Partnerships to improve the environmental impact of products
For Brembo,
innovation aims to ensure
increasingly cutting-edge products able not only to
anticipate and meet the new needs typical of the automotive industry, but that also allow to
improve the environmental impact through:
► the design of products involving the use of
low-impact materials and protections;
► the reduction of GHG emissions thanks to the use of
lights alloys allowing to limit braking systems weight;
► the reduction of particulates during braking, harmful for human health thanks to the use of
technical materials and solutions;
► the development of smart products such as
mechatronic components;
► the implementation and improvement of structured Life Cycle Assessments, both on process and material level.
In a perspective of
open-innovation, and to
improve the effectiveness of research in these areas, the Group encourages
collaboration, through networks and joint work projects, with
other players in the automotive sector: Research Centres and Universities both at
Italian level (including the Milan Polytechnic, the University of Padua, the University of Trento, the Mario Negri Pharmacological Research Institute) and at
international level (where Brembo collaborates with the Lund University and continues to partner with the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm). Brembo subscribes to various
coordinating organisations that promote
industrial research in the automobile field, including
AIRI (Italian Association for Industrial Research), ATA (Technical Automobile Association),
Automotive SPIN Italia, CAAR (Automotive Cluster of Aragon Region),
CLEPA (European Association of Automotive Suppliers) and the
Lombardy Mobility Cluster.
In 2023, Brembo also continued to implement a series of
European projects, two of which funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR):
nPETS (nano Particle Emissions from the Transport Sector).
The project, which is expected to end in June 2024, has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Programme in order to understand and mitigate the effects of emerging emissions of unregulated nanoparticles generated by transport on public health and the new public policies. The goal is to monitor and sample with state-of-the-art instruments the sub 100 nm emissions generated by maritime, road, rail and air transport, both in the field and in controlled laboratory environments.
Emissions will be characterised in terms of size, morphology and chemical composition linked with specific emission sources, such as engines, brakes, clutches and tyres, to increase understanding of the mechanisms underlying the adverse risks posed by the different types and sources of identified sub 100 nm particles. The effects of nanoparticles from various modes of transport and fuels, as well as from specific emission sources, will be compared paying particular attention to markers significant for carcinogenesis and inflammation.
In addition, the goal is also to complete a comprehensive public database that collects all the chemical and toxicological information obtained to provide science-based suggestions for new policies specifically related to nanoparticulates.
For further information:nPETS | Just another WordPress site (npets-project.eu)