The ingredients
These perfectly proportioned ingredients interact to deliver balanced performance in terms of safety, comfort and environmental impact reduction.
A wide variety of different families of materials are used to make the components, including natural rubber, synthetic rubber, metal, textiles, reinforcing agents (carbon black, silica, etc.) and plasticizers, (e.g., resins) as well as elements such as sulfur for vulcanization.
Michelin is committed to ensuring that all tire components are ultimately sustainable.
To achieve this, Michelin is leveraging its advanced technological maturity in high-tech materials and its own technology incubator.
One example among many is the Group’s plan to produce butadiene from biomass (waste wood, rice husks, corn stover, etc.) to replace butadiene derived from petroleum.
Butadiene is a key component in the synthetic rubbers used to make tires.
In addition, many other projects are already underway to regenerate plastic (PET), recycle polystyrene or recover carbon black from used tires.
Michelin has also undertaken to use as little material as possible in its tires in order to maximize performance and efficiency.
The aim is to limit the impact of tires on the planet’s resources and improve their rolling resistance, thereby lowering CO2 emissions.
To meet Michelin’s goal of producing 100% sustainable tires, natural rubber – which is still the main material used in tire manufacturing – must also be produced responsibly.
Michelin rapidly committed to making the sector environmentally responsible and beneficial to all stakeholders.
Beyond the many different materials, the excellence of Michelin tires is also down to complex assembly and unique manufacturing processes.
The Squad and its expertise
More than 6,000 people in the Group worldwide – engineers, researchers, chemists and developers – are committed to reaching Michelin’s goal to make its tires 100% sustainable by 2050.
As well as its experience and unique expertise, Michelin is aware that the speed and nature of innovations require a new level of cooperation.
With this in mind, the Group has positioned itself as a unifying force among innovative technology partners and trail-blazers, not hesitating to bring teams together from very different realms.
This film directly references the technologies developed with our innovation partners.
in order of appearance:
Axens et IFP Energies Nouvelles
(projet BioButterfly)
Production of butadiene from biomass, such as waste wood, rice husks and corn stover.
Production of regenerated styrene from waste polystyrene (yogurt pots, food containers, plastic packaging, etc.).
Production of regenerated textiles from PET plastic waste (plastic bottles used for water, juice, cooking oils, dishwashing liquid, etc.).
Production of carbon black recycled from end-of-life tires.