An Overview on Current Sustainable Practices in the Tire Industry. Focus on Environmental Orientations

Authors: Stefan Sava, Christian Bux, Vasileios Ntouros, Raluca Mariana Grosu

Abstract

The tire industry is responsible for significant environmental and health risks across its entire lifecycle, by consuming high amounts of fossil fuels, water and other natural resources, and by releasing volatile organic compounds and radioactive byproducts. Based on desk research, this paper investigates corporate sustainability reports, integrated annual reports and environment, social, and governance disclosures published by Michelin, Bridgestone, Goodyear, Continental, and Pirelli, which are among the most important players in the global tire market. The purpose of this paper is to identify current sustainable practices, environmental-oriented, in the tire industry, where sustainability is neither a destination nor a checkbox but a relentless, uneven journey. Michelin and Pirelli emerge as frontrunners, leveraging systemic governance and biodiversity stewardship to align innovation with planetary boundaries, while their reliance on premium pricing and fragmented carbon emissions (Scope 3) accountability exposes vulnerabilities in scaling solutions. Contrastingly, while advancing fleet-centric innovations and compliance-driven reporting, Goodyear and Continental grapple with cost barriers and blurred circular economy metrics. Bridgestone’s ambiguous stance, which balances futuristic research and development with vague disclosures, exemplifies the sector’s struggle to reconcile legacy practices with emergent sustainability imperatives. Across all firms, material bottlenecks (e.g., 10% sustainable rubber adoption) and stalled recycling rates (30% global average) underscore systemic inertia, despite incremental bio-material breakthroughs. Legislative pressures are accelerating standardization, while increasing disparities in transparency. At the same time, consumer and investor demands for a clearer accountability system are reshaping priorities. The analysis over the sustainable paths taken by the five companies outlines important information aimed at redefining the ecological legacy of the tire industry.