How Michelin Tyres can Reduce Vehicle Emissions
From cars and bicycles to buses and trucks, tyres are used on a wide range of vehicles.
They can have a significant impact on the environment, not just in their manufacturing but also in use.
Michelin is one of the biggest manufacturers of tyres in the world, producing more than 200 million every year.
In its 2024 Sustainability Report, Michelin details the progress it has made on reducing the negative impacts of its business.
This includes a 37% reduction in its Scopes 1 and 2 CO₂ emissions in 2024 compared to 2019.
It has also increased the proportion of renewable or recycled materials used in its tyres to 31%.
Pierre-Martin Huet, Vice President, Sustainable Development and Impact at Michelin, said in the report: “We’re making a real difference by leveraging our unrivalled expertise in composite materials to supply the market with products that significantly improve our customers’ energy efficiency and reduce their carbon footprint.
“We’re also continuing to innovate to meet our 2030 target of delivering a further 10% improvement in energy efficiency.
“The trucking industry accounts for a quarter of all global emissions, this means that Michelin is making a major contribution to the planet.”
Antoine Sautenet, Chief Sustainability Officer at Michelin, said on LinkedIn that the report is “an important milestone in terms of transparency but also a key driver that showcases that companies play a key role in the society and the environment to provide collective responses to today’s challenges”.
The impact of tyres in use
Michelin says that tyres account for 15% to 30% of an internal combustion vehicle’s fuel consumption and the rolling resistance of tyres can impact the efficiency of the vehicle using them.
This gives the company an opportunity to make an impact on global transport emissions.
While this is also impacted by other factors, Michelin reports that its e.Primacy tyres can reduce a vehicle’s emissions by 5g/km on average.
Pilot Sport EV tyres, it says, are specifically designed for electric cars and can improve range by 10% while reducing CO₂ emissions.
EVs have weight, engine torque and range requirements that can make them more demanding on tyres.
Michelin says that all of its tyre lines may be fitted on EVs and it is focussed on solutions that improve the energy efficiency of tyres alongside their longevity to support the development of EVs.
The role of the CSRD
Michelin has chosen to report in line with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
The company says it hopes that this will make it easier to compare the performance of different companies.
“Like other European directives, the CSRD is well intentioned, but its implementation is still complex,” says Yves Chapot, General Manager and Chief Financial Officer at Michelin, in the report.
“It’s essential to find a balance between sustainability and keeping companies competitive, so that the global playing field remains fair and level.
“We therefore hope that this initial statement will support an objective comparison of our sustainability performance with our industry peers, thereby demonstrating our contribution to the emergence of a more sustainable world.
“On the other hand, we regret that because the CSRD currently applies only to certain European listed companies, Michelin bears significant additional costs that its non-European competitors are not subject to.”
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