For its pursuit of sustainability, Kumho Tire Co. Inc. has a new partner in Synthos.
The Gwangju, South Korean-based tire maker Dec. 1 signed a memorandum of understanding with the Oswiecim-based synthetic rubber producer for the development of more sustainable raw materials for tires.
Together, the two companies will research and develop neodymium-butadiene rubber using bio-butadiene, with the aim of expanding environmentally friendly synthetic rubber in tire manufacturing.
"We are very pleased to be selected as one of Kumho Tire's key partners to strengthen its efforts to develop environmentally friendly tires," Snythos R&D Director Malte Wohlfahrt said in a statement. "We strongly believe that we have the best chance to contribute to net zero mobility if we can work together with industry leaders like Kumho Tire, who has already produced tires made from 55-percent sustainable raw materials in 2022 and has developed tires made from 80-percenet sustainable raw materials this year."
