AUTONEWS

Turning a 'dead' tire into a new one...See the interview below with Constanza Pasqual, Communications Manager at Bridgestone

With sustainability as the starting point for this interview, Constanza Pasqual, responsible for communications at Bridgestone, explained to us what the leading company in the tire market is doing to progressively reduce CO2 emissions.

New technologies, the importance of retreading, changes in its different factories or plans for the future were some of the topics covered.

Did you know, for example, that Bridgestone uses around 20,000 tons of recycled rubber every year? And that tires produced specifically for electric vehicles are more sustainable? Read the full interview.

''In the future we will have a new recycling business that includes converting used tires into usable raw materials''

The Bridgestone Group has set a goal of increasing its recycled and renewable material content to 40% by 2030. What steps are being taken to achieve this goal?...Bridgestone, as a global leader in tires and rubber that specializes in providing solutions for safe and sustainable mobility, had a recycled and renewable material content of 37% in 2021. To continue to favorably evolve this value, we are accelerating several initiatives throughout the product life cycle, such as long-lasting design, use of renewable resources, retreading, recycling, repair, sharing, among others.

Additionally, Bridgestone uses around 20,000 tonnes of recycled rubber every year, while less than 1.5% of the total waste generated by our tire plants in the EMIA region is sent to landfill.

Bridgestone has consistently sought to reduce resource use by developing products that are more durable and use less raw materials. The group also has several examples of reusing available resources: through the retreading business, in which the tread part of used tires is replaced so that they can be reused, in the future we will have a new recycling business that includes the conversion of used tires into usable raw materials and looking towards 2030, we will continue to develop a business that contributes to the creation of a circular economy and the reduction of CO2 emissions throughout the value chain, which encompasses manufacturing, use of products by customers and recycling.

The importance of sustainability for Bridgestone is present in all its strategic priorities, which is why it launched the Bridgestone E8 Commitment this year – a broad, global corporate commitment that defines the value the company promises to provide to society, customers and future generations in eight areas: Energy, Ecology, Efficiency, Extension, Economy, Emotion, Ease and Empowerment.

We know that they are developing tires with a technology called ENLITEN, which allows them to reduce CO2 emissions. How does this technology work?...Our ENLITEN technology allows us to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in combustion vehicles, extending battery life and the range of electric vehicles, without affecting tire wear or safety. When comparing tires with this technology to a standard premium summer tire for passenger cars, there is a decrease in rolling resistance by an average of 20%, as well as a reduction in tire weight by an average of 10%.

In the production process, we ensure that less raw material is used to manufacture the tires, while at the same time improving the vehicle's maneuverability and stability to increase driving pleasure. ENLITEN technology combines a patented blend of compounds with improved wear resistance and reduced tread depth, a reinforced and thinner inner liner and a new exclusive mold design. We have equipped tires with this technology for latest-generation vehicles such as the Skoda Enyaq iV, Audi Q4 e-tron, Volkswagen ID.3/ID.4/ID.5, CUPRA Born, among others. Virtual Tire Development Saves Around 200 Tires on Each Project

The tires for electric vehicles developed by Bridgestone have specific characteristics. However, is its production more sustainable or not?...Yes, without a doubt. One example is Bridgestone's Virtual Tire Development, which allows a digital twin of a tire to be created, allowing it to accurately predict its performance in different conditions without physically driving it.

By using Bridgestone’s virtual tire modeling and simulation capabilities, we have been able to significantly reduce development time (up to 50%), while also providing multiple environmental benefits, as both the use of natural resources and exhaust emissions are reduced, thanks to a smaller number of prototypes that need to be produced and tested.

Virtual Tire Development saves around 200 tires on each project, so your tires are therefore from a more sustainable source. For example, we were able to save around 60% on the use of raw materials and CO2 emissions during the tire development phase.

In addition to environmental concerns in tire development, what measures are being taken with regard to tire production, in this case specifically speaking of Bridgestone factories?... All of our European tire factories, the European R&D Center and Test Center in Rome, Italy, the PCT factory in Lanklaar, Belgium, the textile factory in Usansolo, Spain, and the Bridgestone EMIA headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, rely on electricity supplies from 100% renewable sources. This milestone represents significant progress towards our ambition to reduce the environmental impact of our operations and clearly demonstrates Bridgestone’s commitment to the Paris Agreement and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

But we do not intend to stop there, as this achievement serves as inspiration for us to continue delivering, once again, our value. Reducing our CO2 emissions is fundamental to our long-term sustainability vision, knowing that there is still much more to achieve in emissions reduction and other similar areas.

How is retreading important in achieving more sustainable mobility?...BANDAG, a Bridgestone-owned company and leader in retreaded tires and retreading technology, is raising the bar in durability, performance and cost-efficiency with the launch of new retreaded tires. We have developed and subsequently made available on the market equipment that increases useful life and performance, providing fleet owners and managers with performance comparable to that of a new tire, while also reducing the total cost per kilometer.

We can also list other advantages of a retreaded tire, such as the fact that it extends the useful life of the casing by reducing the amount of waste, the production of a retreaded tire implies less than 70% of oil consumption, reduces electricity consumption by more than 60% and reduces the cost per kilometer with tires for final use by almost 40%.

What urgent action needs to be taken towards greater sustainability, but has not yet been possible to implement?...Bridgestone is always working to improve, do more, explore new opportunities to be more sustainable. We are already doing so and will continue to work on the basis of our Bridgestone E8 Commitment, believing that this will gain the empathy of many stakeholders such as society, our partners and customers, and co-create value with them, which will allow us to make real and support a sustainable society.

Regarding the tire itself, it is not yet possible to reuse end-of-life tires to make new ones again, even if the materials can be recycled, and this is one example of several that we have on hand thinking about the future.

More than just measures (which are also important), it is urgent to have a strategy that encompasses not only the organization, but also the whole of society towards increasingly sustainable mobility. In our case, we will continue to strongly support Research and Development, not only of new products, but also to continue to evolve our entire system and processes, so that we can achieve the goals we have set ourselves and with a positive impact on future generations.

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