Sustainability in the automotive tire industry is increasingly becoming a focal point as manufacturers respond to environmental concerns and regulatory pressures. The production of tires traditionally involves significant resource consumption, including fossil fuels, natural rubber and various chemicals, leading to substantial greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation. However, industry players are pursuing initiatives to mitigate these impacts.
Key strategies include the adoption of sustainable materials, such as bio-based rubbers and recycled components. Many companies are setting ambitious targets for the use of sustainable raw materials, aiming for a 100% sustainable materials ratio by 2050. For instance, the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) has recognized several tire manufacturers for their scientifically sound greenhouse gas reduction targets, which often include substantial cuts in Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.
Moreover, innovations in tire design and manufacturing processes are being implemented to enhance performance while reducing the environmental impact. This includes the development of lighter tires that improve fuel efficiency and the introduction of advanced recycling technologies that repurpose end-of-life tires into new products.
Collaboration across the supply chain is also essential, with companies engaging suppliers to ensure compliance with sustainability standards and practices. As regulations tighten, such as the upcoming European Union Deforestation Regulation, the industry is increasingly focused on transparency and accountability in sourcing materials.
To learn more, we spoke to Bernd Löwenhaupt, managing director of Sumitomo Rubber Europe GmbH.
Key takeaways:
- Environmental compliance and certifications: Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) operates in compliance with local laws and regulations and has achieved ISO 14001 certification for its environmental management system (EMS). The company has set a target for a 55% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, along with a 25% reduction in Scope 3 emissions related to purchased goods and services.
- Sustainable material sourcing: SRI has developed procurement guidelines aimed at sourcing environmentally friendly materials, including natural rubber. In 2024, the company updated these guidelines and conducted online briefings with suppliers across multiple regions to ensure understanding and cooperation.
- Collaborative technology development: SRI has formed partnerships with Sumitomo Riko, Sumitomo Electric and LanzaTech to develop sustainable raw materials through biological synthesis of waste materials. Additionally, a collaboration with Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation aims to produce carbon black from recycled materials, with plans to implement this technology by 2025.
- Safety and performance standards: The company subjects its sustainable tires to the same performance and safety standards as conventional tires. SRI is also developing a new drum wear test method in response to the upcoming Euro 7 regulations to evaluate tire wear over time, ensuring that sustainable products do not compromise on quality.
The following is an edited transcript of the conversation.
S&P Global Mobility: How does SRI assess the environmental impact of tire production, and what metrics are used to measure sustainability performance in your recent initiatives?
Bernd Löwenhaupt: We make sure to conduct all our business activities in line with the laws and regulations of every country and region where we operate production bases. We also keep a close eye on environmentally hazardous substances that come from our operations, managing and monitoring them constantly to make sure they don’t negatively impact the environment.
When it comes to governance, we’ve achieved certification under the international environmental management standard, ISO 14001. Based on that, we run an environmental management system — or EMS — that helps us continuously improve by using the PDCA cycle to stay on track with our environmental goals.
And in March 2024, we reached another milestone — we received SBT certification from the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) for our 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. These targets were recognized as being scientifically sound. To break that down, we’re aiming for a 55% reduction in total emissions for Scope 1 and 2 compared to 2017, and a 25% reduction in Scope 3 category 1 emissions — those from purchased goods and services — compared to 2021.
We’ve also set a long-term goal of achieving 100% water recycling by 2050 at production sites facing high water risk, and we’re actively working toward making that happen.
What specific actions has SRI taken in the past year to promote sustainability throughout its supply chain, particularly in sourcing eco-friendly materials?
SRI has put together procurement guidelines to make sure our raw material suppliers fully understand our procurement policy. When it comes to sourcing environmentally friendly materials, we’ve launched a few key initiatives — like sustainable procurement of natural rubber, increasing the ratio of sustainable raw materials, and promoting proper management of environmentally hazardous substances found in those materials.
In 2024, we updated our procurement guidelines. And to make sure our suppliers were on the same page about the changes — and to ask for their cooperation — we held online briefings across all our key regions. That included Europe, the US, China, Asia, and Japan, and those sessions took place between July and August 2024.
