Tire Industry Project launches sustainability roadmap

The eleven leading tyre manufacturer members of WBCSD’s Tire Industry Project (TIP) have launched a Roadmap to accelerate tyre value-chain impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs were adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 to address some of the world’s most pressing issues by 2030. The members of TIP, in alphabetical order, are: Bridgestone, Continental, Cooper Tire, Goodyear, Hankook, Kumho Tire, Michelin, Pirelli, Sumitomo Rubber, Toyo Tires, and Yokohama Rubber.

‘Sustainability Driven: Accelerating Impact with the Tire Sector SDG Roadmap’, was produced by the 11 member companies of TIP in consultation with value-chain stakeholders. The Roadmap outlines how the tyre sector can contribute to the SDGs whilst navigating the transition to a low-carbon, resilient and resource-efficient economy. It identifies how the tyre value chain interacts with the SDGs; the areas where the tyre sector can have the most significant impact; and key actions to scale and accelerate contribution to the SDGs.

“The tyre sector interacts with all 17 SDGs, but the Roadmap puts focus where the sector has the greatest potential to lead, accelerate, or influence action toward the 2030 Agenda,” said TIP director, Anne-Cécile Rémont. “Seven impact pathways to maximize positive impact and minimize negative impact were identified across three main themes: supply chain, operations, and products and services.”

Impact pathways were developed for each opportunity and include a series of actions toward the eight SDGs that the Roadmap identifies as priorities. Two Goals – SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production) – were mapped against the Roadmap actions most frequently.

Achieving the Goals is beyond the reach of any one organization and TIP members recognize the integral role they have in driving the actions in this Roadmap forward. “We encourage all members of the sector, and customers, consumers, suppliers, governments, academia and NGOs, to engage with the Roadmap to accelerate SDG impact”, said Rémont.

Acknowledging the importance of the opportunities and challenges presented by the SDGs to multiple stakeholder groups, the Roadmap was produced in consultation with a range of global stakeholders including industry associations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and subject matter experts, along with support from consultancy firm ERM.

TIP members have an important role to play in leading the implementation of the Roadmap – both collectively and individually – and are aware that achieving the SDGs will require strong efforts from all stakeholders.

In delivering its mission to anticipate, study and determine key potential environmental and human health issues associated with the tyre life cycle, TIP’s work program will also contribute to advancing the Roadmap. Furthermore, TIP recognizes that monitoring the progress of companies and the sector in their implementation of the Roadmap will be important to ensuring that the sector remains focused on optimizing its contributions to the SDGs. Consequently, by 2023 TIP will complement its existing monitoring of environmental key performance indicators (KPIs) for tyre manufacturing with other indicators to measure progress against Roadmap targets.

The SDGs are recognized as a framework to tackle the world’s most pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges, and WBCSD’s SDG Sector Roadmaps aim to inspire businesses to translate global needs and ambitions into business solutions. “By applying their creativity and innovation to develop these solutions, companies and entire sectors will be in a better position to manage risk, anticipate demand, capture growth markets, and strengthen supply chains”, said Peter Bakker, president and CEO of WBCSD.