Michelin calls it the 4R strategy — four rules that sum up an approach aimed at maximising efficiency and reducing impact. The tyre manufacturer's goal is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Reducing the amount of material required. Making use of reuse and natural resources. Integrating many renewable components, limiting the use of petroleum-derived products and aiming, in the future, for natural materials such as wood chips, straw, sugar, sugar residues and orange peel. Finally, R for recycle, integrating recycled materials from tyres or household waste, such as tyre powder, aluminium cans and electronic components. The 4R strategy sums up well the commitment of Michelin, one of the world's largest tyre manufacturers, to innovation and sustainability. Decidedly broad concepts when referring to the environment. But which, in this specific case, are not only a matter of production processes, cutting harmful emissions and protecting the territory.
These are significant aspects, but essentially practical in nature. Here, however, they are part of a mindset, a "head-first" approach. A formula that the Michelin group has replicated at corporate level, involving its own structures, but above all the men and women of an organisation as important as the French multinational. Which can count on a workforce — though it would probably be more appropriate to call it an environmental (and sustainable) force — of nearly 130,000 employees from no fewer than 120 different nationalities. A small yet great world in the service of sustainability. The work promoted by Michelin has tangible objectives: by 2030, the carbon footprint of its plants will be reduced by 50 per cent, to be completely eliminated by 2050.
There are four simple rules at the heart of Michelin, also known as the four Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle and renew. In a sense, they represent the sum total of sustainability according to the French multinational's corporate principles. They describe a modus operandi carefully analysed in every single detail. One that involves every aspect of production, starting with logistics. Both inbound, in the materials procurement phase, and outbound. This includes training drivers to make the best use of their vehicles, in order to improve efficiency. It is also for this reason that the French giant is listed in the leading indices for assessing environmental, social and governance performance at the main international rating agencies.
The role of logistics is also reflected in its own facilities, such as the European Distribution Centre (EDC) in Turin. Built using materials available on site, sourced for example from the demolition of pre-existing buildings, it boasts a structure capable of reducing energy consumption by more than 40 per cent.
The "Michelin system" is built on a circular economy model, designed to have as little impact on the environment as possible. It is based on sustainable solutions (renewables, reuse and recycling) and on the circular use of assets, which entails maximising their use and enhancing their value at the end-of-life stage. This is why the French group's priority is to make its tyres more energy-efficient. At the same time, extending their lifespan also allows for more efficient use of raw materials.
Michelin has been contributing to the mobility of millions of people for nearly 132 years. A history spanning more than a century, always a champion of sustainable solutions, beyond any direct connection with the environment. One need only think of one of the first tyre models from the early twentieth century, called Confort, capable of lasting for as many as 15,000 kilometres. Lifespans that may raise a smile today, but at the time represented a true revolution. A series of technological (and commercial) successes born of deep technical expertise and research — as evidenced by the number of patents Michelin continuously files.
One of the most important milestones in the French manufacturer's evolutionary history is undoubtedly that of 1946, when the first radial tyre with a steel belt was unveiled. A debut that would turn the industry on its head, destined to follow Michelin's example. The company had designed and produced a tyre capable of delivering performance previously unheard of, both in terms of performance and in terms of resistance and durability.
In the early 1990s, Michelin once again transformed the relationship it had long established with sustainability. The first low rolling resistance Energy tyre arrived on the market, made possible by a new industrial process. Its characteristics allowed for a significant improvement in fuel consumption and therefore in emissions, without compromising durability or grip even on wet surfaces.
A family of tyres that in subsequent years evolved into the Michelin Energy Saver range. A tyre that at launch came with particularly striking figures: a fuel saving of around 0.2 litres per 100 kilometres and a reduction in CO2 emissions of 4 grams per kilometre.
Among the most recent developments is the arrival of the e.Primacy model, which continues to build on values such as energy saving and efficiency, once again improving performance both in terms of consumption (0.21 litres of fuel less per 100 km) and emissions (174 kg less CO2 over the entire lifespan of the tyre). Results stemming from an in-depth research process involving three macro areas: the carcass, the tread and the sidewall. And which has given rise to a product that is lighter and, above all, more durable.
The future of tyres according to Michelin is called Uptis, the fruit of the Vision concept experience — a tyre prototype fitted with sensors capable of providing real-time information on road conditions. An acronym for Unique Puncture-proof Tyre System, the Uptis is produced through 3D printing and sustainability defines its every aspect, starting with the manufacturing process. There is no inner tube, replaced by a series of radial spokes that effectively support the rubber, which is therefore not susceptible to punctures. We will see it from 2024.
The concept of sustainability promoted by Michelin does not stem exclusively from its own products, but also from a desire to nurture and bring innovation to a wide audience. A modus operandi that in the late 1990s gave rise to the Challenge Bibendum, a mobility event born at the French headquarters in Clermont-Ferrand, which over its various editions brought together the leading figures in innovation and mobility — above all those with a vision far ahead of their time.
Over the years, the Challenge Bibendum has travelled the world, becoming a kind of forum for dialogue that has allowed — and continues to allow — today under the name of the Movin'On summit, scientists, entrepreneurs, visionaries, creatives, policymakers, NGOs and industry professionals to discuss strategic issues for the entire automotive sector, with the clear goal of offering concrete and innovative solutions to meet everyone's mobility needs, to contribute to the progress of society and to act in the interest of the planet.