How does SRI ensure that the materials used in your 100 per cent sustainable tires align with eco-friendly practices and avoid environmental degradation?
We’ve set ourselves a big goal: achieving 100% sustainable raw materials in our tires by 2050. One of the steps we’ve taken toward that is introducing a tool called ‘RubberWay®’ in July 2023. It helps us assess environmental and social risks in our natural rubber supply chain, including important issues like deforestation and water resource management.
We also make use of EcoVadis — a sustainability assessment service — that looks at things like human rights, governance and environmental performance. It helps us evaluate our suppliers and make sure our procurement activities are aligned with our values.
On top of that, we’re preparing for the upcoming European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which comes into force at the end of 2025. We’re also collaborating with the wider industry to build the systems and take the steps needed to make sure we’re fully compliant when the time comes.
What recent partnerships has SRI formed to enhance sustainability in tire production, and how have these collaborations advanced your initiatives?
Since August 2023, we’ve been teaming up with Sumitomo Riko Company Limited, Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. and LanzaTech Global, Inc. to develop new technologies for sustainable raw materials. The goal is to use LanzaTech’s biological synthesis technology — which involves microorganisms — to gasify and refine waste materials like tires, and then produce isoprene — a new raw material for rubber — through biological synthesis reactions. In the long run, we’re also aiming to create recycling technology that lets us reuse that isoprene as rubber and resin, working closely with raw material manufacturers to make it happen.
And starting in January 2025, we began a collaboration with Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation to produce carbon black — one of the key components in tires — through chemical recycling. This process uses rubber chippings from tire production, as well as end-of-life tires, to create what’s called resource-recycling carbon black. We’re planning to start using this material within 2025 and to scale up its use from 2026 onwards.
With these efforts, we’re working to cut CO2 emissions and move closer to a circular economy.
What long-term sustainability goals has SRI set regarding fossil fuel-free tire production, and how do you plan to achieve these while maintaining competitiveness?
SRI has set out a long-term sustainability policy and we’re working steadily toward a number of key goals: carbon neutrality, using hydrogen as an energy source, increasing the share of sustainable raw materials and cutting down on plastic use.
When it comes to tires specifically, we’re aiming to develop products made entirely from sustainable raw materials, with a target of reaching a 100% sustainable materials ratio by 2050. We see the real challenge — and the key to staying competitive — as finding the right balance between performance and cost. That’s why we’re not doing this alone; we’re working closely with raw material suppliers, universities and research institutions to push the development forward.
Can you detail the R&D challenges SRI faced in creating your fossil fuel-free tire range, and how were these challenges addressed?
Back in 2013, we launched a tire made entirely from non-petroleum natural resources. It was a big step forward for us. At the time, one of the biggest R&D challenges was figuring out how to make synthetic rubber, carbon black, vulcanization accelerators, anti-ageing agents and other additives without relying on petroleum. We tackled that by developing modified natural rubber to take the place of synthetic rubber, and we also created technology to produce aniline — a key raw material for additives — from biomass.
Thanks to those innovations, we were able to deliver tires that not only met expectations but actually improved performance in key areas like fuel efficiency, wear resistance, wet braking and ride comfort.
Since then, we’ve kept pushing ahead, continuing to develop tires using sustainable raw materials while keeping a close eye on global technology trends. Right now, the biggest challenges we face when it comes to mass production aren’t technical, they’re more about cost and ensuring supply. We’re also working on using fewer materials overall by developing lighter weight tires, all while making sure we maintain high performance as we move closer to full-scale production.
What testing and validation processes do your sustainable tires undergo to ensure safety and performance, and how have these processes evolved in the past year?
When we’re developing and manufacturing tires with a higher ratio of sustainable raw materials, we hold them to the same performance and safety standards as our conventional tires. We also use the same evaluation methods to make sure there’s no compromise in quality.
One area we’re particularly focused on right now is tire wear. As part of the industry response to the upcoming Euro 7 regulations, we’re working on a drum wear test method to evaluate how tires wear over time. It’s a growing area of interest, and we’re actively contributing to that development as part of the wider tire industry.
