JK Tyre & Industries Ltd. has commenced production of its ‘UX Royale Green’ passenger car tyres at its plant in Chennai, India, and by doing so achieved a domestic market first. What makes the JK Tyre UX Royale Green special is that it represents a first for Indian tyre making thanks to its manufacture from ISCC Plus certified sustainable raw materials.
Together with Germany’s main development agency, Continental has extended its project to enhance natural rubber sustainability in Indonesia by a further three years. The tyre maker invites other companies in the sector to join the project, too.
Bicycle tyre manufacturer Ralf Bohle GmbH uses Pyrum recovered carbon black (rCB) in 70 per cent of its production of Schwalbe-branded tyres, and after five years of collaboration has extended its relationship with Pyrum Innovations AG by concluding a framework agreement for the long-term purchase of Pyrum’s rCB. The agreement covers the purchase of rCB at a fixed price for a term of ten years.
Under a new partnership agreement, energy infrastructure company VTTI and pyrolysis tyre recycling specialist Pyrum Innovations plan to establish a thermolysis tyre recycling plant at VTTI’s Antwerp Terminal. The VTTI-owned facility will have a processing capacity of up to 45,000 tonnes of end-of-life tyres in the first project phase and double this in the second. Going forward, VTTI aims to develop similar plants at its sites across the globe.
With its newest rubber additive, Lanxess aims to support tyre makers who wish to produce “more sustainable, longer-lasting tyres.” Introducing the Vulkanox HS Scopeblue antidegradant, a sustainable variant of the proven antioxidant Vulkanox HS (TMQ) that manufacturers already use to protect their tyres from adverse effects of oxygen and heat.
A second Nokian Tyres plant has achieved International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS status. Nokian Tyres reports that its factory in Oradea, Romania, which opened in the latter part of last year, is now certified to utilise sustainable, ISCC PLUS raw materials in its tyres. Certification in Romania follows that for the Nokian Tyres car tyre plant in Nokia, Finland, which obtained ISCC Plus in 2024.
Continental reports that its tyre plant in Korbach, Germany recently gained International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) Plus sustainability certification. It is the fourth Continental factory to attain this status, after the plants in Lousado (Portugal), Hefei (China) and Puchov (Slovakia).
On 10 January, Hankook Tire & Technology signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Solvay Silica to jointly develop ‘Circular Silica’. This strategic partnership will focus on collaborating in the area of circular silica development for tyre manufacturing with the aim of achieving a “significant step forward in sustainable tyre production.”
Toyo Tires is bringing its sustainable content off-road tyres to January’s Dakar Rally, supplying two versions of its Toyo Open Country M/T-R to selected competing vehicles. This means that Toyo tyres containing up to 60 per cent non-fossil materials by weight will negotiate the approximately 5,000-mile route around one of the world’s largest oil producing countries.
The European Commission has welcomed the provisional political agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on its proposal to delay the start of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) by 12 months, claiming this longer phase-in period will “ensure proper and effective implementation” while “preserving its integrity.”
Continental is increasing the proportion of recycled materials in its tyres by converting more of its manufacturing facilities to use polyester fabric made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. This increases the recycled content of many tyre lines by an average of three per cent. After presenting this ContiRe.Tex technology for the first time at the end of 2021, the company began using it on a small scale at its tyre plants in Lousado, Portugal, and Otrokovice, Czech Republic the following year. It recently extended this to plants in Korbach, Germany, and Sarreguemines, France, which both now use recycled PET bottles in series production.
For the first time, Pyrum Innovations is operating all three production lines at its main site in Dillingen/Saar, Germany. The thermolysis waste tyre recycling specialist reports that the new TAD 2 and TAD 3 lines have been running alongside the original TAD 1 line since last weekend and will operate in unison for a week before TAD 1 is closed down for scheduled maintenance.
There’s no doubt that tyre makers are finding sustainable raw materials increasingly attractive, but the road to monetising such a product can be long and frustrating. Pyrum Innovations has been actively developing its thermolysis technology for 16 years now, and during this time attracted the attention and favour of major tyre industry players. This hasn’t prevented the Dillingen, Germany-based company from posting another net loss in the first nine months of 2024.
Following an audit, Continental has given Pyrum Innovations unlimited delivery approval for recovered carbon black (rCB) supplied from its pyrolysis plant in Dillingen/Saar, Germany. Pyrum CEO Pascal Klein views this authorisation as “the cornerstone for a significant increase in sales next year.”
Sustainable tyre manufacturing took a step forward in 2021 when Pirelli introduced the first Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified tyre, designed specifically for the BMW X5 plug-in hybrid. Supporting this milestone was Thai Eastern Group Holdings (TEGH), which supplied the FSC-certified block rubber that Pirelli used to make the certified P Zero tyre. Earlier this year, we visited the Chonburi plantation of Thailand’s first FSC-certified block rubber producer to find out more about the company and its efforts to deliver sustainability.
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