Goodyear unveils demo tire with 70% sustainable materials

Akron, Ohio – The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has unveiled a demonstration tire with 70% sustainable material content, showcasing what the company described as ‘industry-leading innovations.’

The tire includes 13 featured ingredients across nine different components, said Goodyear in a 5 Jan statement, adding that company performance indicators have shown that the materials deliver “strong overall tire performance.”

Among other sustainable materials, the tire employs three different carbon blacks that are produced from methane, carbon dioxide, and plant-based oil, as opposed to petroleum-based carbon black.

In addition, the tire maker has used bio-based soybean processing oil in the production of the tire to reduce its consumption of petroleum-based fuels.

Furthermore, Goodyear said it employed rice husk silica in the production of the tire to enhance grip and reduce fuel consumption. The silica is produced from rice husk ash, a by-product of rice processing that is often discarded and landfilled.

The tire maker also used polyester recycled from plastic bottles and other plastic waste in the tire. Here, the company said it ‘reverted’ the polyester into its base chemicals and ‘reformed’ them into technical grade polyester for tire cords.

“We set an ambitious goal in 2020 to create a tire made 100% from sustainable materials in 10 years, and our scientists and engineers have made great progress toward that goal,” said Chris Helsel, SVP 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.”