Bicycles

World's first carbon-neutral tire rides the road to sustainability

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reTyre's Friedemann Ohse is introducing the world's first carbon-neutral bike tire at Eurobike 2024
reTyre
reTyre's Friedemann Ohse is introducing the world's first carbon-neutral bike tire at Eurobike 2024
reTyre
The reTyre carbon-neutral bike tire concept has been created using novel materials, including algae, recycled Kevlar, post-consumer recyclate and reclaimed fishing nets
reTyre
reTyre's novel zip-up tread skins will also be on show at Eurobike 2024
reTyre
Visitors to reTyre's booth in Hall 12.1 at Eurobike 2024 at the Messe Frankfurt can view the company's full range of sustainable products
reTyre
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Norway's innovative tire maker reTyre has cooked up what's claimed to be the first carbon-neutral tire. Debuting at Eurobike this week, the concept is made from 100% reclaimed materials – including recycled fishing nets and beads from body armor.

You may remember the Oslo-based company from the novel zip-up system for adding interchangeable tread skins to a base tire, which allows riders to tackle different surfaces without having to change wheels or tires. Last year, reTyre stepped up its sustainability game even further by offering a rubber-free wheel-wrap solution that's 100% recyclable.

With Eurobike about to open its doors to trade and public, the innovation continues with the unveiling of a carbon-neutral tire concept that "marks a monumental step towards sustainable tire production."

The casing is made using discarded fishing nets recovered from the ocean. Algae harvested from blooms in lakes and oceans around the world is used in the tread, helping to restore aquatic ecosystems and "preventing eutrophication and methane release." Para-aramid (Kevlar) fibers from used body armor that's recycled in a closed-loop process is incorporated in the beads and puncture protection. And the tire also makes use of post-consumer recyclate from "local waste streams with a low CO2-equivalent."

The reTyre carbon-neutral bike tire concept has been created using novel materials, including algae, recycled Kevlar, post-consumer recyclate and reclaimed fishing nets
reTyre

The carbon-neutral tire is at the concept stage of development at the moment, with reTyre giving no indication of production and availability timelines. It will be showcased alongside the company's current range of bio-based and recyclable tires – including a new City line aimed at urban cyclists – at reTyre's Eurobike booth in Hall 12.1 from July 3.

"The product carbon footprint of this tire is based on our third-party verified LCA [Life Cycle Assessment], including the end-of-life, which is how we measure all our products," said project lead, Friedemann Ohse. "Our production and transportation processes are optimized to be close to zero emissions. End-of-life is reduced to almost zero due to the recycling of the tires.

"The algae used in the tire has a negative CO2-equivalent, balancing any remaining emissions to achieve a net-zero impact. In this way, we have a carbon-neutral product without using any of the well-known shortcuts, such as carbon quotas, subsidies or other non-product related contributions."

Source: reTyre

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2 comments
michael_dowling
Good news,but it doesn't address the problem of tire dust,which at the least is known to exacerbate bronchitis. Oh well,one problem at a time.
Trylon
@michael_dowling, you'll never eliminate tire dust. It's impossible unless you can come up with an indestructible material that will never wear and thus never shed particles. Of course, despite being the holy grail of tires, the tire companies would hate that. A tire that never wears out would put them out of business quickly. But what this company is doing is moving beyond petroleum-based vulcanized rubber, which is probably the major contributor, if not the sole contributor, to health woes.