Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) is ramping up its focus on retread tyres as a key component of its sustainability strategy. It aims to reduce carbon emissions and raw material usage across its operations. The initiative is part of the company’s “Driving Our Future Challenge 2050” long-term sustainability policy.
Retreading To Drive Sustainability
The Japanese tyre manufacturer plans to increase the production and promotion of retread tyres. This shift is part of its effort to address its Scope 3 emissions, which constitute most of its carbon footprint.
“Retreading represents a crucial step toward building a circular economy in the tyre industry,” said Yasuaki Kuniyasu, Director (Senior Executive Officer), General Manager of Corporate Management Planning & Administration Department and New Global Base Promotion Project Department, “By extending tyre lifecycles, we can dramatically reduce both waste and emissions.”
The company has integrated retread tyre strategies into its sustainability management system, supervised by the Board of Directors through its Sustainability Promotion Committee. SRI is also developing advanced technologies to improve retread tyre performance and durability for commercial and consumer applications.
Currently, many used tyres in Japan are incinerated for heat recovery. SRI aims to shift this practice toward material and chemical recycling methods offering more significant environmental benefits. The company has established KPIs to measure progress toward these goals by 2030.
The initiative aligns with SRI’s guiding philosophy of balancing private and public interests, positioning the company to meet the growing global demand for sustainable tyre solutions while maintaining profitability.
