Two new Michelin tyres take the manufacturer a step closer towards its goal of production with 100% bio-sourced, renewable or recycled materials by 2050. Approved for road use, the non-production car and bus tyres respectively contain 45% and 58 % sustainable materials. With “performance levels strictly identical to current tyres” they prefigure the technologies we’ll see in Michelin products within two to three years.
Following more than four years of joint research and development, Bridgestone Americas and Dow are presenting their recyclable, silicone-based tyre sealant technology this week. The partners are introducing the solution at the 2022 Silicone Expo in Detroit, USA.
The European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers Association says it “welcomes” the European Commission’s ‘Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy’, which it presented yesterday. The association representing tyre makers in Europe stresses that tyres can make a “sustainable contribution” to the decarbonisation and digital transformation of EU transport system.
The British Tyre Manufacturers’ Association has welcomed new legislation to enforce the tyre labelling regulation from 1 January using civil sanctions. The Department for Transport (DfT) appointed the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) Compliance Unit as enforcement authority earlier in 2020, replacing the National Measurement Office. To date, the DfT has conducted 68 “mystery shopper” visits, finding 78 per cent of tyre retailers were not compliant with the requirement to provide the labelling information.
The European Commission’s new target of a 55 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 has been welcomed by the tyre industry. The European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers’ Association said that the industry is ready to “ready to contribute” to the latest decarbonisation goals. The association added that its “members have been committed to reducing their CO2 footprint throughout the tyre life cycle and investing in innovative and sustainable mobility technologies for many years now.” The association was responding to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen’s 16 September State of the Union address.
Michelin and Pirelli are leading the way on tyre and rubber sustainability, according to a recent report from Context Group. Context’s ranking assessed 11 members of the Tire Industry Project (TIP), namely Bridgestone; Continental; Cooper; Goodyear; Hankook; Kumho; Michelin; Pirelli; Sumitomo Rubber; Toyo and Yokohama.
Context analysed the sustainability content on each company’s website to see if it included communications covering some of the main issues associated with the life cycle impacts of tyres, including the four focus areas of the TIP: tyre and road wear particles, sustainable natural rubber, end-of-life tyres and environmental performance. The researchers assessed how well the companies tell their sustainability story by looking at their use of multimedia, news articles and social media.
Bridgestone Turanza Eco tyres have become an original equipment for Volkswagen’s eighth generation Golf. The new model includes a number of cutting-edge technologies, such as a semi-autonomous mode and a new suspension technology improving its handling and driving dynamics. The custom-designed Turanza Eco tyres add to this technological focus. They are designed to enhance the Golf 8’s upgraded driving dynamics, with the tyre manufacturer’s Enliten Technology reducing rolling resistance, weight, and materials consumption. VW has also approved Nexen’s N’blue S and Winguard Sport 2, and Vredestein’s Sportrac 5 and Wintrac Pro tyres as OE for different iterations of the Golf 8.
Click here to learn more about Bridgestone’s Enliten Technology
Following reports at the end of June that the UK government is consulting on current and forthcoming tyre legislation, it is worth taking a closer look and clarifying exactly what rules are passing through the labyrinths of legislative bureaucracy. In short, there are three strands of UK tyre legislation on the table at the moment: minimum standards legislation; current tyre labelling legislation; and forthcoming tyre labelling legislation. Taken together they will likely bring with them the largely unannounced consequence of having both old and new tyre labels in the market at the same time, for a while at least.
Michelin shares that the Movin’On team has cancelled this year’s World Summit on Sustainable Mobility, which was due to be held in Montreal on 3, 4 and 5 June 2020.
The Movin’On 2018 sustainable mobility summit took place at the end of May and the start of this month, and during the event organiser Michelin announced what it calls an “ambitious plan” – to ensure all of its tyres will be manufactured using 80 per cent sustainable materials within 30 years, and that 100 per cent of all tyres will be recycled.
Michelin has announced the full programme for this year’s Movin’On sustainable mobility summit. More than 90 influencers, inventors, government representatives and opinion leaders will take to the stage at the three-day event in Montreal, which begins on 30 May. The event programme can be read here, while the full list of speakers is available here.
A new wave of speakers has been announced for this year’s Movin’On summit. Michelin shares that the following speakers will address attendees in Montréal between 30 May and 1 June.
For its second edition, the Movin’On sustainability mobility summit will include a global Startup Challenge. Finalists in the Startup Challenge – up to 50 startups in total – will showcase their technologies between 30 May and 1 June, demonstrating how they can impact the future of sustainable mobility.
Michelin has released an initial list of speakers who will take the stage at this year’s Movin’On sustainability mobility summit. The first ten leaders from the field of mobility to be named as speakers are:
Half of the world’s population already lives in cities and, according to the United Nations, this figure will grow to more than two-thirds by 2030. Rising traffic volumes in urban areas will leave their mark on quality of life, and solutions need to be found now in order to prepare of the trend towards greater urbanisation. Intelligent transport and mobility systems are the core focus of the ITS European Congress, which begins today in Strasbourg, and Continental – an event sponsor – will present its vision of how a solution may look. The company also reports that it has created a new unit to oversee this area.
European Union
Context Group