Recycled rubber, steel, carbon black and plastic bottles make up 37 percent of the materials used to make these tires. The remaining 38 percent is renewable. The company also grows natural rubber from the guayule desert shrub and uses vegetable oils and bio-based silica from rice hull ash in the manufacturing process.
Bridgestone's tires are designed and engineered at its Ohio technical center and manufactured at its South Carolina plant.
Paolo Ferrari, CEO of Bridgestone Americas, said the production and deployment of a tire technology made from 75 percent recycled and renewable materials marks a significant milestone in the company's progress toward using fully sustainable materials in its products.
Once the 75 percent threshold is achieved, 90 percent will be the next benchmark toward the goal of 100 percent renewable/sustainable tires by 2050.
Bridgestone is not the only tire manufacturer looking to go green. In February, Continental announced a similar plan to produce sustainable tires using many of the same materials mentioned here, with 15 to 20 percent of its current tires already made from recycled materials.
Source: Bridgestone
