The iconic Firestone sign sits atop Bridgestone’s Advance Tire Production Center in Akron.
AKRON—Bridgestone Americas Inc.'s rubber innovation roots run deep in Akron, where it's synthetic rubber production began more than 80 years ago. But as goals shifts around a vision for greater sustainability, the tire maker is marching toward its aim of using 100-percent sustainable materials in its tires by 2050.
And it's recent International Sustainability and Carbon Certification PLUS recognition is proof of how far it has come.
The Firestone Polymer Engineering Pilot Center, part of the Bridgestone Americas Technology Center, received the ISCC PLUS recognition for its transparency and traceability of sustainable raw materials. These include bio-based, bio-circular and circular-based materials that Bridgestone says is key in its quest to replace synthetic rubber as part of an overall sustainability strategy.
"Transparency and traceability are core elements to the success of our company's sustainability journey and this ISCC PLUS certification demonstrates the progress we're making to deliver sustainable synthetic rubber made with bio-sourced and recycled materials," Nizar Trigui, chief technology officer and Bridgestone Americas group president, said in a statement.
In addition to pursuing a 100-percent sustainable materials tire by 2050, Bridgestone also is committed to achieving carbon neutral operations by the same year.
And one of the keystones to achieving both aims is its development and innovation around the use of guayule as an alternative rubber source. To date, the tire maker has invested more than $100 million in the development, cultivation and testing of guayule—a desert shrub that thrives in hot, arid conditions.
Among its most recent guayule successes was the rollout of a Firestone Firehawk race tire in which Bridgestone was able to fully replace the hevea natural rubber in the tire's side wall with guayule-derived rubber.
"We are reimagining the ways we design and develop products that contribute to a more sustainable mobility future," Trigui said, "and that includes pioneering changes to the processes at our manufacturing facilities to support material circularity."
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