Pirelli is introducing a new generation of dry weather tyres for use by GT2, GT3 and GT4 cars in the GT racing championships it supplies. The Pirelli P Zero DHG features a natural rubber component certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The new tyres were first seen on the morning of 10 March at the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet during the pre-season tests of the GTWC Europe.
UK-based tyre retreader Vaculug has become a Certified B Corporation, commonly known as B Corp. The company calls the certification “a landmark achievement”, adding that it is the “first tyre retreader in Europe” to earn B Corp status. Membership of the global movement demonstrates that the company meets the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility.
A second Nokian Tyres plant has achieved International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS status. Nokian Tyres reports that its factory in Oradea, Romania, which opened in the latter part of last year, is now certified to utilise sustainable, ISCC PLUS raw materials in its tyres. Certification in Romania follows that for the Nokian Tyres car tyre plant in Nokia, Finland, which obtained ISCC Plus in 2024.
The British Safety Council has conducted an audit of the Apollo Tyres factory in Andhra Pradesh, India, and on the basis of this evaluation awarded the tyre maker a Five Stars rating. Reporting this distinction, Apollo Tyres emphasises that gaining a Five-Star occupational health and safety audit rating demonstrates the company’s “commitment towards the continual improvement of health and safety management systems and associated arrangements.”
The Continental plant in Púchov, Slovakia recently achieved the distinction of becoming the company’s first truck tyre manufacturing facility to gain International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS credentials. Púchov is Continental’s third ISCC PLUS-certified production site, following the tyre plants in Lousado, Portugal, and Hefei, China. Anton Vatala, who is in charge of the plant, calls the certification “a sign of our commitment to both quality and sustainability.”
The Turkish Accreditation Agency (TÜRKAK) has awarded Petlas Tire Corporation its National Accreditation Certificate. This certification enables the company’s nationally accredited Tire Testing Laboratory to provide international compliance approval for aviation tyres.
Pirelli’s 2024 Formula 1 tyre range has become the first to be certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), with all the P Zero and Cinturato tyres carrying the FSC logo on the sidewall. The marking certifies that all the natural rubber used in the tyre complies with stringent environmental and social criteria required by the global non-governmental organisation for sustainable forestry. The new certification was announced on 10 October when Pirelli renewed its agreement as the Global Tyre Partner of Formula 1 until at least 2027. Pirelli said the new FSC certified tyres were introduced after an intense development programme that began in 2022. It adds that the tyres are improved in terms of reliability and performance. On average the tyres in the Pirelli F1 range contain natural rubber equating to 15 per cent of the tyre’s weight.
Groundworks were visibly underway in October 2023, but construction of the new Sentury factory, the first tyre manufacturing plant in Morocco in more than 25 years, will start in the first quarter of 2024. Indeed, Tyres & Accessories has seen a video depicting Sentury chairman Qin Long on-site in Morocco observing progress with the project.
Asahi Kasei reports that, together with an affiliated company, it has acquired ISCC Plus sustainability certification for several products, including Asaprene solution polymerised SBR for applications such as tyre treads and casings.
Oil and carbon black that Scandinavian Enviro Systems (Enviro) recovers from end-of-life vehicle tyres in its plant in Åsensbruk, Sweden have received new certification in accordance with the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) scheme. This is the second time that the recovered carbon black and oil from the facility have gained ISCC certification – initial certification for recovered carbon black in September 2021 delivered Enviro a world first.
The Bridgestone factory in Rome, Italy has become the company’s first tyre plant worldwide to achieve International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS certification. The plant gained certification at the beginning of September thanks to its use of bio-circular and circular-based materials. Bridgestone EMIA says it will expand the assessment programme to further European plants from 2023.
Prinx Chengshan is rolling out a new range of European market truck tyres under the Austone and Fortune brand names, and its efforts recently gained a boost when TÜV SÜD awarded the DR606 drive axle pattern its test mark. The tyre maker officially received this distinction during The Tire Cologne, when the head of the TÜV SÜD tyre testing team presented Prinx Chengshan its certification.
After extensive testing, the DR606 has become the first tyre from Prinx Chengshan to receive the TÜV SÜD test mark. The organisation evaluated the truck tyre for wet braking, pass-by noise, rolling resistance and robustness.
With the attainment of three additional ‘Certifications of Exemplary Laboratories in Safety Management’, five laboratories within Hankook Tire’s R&D centre in Korea are now officially certified for excellent safety management.
Specialist off-highway tyre maker BKT has gained ISO/IEC 17025:2017 certification for the tyre testing and calibration capabilities within the laboratory at its Bhuj plant in India’s Gujarat state. Certification was awarded by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) according to international standards.
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