For decades, Nokian Tyres claims the company has been striving to make the world a safer place. The company has reached yet another milestone, as it introduces its most sustainable tyre yet. The Nokian Tyres Green Step concept tyre is being described as a masterpiece of sustainable innovation with its ambitious design consisting of 93% of the materials either recycled or renewable. It moves the company even closer to its goal: by the year 2030, 50% of all raw materials used in Nokian Tyres’ tyres will be recycled or renewable.
Nokian Tyres Green Step leads the way to more sustainable driving
In 2021, Nokian Tyres set an ambitious target: by the year 2030, 50% of all the raw materials used in its tyres will be recycled or renewable. The Nokian Tyres Green Step concept yire is a testament to the ingenuity of Nokian Tyres R&D as well as its ambition to make driving more sustainable, the company claims.
“Drivers are more and more interested in the sustainability of their tyres, and this creates demand for us to create tyres for these standards. It also puts pressure on the industry to develop more eco-friendly materials, as well as for tyre manufacturing technology to adapt to these materials. With a concept tire like the Green Step, we can push the limits. It’s a win-win for all, but especially for the environment,” says Development Manager Jouko Ilomäki from Nokian Tyres.
All rubber used in the Green Step concept tire is natural, and renewable oils such as canola oil, is used. Almost all plasticiser, resin and processing aids are from renewable resources. In addition, natural rice husk ash silica works as a main filler for the tread and sidewall, and renewable cord fiber is used to make the tire tougher.
“We learned new things with every innovation made for the concept tyre. For example, one of the most demanding tasks was to replace the synthetic rubber completely with natural rubber, which we achieved in the end,” Ilomäki says.
The share of recycled materials will increase in the future
Almost every component of the Green Step also includes some recycled materials. For example, the carbon black used in the rubber compounds was derived from end-of-life tyres, and the butyl used in the inner surface as well as the steel in the steel belts and bead wires in the structure are mainly recycled.
“We believe that using recycled rubber and especially recycled carbon black will be a future trend in tyre manufacturing: by the year 2030, we will have multiple new suppliers and more advanced technology. Also, the demand for raw materials with either recycled or renewed components will increase. We are very happy to be able to corporate so many recycled elements in the Green Step already,” Ilomäki says.
Nokian Tyres Green Step concept yire:
- 93% of materials recycled or renewable
- Renewable materials include natural rubber, renewable oils and natural rice husk ash silica
- Recycled materials used in almost every component of the tyre
- Recycled materials include recycled steel and carbon black
- Innovations created for the concept tire will be incorporated in future tyres
- The target is to have 50% of all raw materials used in the Nokian Tyres’ tyres recycled or renewable by the year 20
