Nokian launches concept tire with birch bark rubber

Nokia, Finland – Nokian Tyres has launched a new concept tire that features “performance enhancing” rubber materials made from birch bark.

The Nokian Tyres Betula is the first tire to include the renewable material, produced by Swedish company Reselo using the residue of the global pulp, paper and plywood industry.

The material is included in the tread compound of the concept tire, bringing the amount of renewable and recycled material content to 93% of all materials used on the tread, said Nokian 22 Jan.

The new material, Nokian said, is seen primarily as “a performance-enhancing addition.”
The concept tire, that has the tread design of the Hakkapeliitta R5 non-studded winter tire, has been tested in the Nokian Tyres test centres in Ivalo, Finnish Lapland as well as in Nokia, Finland with promising results.

Commenting on the new material, Teemu Soini, Nokian VP innovations & development said the potential for use in tires was ‘evident since early stages’.

The concept tire, he added, “confirms its applicability and highlights the material’s potential for commercial use in the future.”

Furthermore, according to Soini, the material also shows promise to improve tire performance in addition to its sustainability credentials.

“For Reselo, this partnership represents much more than a technical development project,” said Josefin Larsson, CEO of Reselo.

According to Larsson, the tire industry’s “sheer scale and traditionally conservative approach” make it a challenging but vital space for rubber innovation.

“Seeing the collaboration with Nokian Tyres continue to the next level is something we’re especially proud of,” she added.

The cooperation between Nokian and Reselo started already in 2023, when the biomaterial science company won the tire maker’s “fast race big change” sustainable tire innovation challenge.

In 2024, Nokian signed a development agreement with Reselo to further develop their renewable material for tire production.

The development project will continue with Reselo after the launch of the concept tire, Nokian stressed.

The new concept tire is part of Nokian’s sustainability strategy to achieve a 50% sustainable contents in its tires by 2030.

In 2022, the Finnish company introduced the “Green Step” concept tire consisting of 93% recycled or renewable materials.

In 2024 the company launched the ‘Green Step Ligna’ containing a renewable lignin-based alternative for traditional carbon black.

The company is currently commercially producing Seasonproof 2 all-season tires for the Central European market with 38% sustainable content.