Nokian unveils all-natural rubber, 93% green concept tire

Nokia, Finland – Nokian Tyres has unveiled a sustainable concept tire that is made with 93% recycled or renewable materials.

All rubber used in the Green Step is natural while renewable oils such as canola oil is used for the processing of the rubber, said Nokian in a 26 Jan statement.

In addition, the tire maker said that the one-year project to design and manufacture the winter tire involved further researching alternatives to natural rubber, including guayule.

Additionally, “almost all” plasticiser, resin and processing aids used for the production of Green Step were from renewable resources.

The tire maker also employed natural rice husk ash silica as the main filler for the tread and sidewall, and used renewable cord fibre for the reinforcement of the tire.

“We learned new things with every innovation made for the concept tire.

“For example, one of the most demanding tasks was to replace the synthetic rubber completely with natural rubber, which we achieved in the end,” said development manager Jouko Ilomäki.

According to Nokian, almost every component of the Green Step includes some recycled materials.

For instance, the carbon black used in the rubber compounds was derived from end-of-life tires.

Additionally, the butyl used in the inner surface as well as the steel in the steel belts and bead wires in the structure were mainly derived from recycled sources. 

“We believe that using recycled rubber and especially recycled carbon black will be a future trend in tire manufacturing,” Ilomäki said.

Nokian, he said, will have "multiple new suppliers and new technology" for recovered carbon black by 2030, when the company aims to produce all tires with 50% sustainable materials.