Pirelli has launched its first full production tires with over 70% bio-based and recycled materials. The new line of P Zero tires was developed for Jaguar Land Rover, and include Forest Stewardship Council certification for natural rubber.
The new P Zeroes will initially be available on 22-inch wheel options for Range Rover vehicles before becoming available for the public. The tires feature an FSC symbol and markings that indicate the total bio-based and recycled materials content.
They contain recycled steel, rice-husk-derived silica, circular carbon black obtained from recycled tires, bio-circular polymers derived from cooking and pyrolysis oils, plus plant-based bio-resins as binders. All of these materials are third-party certified by Bureau Veritas.
The recycled steel is sourced from a variety of scrap metal melted down to create raw steel for re-use. It makes up the belt plies of the tire's inner structure. Certified, renewable natural rubber is used to form a base for the other compounds used in the tire-making process.
The rice-husk-derived silica comes from the plant waste produced when processing rice, while the recycled-tire-based carbon black is obtained from melted-down discarded tires. Cooking oil or pyrolysis oils replace fossil-based petroleum oil, and plant-based plasticizers form the bio-resins that bind the compounds together.
Pirelli has been moving towards 100% renewables for some time, with its first full-natural-rubber-certified P Zero tires announced back in 2021.
Source: Pirelli
