Interview: Matteo Braga, Circuit Activity Manager, Pirelli
Building a sustainable future for the sport we love and are passionate about remains our priority. Our latest feature provides an overview on how we embark on this mission together with our tyre partner Pirelli. We had a conversation with Matteo Braga, who is Circuit Activity Manager at Pirelli, on Tyre circularity, Pirelli’s numerous environmental actions in motorsports and their specific sustainable efforts related to the products we use in our championships.
1) Please describe your professional role at Pirelli
I am responsible for all circuit racing activities in GT, endurance, and customer competition. I have been following races and championships all over the world for several years now, particularly those organised by SRO Motorsports Group. My main role is to interact with national and international governing bodies as well as manufacturers and teams, in order to identify and satisfy their requirements and expectations when it comes to using our products and services.
2) Please describe your approach to sustainability in everyday life
My family and I pay a lot of attention to limiting what we consume, as we are all convinced that the first step towards sustainability is reducing emissions and eliminating waste. We prefer to buy recyclable products and environmentally friendly materials. We enjoy lots of open-air activities in our free time and getting in touch with nature, while reducing our impact on the environment. The same choices apply to personal transport: we try to use bicycles and electric vehicles whenever we can.
3) Why is sustainability important to Pirelli?
We are a global player and we are very aware of the responsibilities that come with our actions and choices, both in terms of how they impact the people in the industry and the wider community. That is an attitude that we carry through to our factories, supply chain and products. We are also aiming to get our carbon emissions down.
Since 2021, 100% of the energy acquired for our motorsport factories is certified as renewable, while our goal is to be carbon neutral across the group by 2030. We know that economic, social and environmental values are entirely interlinked and that a joined-up approach is the only way to grow the company in a sustainable way.
4) Which concrete actions is Pirelli taking in 2022 to improve tyre circularity at SRO’s events?
We have increased the use of virtual design and simulation for SRO championships’ tyres we have developed, leading to less outdoor testing and fewer physical tyre prototypes. We have also simplified the range, which has a positive impact on production and logistics, meaning that we only make what we need.
We can get a lot back from a tyre at the end of its life, which is a key point of tyre circularity: extracting materials with a high technical value, also delivering an economic benefit. This is a trend that will only increase in future.
The end-of-life tyres that we own are sent for recycling at certified facilities in order to recover materials or energy. Looking at the future, we are currently working with teams to ensure that the end-of-life tyres that they own – which is common practice in many championships – are also suitably recycled.
5) What is your sustainability message to Pirelli’s stakeholders and audiences?
Our commitment to sustainability in sport as well as all our other activities is non-stop, and we are always looking into innovative solutions that contribute to lowering of emissions.
The use of renewable materials in the tyres will increase by 25% by 2025, while by 2030 we aim to be entirely carbon neutral.