Pirelli photo series documents natural rubber cultivation

Pirelli & C. S.p.A. has launched “Being Fast Takes Time,” a website devoted to building public awareness of natural rubber.

Based on the reportage and images of Italian writer and photographer Alessandro Scotti, “Being Fast Takes Time” covers the fundamental phases of the NR production and supply cycle, describing the lives of rubber smallholders and their cultivation and processing techniques, Pirelli said in an April 24 press release.

According to the company, the website aims “to build awareness of this precious primary material, share the commitment to the preservation of biodiversity, and support the development of the community and local economy.”

“Being Fast Takes Time” is part of Pirelli’s Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy, which it introduced in 2017. 

The website details Scotti’s journey through Java, Sumatra and the Chonburi province of Thailand, Pirelli said. It documents the slow, meticulous process of latex extraction and the long wait for its solidification in harmony with nature’s time and rhythms.

The website’s story follows through to the final product, the tire,.

“These two distant but connected realities (are) recounted to illustrate the steps that separate the work and rhythms of the farmers from those of the technological world…and industrial production,” the company said.

Scotti’s reportage documents the lives of farmers, the role of women in the cultivation and processing of NR, the complex technique of tapping rubber trees and the wildness of the natural surroundings of rubber farms.

The website underscores the fundamental importance of carrying out NR cultivation and extraction in a sustainable way, according to Filippo Bettini, Pirelli chief sustainability and risk governance officer.

“Only with a responsible approach can we contribute to ensure the future of such a precious raw material and to the local populations that draw their sustenance from rubber,” Bettini said.

The website can be found at pirelli.com/naturalrubber.

Source: Rubber and Plastic News