Tyre maker Nexen Tire says that it has succeeded in developing tyres with 70% of sustainable raw materials, to meet the stiff environmental regulations in developed markets, including Europe.
It adds that the total composition is made up of 53% of bio-based renewable raw materials and 17% of recycled materials, furthering that it achieved a significant improvement from the previous 52%.
Natural rubber produced in accordance with GPSNR (Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber) standards, bio-synthetic rubber, rice bran silica, recycled PET code, and bead wire and steel cord made from scrap metal are applied as representative sustainable raw materials.
Although additional R&D is needed until commercialisation, Nexen Tire plans to increase the ratio of sustainable eco-friendly raw materials with the goal of 100% conversion by 2045.
It also says that performance of the tyre, while using sustainable raw materials, is not affected. The rolling resistance coefficient of the sustainable material tyre is 5.11N/kN, meeting the highest performance rating of European labelling standards, A grade (less than 6.5).
The low cloud resistance coefficient means that tyres consume less energy, which can save fuel and contribute to reducing carbon emissions.
To develop eco-friendly raw materials, more than 90 types of sustainable raw materials have been evaluated so far, and 12 more are planned this year, the company adds.
In the product development process, AI and VR technologies are used to increase product development efficiency and reduce carbon.
For the first time in the domestic tyre industry in South Korea, the tyre maker also decided to introduce a VR-based “High Dynamic Driving Simulator” and developed mould production technology using 3D printing technology. This enables efficient savings in the use of resources and energy required for prototype evaluation when developing tyres, it further adds.