Goodyear has created a 70% sustainable-material version of its Assurance all-season tire. The company is making strides toward its aim of developing a tire that is 100 percent sustainable by 2030.

“We set an ambitious goal in 2020 to create a tire made 100% from sustainable materials in 10 years, and our scientists and engineers have made great progress toward that goal,” Goodyear’s senior vice president of global operations and chief technology officer, Chris Helsel, stated. “This is an exciting achievement that demonstrates our commitment to increasing the use of sustainable materials in our tires.”

13 “featured ingredients” are spread among nine different tire components in the 70% sustainable-material tire. Soybean oil, rice husk ash silica, bio-based polymers, recycled bottles, renewable resins, chemicals, and sustainably generated carbon blacks are among the sustainable ingredients in the tire, according to Goodyear.

Carbon black, a key ingredient for compound reinforcement and tire durability, is generally generated by burning various types of petroleum products. Goodyear discovered new techniques to make it. Three carbon blacks, made from methane, carbon dioxide, and plant-based oil, are used in Goodyear’s new tire.

According to the company, “initial life-cycle assessments demonstrate either reduced carbon emissions compared with current methods of carbon black production or the use of biobased or waste feedstock sources”.

Goodyear has been using soybean oil in tires for years. The oil permits the tire’s design to be more temperature flexible, which is very useful in cold weather. Soybean oil is used in Goodyear’s Assurance WeatherReady, Eagle Exhilarate, and Eagle Enforcer All-Weather tires.

While nearly entire soy protein is used in food and animal feed, Goodyear claims that there is a considerable surplus of oil left over for industrial usage.

The new Goodyear tire incorporates a special type of silica made from rice husk ash, a byproduct of rice processing that is frequently discarded.

Polyester manufactured from recycled plastic bottles and other plastic waste is also used in the tire, which is made by reverting polyester to its basis chemicals and reforming it into technical grade polyester suitable for tire cables.