Goodyear creates tire made up of 70% sustainable materials

Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company is inching closer to its goal of creating a tire made up purely on sustainable materials after announcing the release of a product with 70-percent sustainable content.

In a statement, the company said that the 70-percent sustainable-material tire includes 13 featured ingredients across nine different tire components. These include those stated below:

Carbon blacks produced from methane, carbon dioxide and plant-based oil are included in tires for compound reinforcement. The company shared that initial life cycle assessments “demonstrate either reduced carbon emissions compared with current methods of carbon black production or the use of bio-based or waste feedstock sources.”

The company used soybean oil as a bio-based resource that helps keep the rubber compound pliable in changing temperatures. It was also utilized to cut down Goodyear’s use of petroleum-based products. “While nearly 100 percent of soy protein is used in food/animal feed applications, a significant surplus of oil is left over and available for use in industrial applications,” Goodyear shared.

Meanwhile, a unique variety of high-quality silica made from rice husk ash is also mixed in the tire compound to improve grip and reduce fuel consumption.

Lastly, polyester from recycled plastic waste materials is reformed into technical-grade polyester feasible for tire cords.

According to Goodyear, “company performance indicators have shown the component properties to deliver strong overall tire performance.” However, the newest product has been produced as a demonstration tire.

“We set an ambitious goal in 2020 to create a tire made 100 percent from sustainable materials in 10 years, and our scientists and engineers have made great progress toward that goal,” said Chris Helsel, senior vice president, global operations and chief technology officer. “This is an exciting achievement that demonstrates our commitment to increasing the use of sustainable materials in our tires.”

Photos from Goodyear Philippines

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