Rome, Ga, August 8, 2023– Pirelli North America today announced a new partnership with The Ray, a nonprofit based in Atlanta that has helped to develop a net-zero highway testbed on an 18-mile stretch of Interstate 85 in West Georgia, near the Pirelli factory in Rome.
The mission of the Pirelli partnership with The Ray is to advance research and solutions in the transportation sector, specifically in areas of critical concern including technology for road safety, circular economy, EV charging infrastructure, renewable energy, and environmental and social impacts of tires and roads.
With multiple studies pointing to the benefits of both rubber-modified asphalt and re-use of tire material, Pirelli is investigating future projects with The Ray to further research the impact of rubber-modified asphalt, as well as the use of tire-derived aggregate for stormwater galleries.
In addition, the brand is joining a multi-tiered partnership focused on tires and the circular economy – driving education, innovation, solutions development and sharing of best practices.
“Being part of sustainability solutions that extends beyond just our product is an important part of our commitment to climate action,” says Maureen Kline, Vice President, Public Affairs and Sustainability, Pirelli North America. “We know that tires are the one thing that truly comes between our customer and the road. By working with The Ray, we can join forces to identify challenges, develop solutions and drive real change.”
Pirelli believes that tire design will have a key role in shaping the future of mobility and this new partnership demonstrates its commitment to pursuing increasingly challenging goals in terms of sustainability. The company has set goals to increase renewable and recycled content of tires and reduce environmental impacts. In addition, Pirelli is focusing on mitigation strategies for the broader impacts of its products, including end of life tires and tire and road wear particles. The partnership with The Ray will look at areas of mitigation as Pirelli seeks to be a better and better steward of its products.
“Pirelli leads from Georgia, with an advanced manufacturing facility that was its first FSC-certified tire plant in the world. LIkewise, The Ray leads and scales net-zero transportation infrastructure from The Ray Highway in Georgia,’ said Allie Kelly, Executive Director of The Ray. “The alignment between the organizations, focused on safety, circularity and innovation, will power the partnership to produce groundbreaking projects and research in the coming years, and the impact will benefit communities across the country.”
The Ray is a non-profit organization and living innovation lab focused on sustainable highway transportation and setting new standards for the roadways of the future. Current projects include
the use of highway rights-of-way for solar arrays, cloud-based data management for connected vehicle safety and efficiency, drones used as first responders, pollinator gardens for endangered species, and further deployment and impact of bioswales. The Ray defines net-zero in transportation as “Zero Deaths, Zero Waste, Zero Carbon and Zero Impact,” and facilitates the building and scaling of clean transportation and energy projects with transportation agencies, including Georgia and other state Departments of Transportation, tollway and turnpike agencies, regional collaboratives, and local governments.
“This partnership with Pirelli will bring The Ray one step closer to achieving the net-zero transportation goals,” said Kelly.
For more information on Pirelli and its sustainable products and commitment go to https://www.pirelli.com, and more information about The Ray, its history and current projects can be found at https://theray.org/.
About Pirelli
Founded in Milan in 1872, today Pirelli stands as a global brand known for its cutting-edge technology, high-end production excellence and passion for innovation that draws heavily on its Italian roots. The company’s product range consists of innovative tyres for cars, motorcycles, and bicycles due to the solid partnerships with the most prestigious manufacturers. These collaborations allow Pirelli to develop tyres, depending on the model, which are tailor made to satisfy the specific needs of the most sophisticated consumers.
Pirelli Tire North America (PTNA) includes the Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS) facility and research and development center at its Rome, Georgia headquarters, a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Silao, Mexico, sales and marketing offices in New York City, Los Angeles, Detroit, Montreal and Mexico City, and a prestige flagship store in Los Angeles. The company manufactures, distributes and markets original equipment and replacement tyres for export and domestic car/motorcycle applications.
About The Ray
The Ray is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity and net-zero highway testbed, located on 18 miles of Interstate 85 between Lagrange, Georgia and the Georgia-Alabama state line. This stretch of interstate is named in memory of Ray C. Anderson (1934-2011), a Georgia native recognized as a leader in green business when he challenged his company, Interface, Inc., to pursue a zero environmental footprint. Our mission is to reimagine how we connect our communities, our lives and the world in a way that is safer, more responsive to the climate, more regenerative to the environment, and more capable of creating economic opportunity through innovative ideas and technologies that will transform transportation infrastructure. The Ray Highway is paving the way for a zero carbon, zero waste, zero deaths highway system that will build a safer and more prosperous future for us all. Learn more at www.TheRay.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Dallen McLemore, Communications Specialist, The Ray
229.449.6168 | dallen@theray.org | @TheRayHighway