Laudato Sì (Praised Be) is the title of the new encyclical by Pope Francis, one that is Franciscan right from the opening lines, including an explicit reference to the beauty of all creation and our responsibility to protect it and to care for this home we all share, and one that the media is now calling “environmentalist”. It is a call for political, economic and civic responsibility not only towards the environment, but also in terms of the quality of economic and social balance.

For some time now, Pope Francis has rightly been exercising his authority to remind both Christians and the international public at large – including those of other religions and those with no professed faith – of the importance of a “fair”, more balanced economy, one that is more respectful of the rights of the individual and of the environment. In the apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, as well as on other occasions, the Pope had already denounced the “idolatry of money”, the risks of a “dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose”, and the “inequality which spawns violence”. This new encyclical continues along these same lines while placing particular emphasis on protecting the ecosystem and ensuring the right to food and to the livelihood of entire populations. His admonition of “the culture of waste” is certainly on the mark, as is his call to bring a halt to financial greed in order to build greater balance in employment, in spending, and in life.

But will economists and business people be open to his message? One would certainly hope so. Indeed, the issues Pope Francis raises can also be found in some of the best examples of economic thought, such as in the writings of John Maynard Keynes or those of a great Italian economist, Federico Caffè (students of whom include Mario Draghi and Ignazio Visco).

The Pope has often sought to redirect debate towards the purpose of the economy and the relationship between “capitalism and a sense of limitations”, because there can be no long-term growth nor sound economy without a radical rethinking of both production and consumption.

The encyclical also contains harsh criticism of “finance that is suffocating the real economy” and emphasizes that “a market alone does not ensure development”, ideas which have drawn criticism themselves, as well as some degree of perplexity. Without demonizing finance, so long as it is truly at the service of business and of balanced growth (when it supports industry and innovation, the construction of homes and businesses, public works, and insurance as an integral part of overall welfare), the Pope is right to promote the central importance of the real economy, of industry, of the values of sustainable production, of employment, and of the dignity of the individual in order to create wealth and improve the quality of life for us all. Triggered by the greed of the paper economy and of speculative finance, the Great Crisis has taught the world that we need to turn our attention back to the production of goods and services and to responsibility in a job well done.

A focus on the individual is crucial for any organisation that is aware of the importance and responsibilities of the role it plays. Just last year, Pope Francis said, “The vocation of the businessman is a noble one, so long as he has an awareness of a broader meaning of life.” Following this, the great philosopher Michael Novak wrote, in the Catholic (Italian-language) daily Avvenire, “Entrepreneurship is a vocation that will save the world from poverty.” Of course, these views are all essential parts of informed public discourse on business, development and sustainability and are a challenge that goes beyond business to also involve government and politics.

The encyclical further states that we need “degrowth in certain parts of the world” in order to have the resources for healthy growth in others. This is the aspect that is perhaps weakest and most open to attack, because what is needed is not so much “degrowth” as more balanced growth that focuses on the quality of production and of wealth, not on quantity, and on overcoming imbalance and on reforms targeting security, the environment, and the rights of young people and of the weaker segments of society. Here, too, the role of the political class is key. We must make a shift from this obsession for growth at all costs towards responsibility for sustainable development, and we must change the tools used to measure growth – not just gross domestic product (GDP), but also the index of fair and sustainable welfare, which was developed by ISTAT and is already in use in Italy. As concerns the environment, we are seeing a strong push towards a “revolution” that puts protection of the environment on the same plane as protection of the individual, and in this the Pope is absolutely correct. What we need is a shift in culture against financial greed and the illusion of the omnipotence of technology. Everything must be brought back down to a more human scale, and in this regard the encyclical is of great importance, regardless of the details that could be subject to much criticism, because it connects various issues under the umbrella of balanced growth, including environmental protection, combatting waste, corporate responsibility, fighting crime, and the importance of personal commitment. It is a more global view of commitment that encompasses various points of view, as well as a crucial call for research, for reflection, and for dialog.

On Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 June, in the Milan Bicocca Auditorium, Pirelli will host the International Council on Archives, Section on Business Archives (ICA/SBA), the annual conference for business archivists. Promoted by Intesa San Paolo with the partnership of the Pirelli Foundation, the topic will be “Creating the best business archive – Achieving a good return on investment”.

