Australia’s Oscar Piastri’s McLaren MCL38 with Pirelli P Zero tyres during pre-season testing at Bahrain (Photo by Sam Bloxham/LAT Images)
Pirelli is the first company to produce a complete range of FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified tyres for motorsport. Starting from this year, all the tyres used in the FIA Formula One World Championship will be marked with the FSC logo. Source: Timberbiz
This logo certifies that all the natural rubber within the tyre complies with stringent environmental and social criteria required by the FSC, a world-leading non-governmental organisation for sustainable forestry.
“The debut of our FSC-certified tyres in the world of motorsport represents a significant moment in Pirelli’s sustainability journey. In 2021 we were first to equip a road car with FSC-certified tyres, and now we are proud to be the first do so in motorsport as well,” Giovanni Tronchetti Provera, Pirelli Executive Vice President Motorsport, Sustainability and Future Mobility said.
“Formula One is an extraordinary open-air laboratory for us. It allows us not only to design and test new technology as well as improve research and development processes for roadgoing tyres, but also to unite maximum performance, typical of the demanding motorsport environment, with commitment towards an increasingly sustainable world.”
This certification, announced on 10 October last year when Pirelli renewed its agreement as the Global Tyre Partner of Formula 1 until at least 2027, will apply to all the tyres used on track, throughout the season, including pre-season testing.
The FSC-certified tyres have been introduced following an intense development program that began in 2022, which showed clear results in terms of both reliability and performance.
The first free practice sessions at the Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix hosted the debut of these certified tyres at a Grand Prix event. This marks a significant step, reflecting Pirelli’s commitment to delivering increasingly sustainable performance and solutions even within the special environment of motorsport, starting with its greatest technological and competitive expression, Formula One.
Pirelli has been confirmed as one of the global leaders in the fight against climate change for the sixth consecutive year with a place in the 2023 Climate A list from the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project), an international no-profit organisation that researches and promotes environmental information. Pirelli was also the first tyre manufacturer to be awarded a three-star rating on the FIA’s Environmental Accreditation Program.
“Pirelli’s implementation of FSC-certified tyres in the FIA Formula One World Championship is a strong statement of the company’s commitment to sustainability not just to its own targets but also in its alignment with the goals of the FIA’s Environmental Strategy, which seeks to reduce motorsport impact and reinforce the sport as a catalyst for sustainable innovation and technology,” Sara Mariani, FIA Sustainability and D&I Director said.
“Those ambitions were fundamental to the Formula One tyre supply tender launched last year by the FIA for 2025 and beyond and following its successful bid Pirelli has admirably already begun to innovate in pursuit of even greater sustainability with the introduction of FSC-certified tyres in 2024.”
Together with the FIA and Formula One, the Italian firm has underlined its position in the front line of research and development into new technology, both on the technical and sporting side, to support the work that has already been done in reducing CO2 emissions throughout the entire life cycle of a Formula One tyre.
FSC certification joins a number of initiatives already put in place for motorsport by Pirelli in recent years:
- all the tyres that Pirelli brings to the track during a Grand Prix weekend – used in F1, F2, F3 and F1 Academy – will be transformed into secondary raw materials after use, for multiple circular uses;
- the electrical energy used to make F1, F2, F3 and F1 Academy tyres comes exclusively from 100% renewable certified sources;
- the use of ‘virtual’ design technology for all tyres not only considerably reduces development time, but above all the number of physical prototypes needed, cutting down on materials used;
- the elimination of tyre warmers in Formula One for full wet covers, pioneered in Monaco last year, reduces the use of electrical energy;
- more streamlined logistics, with sea freight now the preferred method of transport over air freight, cuts down on logistics emissions.
FSC certification of the natural rubber from certified plantations used by Pirelli to make tyres for the FIA Formula One World Championship is the latest step in the company’s long-running program to sustainably manage the natural rubber supply chain.
This is achieved via a roadmap of best practice in the different countries of origin for natural rubber, in line with the principles and values set out in the Pirelli Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy from 2017.
This document is the result of consultation with key stakeholders in the natural rubber value chain, including international NGOs, Pirelli’s main natural rubber suppliers, growers and sellers in the supply chain, automotive clients, and other global organisations.
