Michelin signs a new step in its production of the ecological tire

Michelin pursues its sustainable development objectives, with the ambition of producing 100% recycled materials by 2050.A new step has just been taken with the announcement of a partnership with Carbios, an Auvergne start-up specializing in biological chemistry in the development of a new generation of tires made of recycled plastic.

Aware of the impact of its products on the environment, Michelin has been interested for several years already in more environmentally friendly solutions.In 2020, 28 % of the components used to make tires at Michelin were already made up of sustainable materials, of natural or recycled origin.Ultimately, the company plans to use recycled materials for 40 % of its production by 2030 and reach 100 % by 2050.

To achieve these results, the company has implemented many partnerships.The latest, fruit of its partnership with the company Carbios, has made it possible to test and validate a new technique for recycling plastic objects whose substance can be used for the manufacture of polyester wire, used in tires.

This new process consists in using an enzyme capable of breaking down the PET (a petro-sourced polluting material which is used to make plastic bottles or food packaging for example) then reusing them to make new PET without quality allowingInfinite and key recycling, a sharp decrease in oil use necessary for the manufacture of plastic.Each year, 1.6 billion tires of light vehicles are sold worldwide.PET fibers used in these tires alone represent 800,000 tonnes per year.

The results of the first trials were not communicated, but according to Nicholas Seeboth, director of research on polymers at Michelin, the first tire prototypes displayed identical capacities and performance to gums manufactured with petroleum products.This new enzyme should gradually arrive in the Michelin manufacturing process.According to the company, nearly 3 billion plastic bottles per year could be recycled in technical fibers for its tires.

The road to the manufacture of 100% sustainable tires seems still very long but the announcement of new process is already a huge advance for the whole industry.