Featured Articles   Imports cloud looms over EU tire makers

Passenger car tire and bus tire contain 45% and 58% sustainable materials respectively

Cuneo, Italy – Michelin has claimed a "world’s first" with the introduction of two highly sustainable tires approved for road use.

During its media day event 4-5 Oct, held at the group’s tire factory in Cuneo, Michelin presented a passenger car tire containing 45% sustainable materials and a bus tire with 58% environmentally friendly materials.

“Michelin has taken a new step toward the pre-production and marketing within two to three years of new ranges that will include high levels of sustainable materials,” said the French group in a 5 Oct statement.

The group said it was on-track with its sustainability goal of upgrading global production to 100% bio-sourced, renewable or recycled materials by 2050, with a 40% step in 2030. Michelin said it achieved the progress by making greater use of natural rubber, together with the inclusion of recycled carbon black, oils such as sunflower oil and bio-sourced resins, silica from rice husks and recycled steel. The group said the development of the tires were part of its environmental undertaking, for which it has now designated an entire R&D department with 6,000 engineers, researchers, chemists and developers.

Michelin said it held 3,678 active patents for these materials in 2021 alone. Over the recent years, the French group has stepped up its sustainability-focused efforts with partnerships particularly in the fields of recycling.

For instance, Michelin is working with Pyrowave to manufacture recovered styrene monomers (r-styrene), Carbios for the manufacture of r-PET, and Enviro for the production of recovered carbon black.

The group is also involved in projects to produce bio-butadiene and to set up recycling plants for tires as well as unrecyclable waste.