The number of company archive holdings and corporate archives in both the public and private sectors has grown enormously in recent years. How to obtain a good return on investment is the theme and the challenge of this conference, which aims to be a place for the exchange of ideas and experiences. The conference will start by examining the situation in Italy (Overview of the Italian business archive scene) and go on to examine business archives in emerging markets and then topics such as the choice of management models. Here, particular attention will be paid to English, American and Swedish cases (Innovative models of management) and the various methods of organising business archives (New archive services – New problems and solutions).

Participants will have an opportunity to visit the historic Bicocca degli Arcimboldi, the R&D laboratories, the Pirelli Headquarters with the cooling tower – a symbol of, and testament to, the urban transformation of the Bicocca area – and the company archive at the Pirelli Foundation: a rich heritage – declared to be of considerable historical interest by the Sovrintendenza Archivistica per la Lombardia in 1972 – which also includes a large section devoted to visual communication, testifying to Pirelli’s close partnership with intellectuals, artists, and photographers.

“[…] I can say that the archives are packed with ideas left in a germinal state, rough drafts, revisions, errors, because the tastiest fruit is undoubtedly the hardest to reach, thought it is also the one that shows no sign of that effort, apparently a spontaneous result produced by pure grace. I have the trace of these reliefs here before my eyes, and I get lost in them like and archaeologist in front of Mesopotamian seals, or a child starting at the motif of an old carpet, unable to find where it begins or where it ends.” (Leonardo Sinisgalli, in “Bassorilievi sui pneumatici”, Pirelli. Rivista d’informazione e di tecnica, no. 4, 1952)

This quote can be found in The Muse in the Wheels. Pirelli: A Century of Art at the Service of its Products, available in bookstores as of this May. Edited by the Pirelli Foundation and by Giovanna Ginex and published by Corraini, the book recounts the history of marketing and communication at Pirelli, beginning with the promotion of the archive fund for the collection of original sketches and drawings (from 1872 to 1972) that have been restored by the Pirelli Foundation.

The book presents over 200 works by a variety of artists intended to promote products, to illustrate Pirelli magazine, or to celebrate the organisation’s anniversaries, all with the awareness that this archive represents an invaluable cross-section of the history of the figurative arts, of graphic design, and of corporate communication.

The catalogue of works, which represents the core of the book and is divided into three sections, is preceded by three texts that provide background and historical context. The first section of the catalogue, then, is dedicated to productadvertising sketches; the second, to illustrations for Pirelli; and the third, to works executed for the organisation’s fiftieth and seventy-fifth anniversary celebrations

A significant section of the appendix has also been dedicated to product spec sheets, complete with images taken from patents and historical catalogues and which describe the Pirelli products involved in the marketing campaigns, and the book concludes with a selection of biographic profiles of some 60 authors who have helped Pirelli with marketing and communication over the course of the last century.

Marcello Dudovich, Aldo Mazza, Leonetto Cappiello, Bob Noorda, Riccardo Manzi, Alessando Mendini, and Armando Testa are just a few of the artists who have offered their creativity to assist the organisation with ad campaigns in a range of styles, all distinctly “Pirelli” and all of which have featured the logo that has represented the company since 1907.

23 April is World Book and Copyright Day and in Italy it will be the day of #ioleggoperché, an initiative of the Italian Publishers Association (AIE), when books and readers take centre stage.

Since reading is a passion to be shared with others, Pirelli supports the #ioleggoperché initiative as part of its commitment to culture, with the aim of promoting books and reading among the readers of tomorrow.

A lively and lavish programme of events will be put on across the country – in squares, bookshops, libraries, and universities – which you can follow on the website www.ioleggoperché.it.

Meanwhile, many readers are already taking part on the ioleggoperché.it social wall. Many of them have already decided to become messengers and personally engage in winning over new readers. Their weapons of choice? Books and passion – of course!

Also the Pirelli Foundation has chosen to become a special messenger of #ioleggoperché and is inviting employees who love books to win over new readers among their colleagues.

Follow us on the Foundation’s Facebook page and you too can share your passion for reading with #ioleggoperché.