If you know me at all, you'll know that I'm a big fan of green technology, especially when it comes to replacing a widespread but polluting product. Whether we're talking about dandelion latex or rice-based silica, I'm fascinated by tire manufacturers' efforts to find replacements for their common ingredients. This time it's Nokian, a brand we don't hear much about on this blog, that surprises us with its recent agreement to integrate birch bark into the manufacturing process of its models. How appropriate for a Finnish company, don't you think?
Reselo rubber wins award
The tire brand revealed its new partnership with Sweden's Reselo AB at the beginning of September, but this isn't the first time we've heard of it. Last year, the same company won the Fast Race, Big Change innovation challenge organized by Nokian. Its renewable rubber drew the judges' attention with its simple composition, but promising results. Made from birch bark residues and other renewable materials, it is easy to use and has very similar characteristics to conventional rubber. In a country where the birch industry is flourishing, it was only natural to turn to such a solution!
Optimistic goals
What's more, this Swedish rubber could enable the manufacturer to reach its environmental impact reduction targets even faster than expected. Always ambitious, the company already hopes to use 50% renewable or recycled raw materials by 2030, and the company is certainly putting in the effort. Last June, when it presented its Nokian Green Step Ligna, it showed the world an ingenious use of the environmentally-friendly UPM BioMotion filler, another important tire component that has gone green.
With all these unveilings, it looks as if the manufacturer is closer than ever to making the transition from fossil fuel-based raw materials to renewable materials. This is excellent news for fans of Nokian tires, renowned not only for their robustness, but also for their efficiency, especially when it comes to winter products. Unfortunately, Nokian tires are not available on Blackcircles.ca. Fortunately for the ecologists among you, the company's efforts are not unlike those of other manufacturers whose products are available just a few clicks from this article. One such example is Continental, whose UltraContact NXT tires are made from up to 6% recycled, renewable or certified materials.
