Munich, Milan, Cambridge. The BMW Group and Pirelli
are joining with Birdlife International in a three year project that
aims to favor the long-term production of sustainable and
deforestation-free natural rubber in Indonesia. Birdlife
International – an NGO that conserves global biodiversity, habitats
and birds – will be supported by its two new partners in actions to
benefit local communities, the conservation of the natural ecosystem
and protection of endangered animal species in the forests of
Indonesia. In Indonesia, the project is implemented by a number of
non-governmental organisations coordinated by the local consortium PT
Restorasi Ekosistem Indonesia (PT Reki). In Indonesia, the cultivation
of natural rubber is one of the traditional sources of income for the
local population.
The project is located in part of the Hutan Harapan rainforest
(island of Sumatra), which is home to around 1,350 different animal
species. It will take the form of a series of initiatives aimed at
improving the quality of life of the indigenous community
by protecting farmers’ land rights and promoting women’s
rights, conserving a deforestation-free area of 2,700
hectares and protecting several endangered species. The
different activities will be implemented in line with the goals of the
Global Platform of Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR), the
multi-stakeholder platform for the sustainable development of the
natural rubber business, of which the BMW Group, Pirelli and Birdlife
International are founder members.
The partnership between the BMW Group and Pirelli in support of
Indonesia’s Hutan Harapan forest is part of a joint pathway to
sustainable natural rubber. In this context, Pirelli developed and
produced the first tyre in the world, a Pirelli P ZERO, certified by
the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), fitted on the new BMW X5
Plug-in-Hybrid, in turn the first car in the world equipped with tyres
with this certification.
THE MAIN ACTIVITIES OF THE PROJECT
The project presented by Pirelli, the BMW Group and Birdlife
International foresees the involvement of a number of stakeholders:
local communities, government agencies and the entire natural rubber
value chain.
The three year program entails multiple activities, including:
-
Agroforestry approach in the context of natural
rubber, as promoted by the GPSNR, to optimize the relationship
between production, income diversification by varying crops in the
same area, conserve biodiversity, soil fertility, capitalization of
resources from a circular point of view and carbon sequestration. -
Good Agricultural Practices (GAP): training courses
for smallholders on good cultivation and plantation management
practices, in support of the environment, productivity and
improvement of smallholders’ living and working conditions. -
Local community engagement: involving farmers’
families active in the area to identify, ensure respect for and
protection of their habitual rights. -
Forest protection: a monitoring and direct checks
of the forest area through wardens, drones and satellite control technologies. -
Female empowerment: workshops for women to develop
skills with a view to ultimately occupying potential new roles, with
particular attention to activities connected to the sustainable
management of natural rubber and the protection of biodiversity and forests. -
Care and protection of animals: census taking and
monitoring of animal species most at risk such as the Sumatran
tiger, Helmeted Hornbill, Greater Green Leafbird and Agile gibbon,
with the involvement of local communities in active forest and
biodiversity protection roles. -
Traceability and use of sustainable natural rubber:
creation of a natural rubber Growers’ Cooperative to permit
the direct supply of natural rubber from the communities to the
processing plants in the region; introduction of documentation for
the traceability of the rubber from plantation to processor.
Birdlife International will coordinate with Pirelli and the BMW Group
on the project’s progress and results achieved through a plan of
periodic reporting.
“As a premium manufacturer, our goal is to lead the way on
sustainability and actively take responsibility within our supply
chains.
In the fight against climate change, we are rolling out targeted
measures to support bio-diversity and tropical rainforest
conservation,” said
Dr Andreas Wendt, BMW AG Board Member for Purchasing and
Supplier Network.
“Our project in Indonesia will help people and the local economy
to work in greater harmony with nature. At the same time, it will
also support local communities by professionalising their
traditional cultivation methods for natural rubber.”
Giovanni Tronchetti Provera, Pirelli’s Senior Vice President
for Sustainability and Future Mobility, said: “The
development of this project is based on the principles of
transparency and tangibility which have always guided Pirelli’s
actions. Together with BMW Group, in support of the goals of
Birdlife we intend to be an active part of a project that aims to
have a sustainable impact all round on natural rubber, in the belief
that community, biodiversity and business must grow by supporting
each other, creating a shared socio-environmental value.”
Patricia Zurita, CEO, BirdLife International,
commented: “BirdLife works beyond species and sites to address
systemic drivers of the biodiversity and climate crisis, and promote
a nature positive and carbon neutral world. This is why we joined
the GPSNR and welcome this collaboration with Pirelli and BMW to
embed practices to safeguard nature within the rubber value chain”.
BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL
BirdLife International is the world’s largest nature conservation
partnership, with 117 Partners. Our purpose is to conserve global
biodiversity, habitats and birds, working with people and business
in the sustainable use of natures’ resources. To inform and advance
evidence-based business policy and practice, we offer a wealth of
proprietary data and tools, provide science-based consultation and
have boots on the ground in 115 countries. Globally, our science and
biodiversity data inform international policy dialogue, and in the
field of ‘environment ecology’, BirdLife is ranked #1 in the
UK for high impact research. Locally, our Partners provide acute
insight at both a landscape and community level of issues and
solutions and have the legitimacy to engage and advocate at all
levels of government.
PIRELLI AND SUSTAINABLE NATURAL RUBBER
Pirelli places sustainable development at the heart of its own
growth, along the entire value chain.
The sustainable management of the natural rubber supply chain has
seen Pirelli committed to a roadmap of activities based on training
and the sharing of good practices in the countries where the
material originates. This is in line with the principles and values
collected in the Policy
for the Sustainable Management of Natural Rubber that the
company launched in 2017 and updated in 2021. The Policy is the
result of consultations with key stakeholders in the natural rubber
value chain including international NGOs, Pirelli’s main suppliers
of natural rubber, intermediaries and growers of the supply chain,
automotive clients and multi-lateral international organizations. In
addition, Pirelli is one of the founder members of the Global
Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR), a multi-stakeholder
platform born in 2018 with the goal of supporting the sustainable
development of the natural rubber business at the global level, to
the benefit of the whole value chain. Uniting sustainability and
innovation, Pirelli is the first company in the world to have
produced a line of tyres with natural rubber and rayon both
certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
THE BMW GROUP
With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the
BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles
and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility
services. The BMW Group production network comprises 31 production
and assembly facilities in 15 countries; the company has a global
sales network in more than 140 countries.
In 2020, the BMW Group sold over 2.3 million passenger vehicles
and more than 169,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax
in the financial year 2020 was € 5.222 billion on revenues amounting
to € 98.990 billion. As of 31 December 2020, the BMW Group had a
workforce of 120,726 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term
thinking and responsible action. The company set the course for the
future at an early stage and consistently makes sustainability and
efficient resource management central to its strategic direction,
from the supply chain through production to the end of the use phase
of all products.