Sustainability has become critical for the tyre industry due to its heavy reliance on fossil-based raw materials, significant carbon footprint across the product lifecycle and the massive volume of end-of-life tyres generated annually. Shifting towards renewable, bio-based and recycled materials helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve resources, minimise microplastic pollution from tyre wear and address regulatory and consumer demands for greener mobility solutions. Without accelerated innovation, the industry risks falling short of global climate targets while facing supply chain vulnerabilities and reputational challenges.

The global tyre market is valued at around USD 290 billion in 2025 and is estimated to reach USD 299 billion in 2026 as per MarkNtel. It is projected to attain USD 387 billion by 2032, registering a CAGR of 4.39 percent during 2026–2032. Interestingly, the Passenger Car segment leads the global tyre market with approximately 42 percent of total demand. Radial tyres dominate the global tyre market with around 88 percent share. Furthermore, Asia-Pacific holds the largest regional share at approximately 37 percent.

In an exclusive interaction with Tyre Trends, C Harimohan, Head of Corporate R&D (Materials and Compounding) at Yokohama Off-Highway Tires (YOHT), shares his views on the tyre industry’s push towards true sustainability. He highlights the technical, economic and regulatory hurdles that lie ahead as the sector targets ambitious 2050 goals.

THE SUSTAINABILITY IMPERATIVE

It is no secret that the tyre industry is undergoing a profound shift, be it managing raw material supply chain, sustainability targets and geopolitical challenges, among others.

“See, I think we are undergoing a very special kind of scenario now,” Harimohan observes. While the core manufacturing process and raw material mixes have remained relatively stable, sustainability has moved from a ‘fashion word’ of a decade ago to a serious business priority.

“In the last two to three years, or let us say three to five years, we have started taking it more seriously because almost all the companies have declared that by 2050, 100 percent of the raw materials would be either renewable or recycled,” he says.

This target, however, comes with limited current visibility on delivery. Today, roughly 65 to 70 percent of tyre raw materials are derived from fossil sources, primarily crude oil.

“Around 30 percent only comes from the natural rubber; the remaining major part becomes a synthetic rubber, carbon black and almost all the chemicals which are derived from crude,” he explains. The central challenge is transforming these fossil-dependent components into renewable or recycled alternatives.

Recycling, though not new, presents its own limitations. “When you devulcanise the rubber, the kind of strength it has got originally, it is dropping drastically,” Harimohan notes.

“So it is not a 100 percent one-to-one substitution of the original compound or raw materials what you have. So you cannot go beyond a level,” he shares. This creates an inherent performance compromise that undermines the very idea of sustainability if safety and durability suffer.

BALANCING PERFORMANCE, QUALITY AND PRICE

The trade-off between sustainability, performance and cost emerges as one of the industry’s most pressing dilemmas. Harimohan poses the critical question, “What about trade-off between performance, quality as well as price? Because you could have the best recycled tyre, but if it does not perform as per consumer expectations or as per what is expected from its non-sustainable tyre or what people are used to, what are the challenges that have taken place?”

Even a near-100 percent sustainable tyre remains commercially unviable at present. “I can conceptually make a close to 100 percent, if not 100 percent, you can say a sustainable tyre which is produced from only renewable or recycled materials. But then it has to be at least three to four times the cost or the price would be three to four times what it is today. But then there has to be somebody who will pay for it,” he says.

Harimohan further explains that without external pressure, market adoption will be slow. “Unless and until it is enforced by a regulatory or by government, I do not think it is going to happen.”

He believes, “Even if we can market it as sustainable tyre, unless and until there is somebody who can pay for it, I think it is not going to happen.” Nevertheless, he remains optimistic about ongoing innovation.

“Most of us, almost all the R&Ds across the world are working towards it, how to make it more and more towards that 100 percent level, but at the same time without having a damage to the performance and almost at the same price you should be able to sell it,” says the executive. He anticipates meaningful progress over the next decade or two.

SUPPLY CHAIN PRESSURES AND THE ROAD AHEAD

Geopolitical tensions have added further complexity to an already intricate global supply chain. A single tyre incorporates ‘at least 60 to 70 different raw materials’ sourced from around the world. “All the geopolitical situations are affecting significantly on all the procurement, the supply chains are getting affected and it is affecting the whole production, supply of the tyre,” Harimohan confirms. “Tyre is no different. It is getting affected.”

On the question of segment-wise adoption, he sees OEM-driven momentum leading the way. “This is happening in almost across the segments, but I feel this is a bit more driven by the OEMs. So I think it may be the PCR segment which should be moving a little far ahead of others or even the two-wheeler would be going a little ahead of other segments,” he says, noting slower progress expected in off-highway and OTR applications.

Responding to a query on new trends in the industry, Harimohan acknowledges there lies huge potential for disruptive technologies. “I feel something will come to gradually replace the tyres. Like airless tyre could be one of the examples, there can be flat tracks coming,” he remarks.

Despite the industry’s traditional inertia, he believes change is inevitable, “Even though tyre is more of like a traditional and there is a lot of inertia to change, but I think going forward, there should be or there would be something which could potentially replace tyre all together. I mean, I think we should hope for that.”

