In the last fifty years the environment themes have become bullet points on the agenda of governments and global institutions. Figures such as Chico Mendes who fought in defence of the largest rainforest in the world, Rachel Carson who with her book Silent Spring wrote the first manifesto of the environmental movement, or Greta Thunberg who continues to lead hordes of Gen Z with her Fridays for the future, have done nothing but increase sensitivity towards the ecosystem that surrounds us and which every year, for 51 years, in fact, is celebrated on June 5.
It all began in 1972 when International Environment Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly with the aim of raising awareness, supporting and guiding changes to the planet. An event that aims to call everyone, governments, non-governmental organizations, companies and citizens, to invest for our present and for future generations. Two years after its establishment, in 1974, the first conference was also held in Spokane, in the United States, and since then every year with the participation of over 143 countries, the program provides a theme and an international forum in which to discuss the causes and possible environmental solutions.
As per tradition, the editions are always marked, told and remembered for an identifying slogan, from the very first Only one planet resumed just last year on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the event, up to the theme 2023: Solution to plastic Pollution. This year the World Environment Day, hosted in the Ivory Coast, reminds us that the actions taken even by individuals on plastic pollution are fundamental. But the time has come to speed up this action and move to a circular economy. It's time, as the hashtag of this edition recalls, of #BeatPlasticSolution.
The invitation made by this day is aimed at building a new plastic economy, in order to produce less waste, a common purpose also to Pirelli as expressed in the 2025-2030 business plan. In fact, both call for the creation of a circular economy. The term and the concept of circular economy were initially theorized in the 1970s, only to then make a comeback at the beginning of the last decade after the European Commission published a communication entitledTowards a circular economy: program for a zero waste Europe And this is how the circular economy became on the main aims towards achieving eco-sustainability. As the word itself suggests, it is a circle economy based on avoiding the production of waste. Obviously all this involves a huge change, which starts from the use of renewable energy up to the re-design of products with a view to their own reuse.
Within this circularity, individuals can also play their part. For example, in its report Pirelli indicates five fundamental points to follow, in the company as in the private sector, the 5 Rs: re-think, refuse, reduce, reuse e recycle.
This means eliminating all substances or products that can be harmful to the environment, especially if they are chemical in nature. When it is not possible to eliminate them, at least they must be reduced and chosen consciously when purchasing a given product. In fact, one of the company's objectives is to reduce the use of primary resources, in particular if they are not renewable: to reduce the consumption of energy, water and the soil itself. Furthermore, since 2015 Pirelli has recorded 41 percent less absolute CO2 emissions, directing its work towards carbon neutrality. Equally important is certainly the reuse of the same products, as many times as possible, and at the same time developing new solutions to maximize secondary raw materials and their own performance.
At the base of the chain, however, the most important R remains the re-think, therefore rethinking the entire process: designing excellent products and services in terms of performance, health, safety and obviously environmental impact.
