Raw Materials
Global non-profit CDP, which runs the Supplier Engagement Leader, has once again named Bridgestone Corporation to this world leading environmental disclosure platform. This is the third consecutive year and fifth occasion overall that CDP has included Bridgestone on its the Supplier Engagement Leader with the highest ‘A’ rating in Supplier Engagement Rating.
The crisis currently unfolding in Ukraine is placing logistics and transportation in Europe under strain, and like many manufacturers, Michelin Group is facing “major” issues supplying its plants and delivering to customers. The company says it will work to “optimise operations and adapt flow management” by stopping production at some of its European plants for a few days in the coming weeks. Each site will decide specific duration and implementation.
In light of the ongoing war in Ukraine and the resultant sanctions against Russia, Tyres & Accessories asked the well-known automotive supplier and premium tyre manufacturer for its perspective on the situation. In response, an official statement from the Continental Tire Group Sector explained: “We are following the war against the Ukraine with great concern. Our thoughts are with the people affected and we hope that the combat operations end as quickly as possible.”
Nynas has halted the purchase of feedstock of Russian origin. Sales to customers in Russia and Belarus have also been stopped. According to the petrochemical company which supplies tyre industry, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and “its tragic consequences throughout the region” prompted Nynas to reconsider its supplies from Russia and also sales to the country.
At the end of 2021 Ukraine’s only domestic tyre manufacturer, Rosava, hailed the strength of its partnerships with neighbouring Belarussian tyre manufacturing materials suppliers. Rosava representatives said “Established partnerships are the most effective tool for achieving common goals. Thus, our partners are always welcome to visit our company.”
Jesse Klinkhamer, CEO of Vancouver, Canada-based Klean Industries Inc will be a featured speaker at the European Carbon Black Summit, which runs from 22 to 23 June in Frankfurt.
Bridgestone Corporation has commenced a joint programme with four other parties to develop chemical recycling technologies that can deliver high yields of isoprene from end-of-life tyres (ELTs). Earlier today it also announced the launch of a joint research and development project with one of these entities, Eneos Corporation, to extract raw materials from ELTs using pyrolysis with the aim of further using these materials to make new tyres.
In response to local government environmental protection measures in the Yangtze River region and with the aim of establishing “one of the most modern NBR plants in the world,” Arlanxeo and TSRC are relocating their joint venture synthetic rubber facility. The move to a new location will be accompanied by an increase in NBR capacity from 30,000 to 40,000 tons per annum, growth that will support local demands and reinforce global supply.
Nynas has settled payments to trade creditors with claims remaining, after receiving an initial payment of 100,000 Swedish krone each following the completion of Nynas’s company reorganisation in January 2021. According to a statement published by the speciality oil refiner and supplier on 19 January 2021, those actions are “in accordance with the composition agreement between all creditors and as decided by the District Court of Södertörn”.
Hankook Tire has announced it will provide formic acid, an eco-friendly coagulant, to rubber farmers in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. It says this measure furthers its “commitment to enhance the sustainability across its value chain for natural rubber.”
The US Energy Information Administration recently forecast that the global light-duty vehicle fleet (essentially cars, vans and pick-ups) would increase by 70 per cent by 2050. Closer to home, the UK Department for Transport has forecast that car and van traffic will increase by 35 per cent and 70 per cent respectively over the next 30 years. By another measure and more immediately, global consumption of natural rubber for tyre manufacture is forecast to increase by 33 per cent by 2030.
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has taken a further step towards its aim of achieving material sustainability by producing a tyre with 70 per cent sustainable material content. While this Goodyear Assurance tyre is a demonstration model and won’t be offered for sale just now, innovations contained within will certainly appear in future ranges.
On 17 December, Birla Carbon executed a US$750 million Sustainability Linked Loan (SLL) with a syndicate of more than 15 banks and intends to use the proceeds from the loan to refinance its existing debts. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) linked to the facility include: “direct CO2 intensity, bringing circular products to market, and an external rating of Sustainability”. The fund’s direct connection with “bringing circular products to market” could be interpreted as an indication that the company is willing to invest in technologies such as pyrolysis which seeks to recover carbon black from end-products such as tyres.
Australian waste tyre processor Pearl Global Limited, a firm claiming to possess a proprietary technology superior to traditional pyrolysis, has appointed a new chief executive officer. David Wheeley will commence in this capacity on 1 February 2022.
With immediate effect, tyre maker Continental will handle a portion of its natural rubber purchasing through HeveaConnect, a digital trading platform designed to ensure greater transparency and sustainability in the natural rubber supply chain. Reporting this new arrangement, Continental’s Dr Andrea Appel explains that the goal is to procure all materials from “responsible sources,” and that the key to achieving this “lies in innovative technologies and digitalisation, which can make a decisive contribution to transparency in complex supply chains.”
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Igorn; Pixabay
Nynas
Rosava
Florian Berger; Pixabay
Nynas
Mike’s Photography