Michelin takes action to preserve natural resources

The depletion of resources is the second most significant environmental impact of the Group after climate change. To play its role as tire industry leader and achieve its strategic objectives, Michelin relies on the circular economy, its expertise in of high-tech materials, and the development of recycling industries.

Humanity consumes more than the Earth can produce: a model that is not sustainable over the long term. This has led Michelin to set ambitious goals to reduce its environmental footprint and limit the use of natural resources. It is These goals are translated into action through:

The implementation of a circular economy approach in all areas and at every stage in the design of a product. Based on the 4Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Renew, this approach allows for significantly limiting the consumption of natural resources while maintaining long-term product performance.
The integration of sustainable materials into its products; these are made from recycled (recovered or reused) materials or renewable bio sourced materials such as sustainable natural rubber or butadiene produced using ethanol derived from biomass.The Group is committed to using 40% renewable or recycled materials in its tires by 2030, and 100% by 2030.

Reducing water extraction and energy consumption with, for example, the goal of reducing water extraction by its industrial sites by 33%, by 2030 compared to 2019.

Pictogramme d'une main tenant une plante

Michelin’s circular economy approach

To limit the environmental impact of its products and solutions, the Group is involved in several projects aimed at speeding up the use of renewable or recycled raw materials.

BlackCycle

Michelin is part of the BlackCycle consortium, a European public-private research program aiming to design one of the very first processes to make new tires from end-of-life tires.

The consortium is based in five European countries (France, Spain, Germany, Greece, and Switzerland) and includes seven industrial partners, 5 five RTOs and an innovation cluster.

Carbios

The technology developed by Carbios allows for regenerating waste PET (PolyEthylene Terephthalate) in its original, monomer form through the use of enzymes. Among the products regenerated using this technology is the polyester cord used by Michelin in tire manufacture.

BioImpulse

The BioImpulse project led by ResiCare, a Michelin Group subsidiary, works to develop an adhesive resin from biomass, with a lower impact on human health and the environment. This project is supported by the Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maîtrise de l’Énergie (ADEME = French Agency for the Ecological Transition), within the framework of the future investments program.

Michelin acts for the recycling of end-of-life tires and in particular their transformation into quality raw materials, by relying on new partnerships and breakthrough technologies.

The Group contributes to the development of the recycling industry by becoming involved in tire collection systems in many countries around the world.

Convinced of the interest of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology in optimizing end-of-life tire recycling, Michelin has committed to encouraging the standardization of this technology within the tire industry. Sharing tire information with recyclers could thus be made easier; it would allow for improving sorting operations, increasing the number of tires reused, and promote the emergence of new recycling industries with high added value.

At the end of 2021, Michelin and Bridgestone, pioneers in end-of-life tire recycling, also called for greater use of regenerated carbon black from the processing of end-of-life tires.

The Group invests in and develops extremely innovative, breakthrough technologies in collaboration with partners from a variety of backgrounds to transform end-of-life tires or waste into quality regenerated raw materials.

MICHELIN & ENVIRO

In 2020, Michelin joined forces with Enviro for the development and wide-scale industrialization of an innovative pyrolysis technology that allows end-of-life tires to be recycled. By replacing virgin carbon black with that generated by Enviro, the CO₂ emissions linked to the use of conventional carbon black can be reduced by over 90%.

In 2023, Michelin supported the joint venture created by Scandinavian Enviro Systems and Antin Infrastructure Partners, which will become the world’s first tire recycling group at an industrial scale.