TECHNOLOGY FOR CHANGE

New Renewably Resourced Tires Could Affect Your Gas Mileage, Carbon Footprint

Dave Greenfield | Date: 09-23-10 | Comments

Tire manufacturers are producing renewably resourced tires that are considerably more environmentally friendly than traditional rubber tires.

Before you trade in your regular automobile and buy a bicycle in order to reduce your carbon footprint, you might want to learn more about renewable resourced tires.
Companies all over the world are working hard to develop environmentally friendly products and business practices, including those that work directly in the automotive industry. Tire manufacturers in particular understand the need to recycle used tires and find ways to help drivers get the most gas mileage possible.

Car tires have often received a bad environmental reputation, but that image is about to change, thanks to new renewably resourced tires. Tire manufacturers have developed new and inventive ways to make car tires economically and environmentally viable for consumers. These tires are made from recyclable rubber that contains fewer petroleum-based ingredients and impact the ground in a way that helps conserve fuel. The more resistance the tire encounters to roll, the more fuel the engine will burn. This simple concept contributes to about 86 percent of harmful greenhouses gasses emitted by most automobiles. With new renewably resourced tires, the percentage of harmful greenhouse gasses emitted into the air can be significantly reduced.

Making a tire isn't as simple as one would think. There are more than 40 different chemicals that go into creating a standard rubber tire. To make tires more environmentally friendly, chemists and engineers in the tire industry had to figure out an effective way to supplement some of those chemicals (which include petroleum) to produce tires. The more we learn about the dangerous effects of global warming, the more we can do to help create products that will have a lasting positive effect on the environment as a whole. You don't have to ditch your automobile to reduce your carbon footprint; you can simply purchase renewably resourced tires instead.

Would you consider replacing your car's tires with renewably resourced offerings? Let us know in the comments section below.