Michelin says on track with product performance goals

Paris – Groupe Michelin is aiming to improve the performance of its products by at least 10% by 2020 compared to the 2010 baseline, the French tire maker has announced.

In an investors presentation in Paris 7 June, the French tire maker said it had managed to improve the performance of its products by 7.6% at the end of 2017 and was on track to achieving the target.

As part this, the company aims to save 3 billion litres of fuel on the life of tires, reducing the CO2 emissions by more than 8 million tonnes compared to the 2010 baseline.

That target too, it said, is on track with as the company has improved the rolling resistance of light vehicle tires and truck tries.

Additionally, the company is planning to further develop circular economy with the aim to produce tires with 30% renewable materials or recycled tires.

“At the end of 2017, the average rate of renewable or recycled materials in Michelin tires were estimated at 29%, in line with the trajectory to be at 30% by 2020,” the company noted.

Additionally, Michelin said it aimed to reduce the environmental footprint – known as Michelin environmental footprint (MEF) – of its production sites by 50% by 2020.

Of that, in particular, a 38% energy efficiency compared to the 2005 baseline is on the agenda.

According to Michelin, the company has so far managed to improve the MEF at its sites by 47.3% compared to 2005, while energy efficiency at the sites has improved by 30% since 2005.

On 28 May, Michelin unveiled ambitious plans to produce tires made with 80% ‘sustainable’ materials that are 100% recyclable within the next 30 years.

Michelin said it was investing in advanced recycling technologies to be able to increase the content of such materials in tires to 80% by 2048.

Tires, it said, are currently made using 28% sustainable materials: 26% bio-sourced materials – natural rubber and sunflower oil – and 2% recycled materials, such as steel or recycled powdered tires.