IILVA Polimeri gained 4th place in the Enterprise Communication category by the Jury of the 3rd edition of Areté, the prize for responsible communication, for the campaign to communicate and disseminate the results of the Research entitled "Coatings for furnishing and quality of the domestic environment".

The Areté prize for responsible communication aims to enhance the commitment of companies, entities and institutions which, through their campaigns and communication activities transmit the values of correctness and transparency, showing sensitiveness and attention to the context in which they operate, to consumers, users and stakeholders.

The mission of the Research communication campaign entitled "Coatings for furnishing and quality in the domestic environment", by ILVA Polimeri, is to clearly and transparently transmit concrete data on the contribution of chemical and natural paints to domestic pollution.

In fact, companies in the chemical sector, the general press and specialised press in the furnishing, design, female, wellness, ecology and children's' sectors, often publish approximate, misleading information on this subject, promoting so-called "ecological" and "biological" products without demonstrating their validity with concrete data.

ILVA Polimeri - that since a long time selected "Responsible technologies for wood coatings" as its claim - has deepened its research into wood coatings and the quality of the domestic environment, by measuring and defining with concrete data, the concentration limit whereby a given substance is harmful, and by developing coating products which concretely help to improve comfort, quality and safety in the domestic environment.

As part of an outlook to correctly and promptly inform consumers and users, ILVA Polimeri looked to present the results of its Research within a communication campaign on several detail levels, through channels aimed at the end-user and at the furniture industry target, with the objective of making them more aware about the problems of indoor pollution:

 

- Creation of a visual message which - in an attractive 3-part photographic icon - sums up the means of potential absorption of harmful substances in the domestic environment: skin contact, swallowing and inhaling.
- An important poster campaign in the new fair quarter of Rho-pero, during the 2006 Furniture Exhibition.
- Publicity campaign in the financial daily "Il Sole 24 Ore".
- Sponsorship of "around Interior" meeting at the Casa dell'Energia of Milan, when the results of the Research were published.
- Campaign of information to the press
- An information and 'provocation' Seminar for the press at the Palazzo delle Stelline of Milan.

In addition to presenting the important technical-scientific results, with the research "Coatings for furnishing and quality of the domestic environment" - and, in particular with the press campaign and seminar - ILVA Polimeri looked above all to promote an initiative that is rare in the production world: to open a 'provoking' yet realistic dialogue with the information entities, in order to explode some false myths and cast light on the apparent contrast Natural = Healthy vs Chemical = Harmful.

The innovative important of the project was well received by the Areté Jury: ILVA's 4th position in the Areté Prize, was in fact recognised in a context which saw 170 participants, of which 33 were in the Enterprise Communication category. These participants included Companies of the calibre of Bayer, Vodafone, Novartis, Auchan, Lavazza, Walt Disney, Avon, Snaidero, and Tetra Pack. They competed with projects of a high social profile, such as that of Banca Intesa/Fondazione Cariplo, which won First Prize for an important solidarity project - financed through an initial funding of 9 million Euro - which aims to free the destiny of Malawi (a country in Sub-tropical Africa, stricken by AIDS and poverty).