The term "sustainability" may be the single most prevalent term used in the tire and rubber industry today. Not a day goes by where at least one or two companies release an annual sustainability report or, better yet, tout an award celebrating a sustainability rating or status.
The word, however, also may be one of the least understood terms in our business. Ask somebody to define "sustainability" and you're likely to get a myriad of answers.
You probably also will be encountered with some confused looks, like those on the faces of students called on by a teacher to answer a question that's clearly over their heads. Some may kind of look around, hoping to find help, and nervously reply, "You know, recycling." Or the current down-the-road goal, "Being carbon neutral."
And no, the correct answer is not: "I'll know it when I see it."
The truth is there isn't one concise, correct answer. Sustainability is such an ambiguous word that it's easy to get trapped in the minutia of things like bio- or recyclable materials, which are part of the solution. But you have to consider the circularity component of sustainability, and you have to think about it from an industry perspective, because the climate issues driving the changes impact everyone.
But there is good news. Some of the brightest minds in our industry are working on solutions, and they're looking at them from every conceivable angle.
Dick Gust, CEO of the Tire Industry Association and a former executive at Liberty Tire Recycling, knows that true recycling starts when a tire is produced, not when it's taken out of service. And that progress is measured by sending fewer end-of-life tires to be used as tire-derived fuel, and more for rubber-modified asphalt, where the product can later be recycled and used again in another road, making it a truly sustainable product.
But Jason Stravinski, CEO of Michelin-owned Lehigh Technologies, said making a truly sustainable tire will take more than just one breakthrough. More like a dozen. When looking at the circularity perspective, more headway must come in such areas as micronized rubber powders, recovered carbon black, pyrolysis and total devulcanization, which he terms the "holy grail."
More importantly, it's vital that all the solutions needed to create a truly sustainable tire don't negatively impact price and performance. Because it you can't achieve that, as Stravinski likes to say, all you've done is create a fancy tire.
Rubber News wants to hear from its readers. If you want to express your opinion on a story or issue, email your letter to Editor Bruce Meyer at [email protected].
