There is no greener means of transport than the bicycle and, accordingly, the 97th Giro d’Italia is deeply aware of the environment and the need to protect it. This year, the Giro pursues its green initiatives in partnership with two
international organisations: Camelbak® and PEFC.
Following the great success of their work in 2013, Giro d’Italia organisers RCS Sport/La Gazzetta dello Sport were keen to renew their partnership with Camelbak®, an Italian company from the Venice region and a world leader in the manufacture of sports hydration equipment. Together, Camelbak® and RCS Sport have extended their agreement to
establish Green Zones along the route of the Giro d’Italia. This initiative was first launched in 2013, with the slogan “Non buttiamo le borracce in Giro” (Roughly “Don’t make litter with water bottles!” – an estimated 23,000 bisons were collected last year). The scheme continues in 2014 with some important developments:
There are approximately 2 Camelbak® Green Zones per stage on 15 stages, except time trials. They are signposted by large, red, bottle-shaped signs measuring 1m x 3m. A Camelbak® motorbike distributes bidons of water (or, depending on the weather conditions, hot tea) and Camelbak® also provide bidons to Vittoria Servizio Corse, the official neutral service provider to the Giro d’Italia. The neutral service vehicles then distribute them to any rider who asks. At the end of the Giro, a special prize will be awarded by Camelbak® to the team that collects the most bidons.
The Giro’s other green partner is PEFC Italia (PEFC, the Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification, is an international non-profit, non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting sustainable forest management, and is the world’s largest forest certification system). As well as this partnership, whose initiatives are centred on Stages 16, 17, 18 and 20, the Giro d’Italia will use PEFC-certified paper provided by International Paper for press releases and other information bulletins and publicity material. This agreement guarantees that paper products used at the Giro are from legal and sustainable sources, and supports PEFC-certified product suppliers. For further information: www.pefc.it and www.camelbak.com