Eat My Rubber! Goodyear's Sustainable Tire Is Made with Rice, Soy, and Pine

Goodyear unveiled a tire with 90 percent sustainable materials at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) last week.The new tire, which has passed all regulatory and internal tests for road use, makes use of sustainable products such as soybean oil, rice husks, and pine resin in place of standard compounds. Goodyear still needs to figure out scaling measures before bringing the demonstration tire to market, but the company plans to first bring a 70 percent sustainable material tire to market this year.

Goodyear’s company cafeteria schedule just got leaked. We hope you’re excited about three meals of tofu a day stretching into eternity. We jest, but if Goodyear’s newest tire reveal is anything to go on, the tire giant will need all the soy it can get in the coming years.

An increase in awareness and consideration for the environment over the last few years is leading tire manufacturers to create more aggressive sustainability goals. Goodyear, which has a stated goal of introducing its first 100 percent sustainable tire by 2030, is making strides toward that future with a demonstration tire showcased at CES last week.

Produced with 90 percent sustainable materials, the demonstration tire has already passed all regulatory and internal tests needed for road use. Of course, passing regulatory tests means nothing in terms of tire performance, as plenty of terrible tires are approved for road use. But we do know the demonstration tire excels in at least one measure: rolling resistance. Goodyear claims its sustainable tire rolls more easily than that of a comparison tire with traditional materials.

Besides natural rubber, modern tires utilize steel, textiles, synthetic polymers, and a laundry list of chemicals to keep your car in contact with the tarmac below. This hodgepodge of materials has an adverse effect on the environment, though.

As tires wear, they leave behind bits of rubber and chemicals that pollute the environment. Not Goodyear’s newest tire, though. It leaves behind a whiff of tofu and, oddly, a hint of pine schnapps.

Goodyear

Tire manufacturers are notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to the chemical makeup of their tires’ compound. So much so, in fact, that these companies often avoid filing trademarks on the subject in order to keep competitors from stealing this information.

Goodyear, however, shared the 17 key ingredients across 12 components that make these tires roll. This recipe includes soybean oil, to keep the tire pliable in changing temperatures; rice husk ash silica, to improve grip; and pine resin, which replaces standard petroleum-based resins.

Goodyear conceded it has yet to determine the scale needed to bring the demonstration tire to market. Even so, the company plans to bring to market a tire that’s 70 percent sustainable by the end of the year. If Goodyear has its way, then its sustainable tires ought to bring new meaning to the phrase “eat my rubber.”

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