Yahoo Autos Michelin Aims to Recycle 100 Percent of Its Tires by 2048
Michelin says it wants to change “what we put into tires, and what tires become,” signaling a new commitment to sustainable materials and to end-use recycling. The tiremaker set out two goals: that 100 percent of its tires be recycled by 2048 and that its tires be made using 80 percent sustainable materials.
Currently, the worldwide rate for tire recovery is about 70 percent, and about 50 percent are recycled, according to Michelin, citing figures from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. That’s still far better than the 14 percent rate at which plastic bottles are reusedw2. But Michelin claims that its eco-friendly plans could save 33 million barrels of oil every year, which is about the equivalent of a month’s worth of energy consumption for a country the size of France.
“The benefits to the planet will be huge by saving all those oil-based products and using biomass (ones),” company spokesman Cyrille Roget said at the Movin’On conference in Montreal; the conference, of which Michelin is a headline sponsor, is focused on creating sustainable mobility.
So, what will the more environmentally friendly Michelin tire look like in 2048? Probably nothing like what you currently see in the tire shop, if the company’s Vision concept, released last year at Movin’On, is any indication. The Vision concept looks kind of like a bluish-white sand dollar made of wiry fibers. It’s an airless tire made of biosourced and recycled products, and its biodegradable tread could be renewed with a 3D printer. It’s a long way from making it to the street-perhaps 30 years off.
Michelin Reveals Another Airless Wheel/Tire Concept, But This One Is Biodegradable and 3D Printed
Michelin and FIA Get All 50 States on Board with Tire Safety in Driver’s Ed
And when it does arrive, Michelin’s Vision tire likely will look different than that concept, Michelin North America chairman and president Scott Clark told C/D. “As you get closer to reality, get closer to production, it becomes a little less exotic-looking,” he said, comparing it to a concept car later becoming a production model. “Also, there are things honestly in terms of the airless piece that we don’t want to show quite yet,” Clark added, noting competitive reasons.
Currently, sustainable materials comprise only about 28 percent of a typical Michelin tire, with about 26 percent being biosourced items such as natural rubber or sunflower oil, and the other 2 percent recycled material such as steel or recycled powder tires. The rest is petrochemicals. To achieve Michelin’s goal, the company will have to switch to using natural materials you wouldn’t typically think of being in tires, such as synthetic elastomers of wood, straw, or beet. As a result, three decades from now tires may look different, and if Michelin’s plan comes to fruition, hopefully we’ll see fewer of them stacked in junkyards.
You Might Also Like
