Historically, the tire industry’s focus on sustainability has been driven by energy consumption and CO2 emissions. I know, because I just published a report on the whole subject of tire industry sustainability. Sustainability focussed on energy footprint It is drilled into tire engineers that around 80% of the total energy footprint of a tire depends
Tag: sustainability
Tire labelling in China and Europe: part 3
In the last month there have been some significant developments in the tire industry with respect to labelling. First, China has developed its own label. It was shown at a press conference in Beijing on 22 April 2016. Second the EU has published a major study on tire labelling Third, the EU has begun a
Tire labelling in China and Europe: part 2
In the last month there have been some significant developments in the tire industry with respect to labelling. First, China has developed its own label. It was shown at a press conference in Beijing on 22 April 2016. Second the EU has published a major study on tire labelling Third, the EU has begun a
Tire labelling in China and Europe: part 1
In the last month there have been some significant developments in the tire industry with respect to labelling. First, China has developed its own label. It was shown at a press conference in Beijing on 22 April 2016. Second the EU has published a major study on tire labelling Third, the EU has begun a
Natural Rubber risks drive strategic realignments
Here in Guatemala, the fantastic Rubber days meeting has just finished. Measured by volumes, Guatemala is barely even on the map of Natural Rubber (NR) producing nations. But measured by creativity and energy it is up there among the leaders. Guatemala has the first (and I think only) FSC-accredited rubber plantation anywhere in the world.
China’s Tire industry – the fog begins to clear
China’s tire industry is in melt-down. The question now is, how long can the current situation last? I’ve just come back from Shandong Province and the mood is not good. When things are not going well, Chinese people will rarely tell you the real situation. When they tell you things are bad, you know the
TPMS law drives All-season tire development in Europe
At the Frankfurt IAA motor show yesterday, two major themes emerged from my conversations with tire makers: New European legislation on TPMS is pushing tire makers to develop super-charged All-Season tires for European markets Global legislation on fuel economy means car makers are setting extreme targets for tire rolling resistance EU market moving toward All-Season
Tire Retreaders feel the East wind
This week, I want to alert you to something from under the radar: there are big changes going on in the retread sector around the world. It’s hard to get numbers on this, but I’m increasingly getting involved in conversations about the impact of imports of low-priced truck tires from China on the global retread
Versalis, Yulex to produce Guayule in Europe
Two industry leaders are to produce a sustainable source of natural rubber in Europe. The natural rubber will be sourced from the guayule (Parthenium argentatum) shrub. The shrub will be grown at an undisclosed location in southern Europe. The two partners in the project are Versalis and Yulex Corp. Versalis makes synthetic rubber. It is a