Hankook debuts ISCC certified iON tyre

Together with two other South Korean firms, Hankook Tire & Technology has developed the country’s first tyre using cord fibre sourced from chemically recycled PET. The tyre maker partnered with SK chemicals and Hyosung Advanced Materials to develop Hankook iON tyres containing “circular recycled PET fibre tyre cords.” The resulting product is the first tyre to wear the ISCC Plus certification logo.

Circular recycling is an SK-exclusive chemical recycling technology that employs chemical reactions to break down discarded plastics into molecular units, and then uses these raw materials to produce recycled plastics. The partners used this technology in concept and prototype tyres prior to the project’s commercialisation phase but have now announced the launch of a market-ready tyre.

SK chemicals, Hyosung Advanced Materials and Hankook Tire collaborated to develop the tyre over approximately two years. SK chemicals supplied it Skypet CR circular recycled PET to Hyosung Advanced Materials, which developed the high-strength recycled PET-based tyre cords using this raw material. Hankook Tire has used the cords in selected iON electric vehicle tyres, increasing sustainable material content to 45 per cent.

Maintains properties after infinite recycling

Tyre cords help a tyre to maintain its shape and withstand the load and impact applied during driving, enhancing durability, driving performance, and ride comfort. SK chemicals says its Skypet CR has the advantage of “maintaining high-quality properties and safety even after infinite recycling,” compared to the physical recycling method of washing discarded plastics or cutting them into flakes for reuse. Furthermore, it can achieve properties equivalent to petrochemical-based materials.

To achieve 45 per cent sustainable materials in its iON products, Hankook Tire has, in addition to Hyosung’s tyre cords, incorporated a range of bio-based, circular, and bio-circular polymers and bio-based silica. According to SK chemicals, a European vehicle manufacturer has approved these Hankook iON tyres as an original equipment fitment.