirelli’s passion for sport began with cycling in 1895, a relationship which intensified with the 1909 Giro d’Italia when 30 of the 40 riders used Pirelli tires. In 1913, Pirelli also entered motorcycling, where it remained until 1956, to then return at the end of the 1990s, and the company has been the sole supplier of the world Superbike championship since 2004. Pirelli first entered motorsports, however, in 1907 when Pirelli tires were used by the Italians in the Peking to Paris rally. This was just the beginning and was to be followed by leading roles in the Mille Miglia, the world of rally racing, Grand Touring and, ultimately, Formula 1, where the company has been the sole supplier to all teams since 2011. But Pirelli’s commitment to sport does not just involve cars and motorcycles. There is also aeronautics – with the development of rubberized fabrics for aircraft and tires for airplanes – as well as athletics, fencing and sailing.
Pirelli’s most famous non-motorsport involvement is with the world of soccer, a relationship which dates back to 1877, when the production of rubber sporting goods also begins, and in 1922 it evolves further with patent rubber treatments for soccer balls. In 1926, Piero Pirelli – son of the company’s founder – pushed for the construction of the San Siro stadium in Milan, which is one of Milan’s major landmarks to this day. In 1995, Pirelli’s ties to soccer became even stronger when the group’s history becomes entwined with that of Inter, one of the most important and well-known clubs in the world.
This 20-year association is not only one of sporting passion, but also an actual sharing of values, which resulted in Pirelli’s support for the Inter Campus project, which first arose in Italy and was then exported to other countries around the world with the goal of helping children in difficult situations to get an education as well as sports training.
There is, in fact, a preferential link between social solidarity and sport, a virtuous cycle in which commitment in sports becomes synonymous with a commitment to spreading social and ethical solidarity, especially among young people. Involvement in sport means teaching children of different social classes the concept of integration and working to prevent adverse situations, such as ostracism and loneliness.
Pirelli has, since 2008, supported the Inter campus social project in Slatina, in Romania, where the group has a production facility. Recreational and sporting activities are organized all year round for over 80 children from different social backgrounds and who have learned – through soccer – the values of teamwork, integration into society and friendship. In 2012, Pirelli and Inter repeated the experience in Silao, in Mexico, near the new Pirelli factory, involving 150 children in that area. In 2014, the first Inter Campus was launched in the U.S., in Inwood, New York, over time involving 120 children ages from 6 to 13, as well as four trainer/educators who will themselves receive periodic sports training from the technical staff of Inter Campus. The children participating will also be followed by the educators during the school year in the form of planned after-school activities and initiatives and tutoring.
Social involvement
Pirelli’s social involvement is not limited solely to sports, but is also expressed through activities of solidarity throughout the world. Since its inception in 1872, Pirelli has been aware that the company plays an important role in promoting social progress in all of the communities where it operates by supporting social, environmental, cultural, sporting, healthcare, educational and training initiatives around the world.
The promotion of education and technical training constitute values that are inherent to Pirelli’s history, which has featured technical and research partnerships with various universities around the world, beginning with, among others, the Milan and Turin polytechnic universities, but also the University of Shandong in China and the University of Craiova in Romania. Pirelli firmly believes in training as a key to individual growth and the growth of a nation and, for this reason, donates scholarships, supports projects, and provides educational support to give underprivileged children the instruments they need to climb out of poverty. Among the most important of these educational support programs for children, which Pirelli conducts in communities in which the company operates, is Projeto Guri in Brazil, a project which, for years, has provided singing and other musical instruction to hundreds of children in the areas of Campinas and Elias Fausto in São Paulo. Among the other educational and training initiatives, the agreement between Pirelli and the Qufu Normal University in China deserves special mention. This project provides financing for students of excellence who come from poor backgrounds in order to help them complete their studies.
Another priority for Pirelli is helping to improve healthcare services in the communities in which the company operates. In this context, Pirelli Romania, in cooperation with Milan’s Niguarda Hospital, has, since 2008, supported training for doctors and nurses and donated medical equipment and instrumentation to the Slatina Hospital. Over 120 medical professionals, who each year provide care for more than 40,000 patients, received training as part of the project, in particular in the areas of oncology, pediatric care and first aid. Pirelli has, since 2010, supported the Pequeno Príncipe Hospital in Curitiba, Brazil, the nation’s largest pediatric hospital, helping 5,000 children and their families.
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