Goodyear Demonstrates Tire That is Made From 90% Sustainable Materials

Tire and rubber company Goodyear has demonstrated a new tire that is made from 90 percent of what they call “sustainable materials.” The company said they are striving to increase this percentage to 100 percent by the end of the decade.

Source: Goodyear/YouTube

In addition to being made from sustainable materials, the new tire also has a lower rolling resistance compared to a “reference tire.” The lower resistance creates less friction with the road and overall makes a car more energy-efficient. Last year, Goodyear announced a tire that was made from 70 percent sustainable materials.

This year, the company stepped up and demonstrated the 90 percent sustainable tire with 17 ingredients across 12 components. The tire has passed all of Goodyear’s internal testing and all regulatory testing requirements. Goodyear says that their sustainable material is “a bio-based/renewable, recycled material or one that may be produced using or contributing to other sustainable practices for resource Conservation and/or emissions reductions including mass-balance materials.”

Now, by 2030, the company hopes to make the first 100 percent sustainable-material tire on the market. Based on their record, it looks like they are on track for that goal!

The particles from tires pollute the air, water, and soil and have a wide range of toxic compounds, including carcinogens. Emissions Analytics conducted over two years of tests and evaluations found that tires produce more than 1 trillion ultrafine particles for each kilometer (0.62 miles) driven. The size of these particles is smaller than 23 nanometers and is a major concern for public health because of how easily these tiny particles can enter our bodies.

Scientists now believe that tire particles are one of the most significant sources of microplastics in the ocean. A 2017 global model by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature estimated that tire wear is the second largest source of primary microplastics in the ocean after synthetic textile fibers. A report from scientists across Europe in 2018 also found that car tires were a large source of microplastics and possibly nano plastics. The average tire loses about 8.8 pounds over its lifetime, and 6 million tonnes of tire particles are emitted annually.

The 70 percent sustainable material tire will likely be on the market in 2023, and you can sign up for updates about where they can be purchased.

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