Nokian Tyres held a sustainable tyre innovation challenge called FAST RACE, BIG CHANGE to discover new solutions for more environmentally friendly tyres. The competition received almost 50 entries from 18 countries, and four finalists were chosen by Nokian Tyres’ experts.

After the world’s fastest pitch and careful consideration, the jury awarded Reselo AB from Sweden with the winning place. Reselo’s innovative renewable rubber made from residue birch bark convinced the judges with its versatility and future potential.

Reselo’s winning renewable rubber utilizes birch bark sourced from the residue of the global pulp, paper and plywood industry. According to Reselo, a single mill creates 100,000 tons of birch bark residue on average every year, and the forest industry in Finland and Sweden alone produce enough raw material for 200,000 tons of Reselo’s unique rubber. The biorefinery concept Reselo uses is also designed to minimize the environmental impact of the material.

“We were really impressed with the capabilities and versatility of the material. It was also important for us that the material was produced from the side stream of other industries. The company and the team are highly dedicated. We want to be part of their success story, and we believe that Reselo will be one of the steppingstones towards our own goal of having 50% of the raw materials in our tires renewable or recycled by 2030”, says the chairman of the jury Teemu Soini, Head of Innovation & Development from Nokian Tyres.

The company received a monetary prize and an opportunity to explore a business or development partnership with Nokian Tyres. Nokian Tyres hopes to achieve its goal of having 50% of raw materials in its tyres renewable or recycled by 2030, and believes Reselo’s renewable rubber can be a steppingstone towards this target.