The path to a fully sustainable tyre industry is neither simple nor short, but Harimohan’s insights reveal a sector actively confronting difficult trade-offs.

With continued R&D focus and potential regulatory support, the promise of high-performance, affordable and truly green tyres is still some decades away from becoming a reality.

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Kumho Petrochemical Group is steering its business towards research-driven, higher-value outputs as oversupply and soft demand continue to weigh on the worldwide petrochemical sector. The Seoul-based group outlined plans to boost spending on speciality chemicals, sustainable materials and novel production methods, a push intended to lift profits while building a foundation for future expansion.

Underlying the move is a deliberate evolution in the group's identity, from a bulk materials vendor to a provider of technology-backed solutions that address shifting customer requirements and stricter environmental rules. A central element of that effort involves widening the speciality lineup, exemplified by added capacity for solution styrene butadiene rubber, a synthetic rubber that enhances durability, rolling resistance and tread wear in high-performance electric vehicle tyres.

Environmental initiatives form another pillar. Facilities built by the company can trap approximately 76,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, while separately developed technology turns recycled acrylonitrile butadiene styrene sourced from scrapped household appliances into automotive-grade interior components that satisfy performance standards and generate fewer emissions than conventional methods. The group has also joined forces with POSCO Future M and BEI on anode-free lithium-metal battery development.

Parallel technology-focused programmes are underway at affiliated units. Kumho P&B Chemicals is formulating water-based epoxy resins that curb volatile organic compound releases while incorporating more bio-based inputs to reduce carbon intensity. Kumho Mitsui Chemicals is advancing bio-based polyurethane systems and electric vehicle materials, alongside debottlenecking work to add 100,000 tonnes of annual methylene diphenyl diisocyanate capacity. Kumho Polychem, meanwhile, is targeting ethylene propylene diene monomer through low-temperature polymerisation paired with energy-efficiency improvements.

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Birla Carbon has confirmed a price increase of up to 15 percent for its Speciality Materials products across Asia, scheduled to take effect on 1 October 2026. The company pointed to significant and sustained rises in feedstock costs, driven partly by ongoing geopolitical instability and disruptions in global feedstock markets, as the reason behind the adjustment.

Although Birla Carbon pursued operational efficiencies, supply chain optimisation and disciplined cost management to soften the impact, the scale and persistence of the cost escalation left a price adjustment unavoidable. The company's sales teams will engage customers directly to explain the details and help them navigate the transition.

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ACE Laboratories, an independent ISO/IEC 17025-accredited polymer testing laboratory, has partnered with Abdallah Consulting, LLC, a prominent tyre pyrolysis advisory firm, to introduce VericarbSM. This independent certification programme verifies that materials marketed as recovered carbon black (rCB) meet established criteria for rCB.

Recovered carbon black, derived from end-of-life tyres via pyrolysis, serves as a sustainable substitute for virgin carbon black in rubber and polymer applications. However, the emerging market has lacked the standardisation and independent verification that established supply chains provide. VericarbSM addresses this gap through independent material characterisation and rubber performance data, offering stakeholders a consistent basis for evaluating rCB products.

For producers, certification accelerates market entry and improves buyer approval rates. Consumers gain more capable suppliers and reduced evaluation time, while investors benefit from clearer volume sizing and fewer costly test failures. The programme is jointly administered by both organisations.

Erick Sharp, CEO, ACE Laboratories, said, “The rCB market has enormous potential, but growth has been held back by uncertainty about material quality and consistency. VericarbSM gives producers a way to prove their product and gives buyers the independent data they need to say yes.”

Dave Abdallah, Founder, Abdallah Consulting, said, “One key reason for the delayed growth of recovered carbon black is lack of product performance information in the customer’s language. ASTM standards are critical; in fact, most testing done in the process follows ASTM methods. But customers relate to a product better when its performance is shown in applications relevant to them. VericarbSM solves the language issue by showing verified rCB in terms of rubber performance while simultaneously adding credibility via third-party analysis and reporting.”

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Zeon Corporation established Zeon Chemicals Kurashiki Co., Ltd. on 23 July 2026 to take over the acrylic rubber operations of fellow group firm Tohpe Corporation. The new entity, headquartered in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, is wholly owned by Zeon with paid-in capital of JPY 10 million and is led by representative Koji Minami.

On 21 August, Tohpe and the new subsidiary signed an absorption-type company split agreement, prompting Zeon to begin the procedures required under the Companies Act. Operations at the new company, focused on manufacturing and selling acrylic rubber and related activities, are scheduled to commence on 30 October 2026.

Acrylic rubber, known for its heat resistance, is used in automotive components including oil seals and hoses. The Zeon Group already maintains four production sites across Japan, United States and Thailand, forming a global supply network for the material.

The restructuring follows Zeon’s 11 May 2026 announcement that it would transfer Tohpe shares to NATOCO Co., Ltd. of Miyoshi City, Aichi Prefecture, as part of Tohpe’s paints business divestiture. Tohpe’s acrylic rubber operations, which complement Zeon’s Elastomers Business, will now be positioned as a key specialty rubber manufacturing site, with closer operational coordination intended to strengthen Group competitiveness and corporate value.

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