Cooper Tire Recycles More than 75% of Waste Annually, Sustainability Report Says

by | Aug 28, 2019

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(Credit: Cooper Tire & Rubber)

Cooper Tire & Rubber is recycling approximately 78% of its waste annually and is continuing to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills from its manufacturing plants, according to the company’s latest sustainability report.

Cooper facilities are also making strides in energy optimization and greenhouse gas reduction efforts, including upgrades to energy efficient LED lighting, utilizing new energy sources and infrastructure improvements.

At one plant, for example, Cooper has commissioned a combined heat and power (CHP) system that is providing onsite generation of approximately 50% of the plant’s electrical power needs, generating the steam required for plant processes and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Cooper is investing in product optimization to boost fuel efficiency and use fewer raw materials. By improving product weight, construction and materials to maximize performance, Cooper is improving rolling resistance which lowers vehicle fuel consumption and improves efficiency. Cooper is also producing 10 SmartWay-verified commercial truck tires that meet the EPA’s criteria for reducing fuel consumption.

When it comes to environment, health and safety, the company uses an “EHS Excellence System” improvement model to predictably and sustainably manage EHS. This management system holds leadership accountable for EHS through goal setting, defining roles and responsibilities, and developing proactive performance measures, as well as holding individuals accountable for their responsibilities within the EHS management system. Cooper’s EHS management system provides the structure, strategy and expectations to continually improve EHS performance and specifically addresses hazard categories such as machine, physical, chemical, biological, energy, ergonomic, and environmental.

The company also stressed that it signed on as a founding member of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR), a universal and standard industry approach that aims to establish and promote sustainable rubber practices.

Cooper Tire is among the industry leaders who established this work in 2018. Michelin, Pirelli, Goodyear, and Bridgestone are also founding members of the GPSNR.

Faced with a global demand for natural rubber that is rapidly outstripping supply, tire industry stakeholders are pushing to improve sustainable rubber yields, harmonize standards, protect human rights and natural resources — all while improving transparency and traceability in a complex supply chain.

From January through September of 2018, global demand for natural rubber outstripped supply by 874,000 metric tons, the European Rubber Journal reported, citing statistics from the Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries. The transport sector consumes three-quarters of global rubber production, Michelin’s senior vice president of sustainable development and mobility Nicolas Beaumont pointed out recently.

To help combat global demand for natural rubber, General Motors and Michelin are teaming up to develop an airless, puncture-proof tire which will ultimately reduce the use of raw materials, the companies announced earlier this year. The airless tires will also diminish energy for production and emissions linked to the manufacture of spare tires. The Michelin Uptis (Unique Puncture-proof Tire System) eliminates flats and blowouts, leading to significant potential for reducing the use of raw materials and waste as the need for spare tires and replacement tires is vastly lessened.

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