The Tire Industry Project has reported measurable sustainability progress among its ten member companies between 2021 and 2024, including lower carbon intensity, increased use of renewable electricity, reduced water withdrawals and stronger responsible sourcing practices. The latest report, “Sustainability Driven: TIP’s Progress Towards SDGs,” tracks 16 environmental, social and governance indicators across seven pathways of the Tire Sector SDG Roadmap. TIP members reduced CO₂ intensity by 26% over the reporting period, increased renewable electricity use by 121% and cut total water withdrawals by 14%. The report also highlights continued work on tire and road wear particles and circularity, including development of an End-of-Life Tire Management Hierarchy intended to help the tire value chain and governments move toward more circular management of waste tires.

TIP tracks 16 sustainability indicators

The report measures progress against 16 ESG key performance indicators covering seven pathways established through the Tire Sector SDG Roadmap. The framework is intended to connect tire industry activities with the broader United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The pathways address areas including natural rubber sustainability, responsible sourcing, manufacturing operations, employees, tire and road wear particles, sustainable mobility and digital solutions, and low-carbon circular solutions involving end-of-life tires.

CO₂ intensity falls 26% between 2021 and 2024

TIP members reported a 26% reduction in CO₂ intensity over the 2021–2024 period, bringing the indicator to its lowest level since 2009. The result reflects efforts by member companies to reduce emissions associated with tire manufacturing and related industrial operations.

Climate performance is one of the central areas monitored through TIP’s sustainability reporting framework, alongside energy use, water consumption and sourcing practices.

Renewable electricity use rises 121%

The report shows that renewable electricity consumption among TIP members increased by 121% between 2021 and 2024. The shift toward renewable power is one of the measures being used by tire manufacturers to reduce emissions associated with production.

At the same time, total water withdrawals declined by 14%, indicating progress in resource efficiency across participating companies.

All TIP members continue sustainable natural rubber reporting

All ten TIP member companies remained active participants in the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber and continued annual reporting under its mandatory framework.

Natural rubber remains one of the tire industry’s most important raw materials, making responsible sourcing and traceability significant components of the sector’s wider sustainability strategy.

Responsible sourcing targets expand across membership

By the end of 2024, 80% of TIP members had established time-bound responsible sourcing targets, more than twice the proportion reported in 2021.

The report also found that 70% of member companies had incorporated responsible sourcing requirements into supplier contracts, while 30% had completed third-party audits related to those commitments.

Research on tire and road wear particles increases

TIP also reported substantial growth in research concerning tire and road wear particles. Between 2021 and 2024, the number of TIP-supported TRWP publications increased by 75%.

Citations of TIP-sponsored research by the scientific community increased by 175% over the same period, reflecting broader use of the research in studies addressing tire emissions and their potential environmental effects.

End-of-life tire management remains circularity priority

The report highlights TIP’s continued development of its End-of-Life Tire Management Hierarchy, a framework designed to support more circular management of tires after their useful life.

The hierarchy is intended to provide guidance for stakeholders across the tire value chain and for national governments considering policies and management systems for end-of-life tires.

Circular solutions form part of Tire Sector SDG Roadmap

Low-carbon and circular solutions, including end-of-life tire management, represent one of the seven pathways within the Tire Sector SDG Roadmap. The approach recognizes that tire sustainability extends beyond manufacturing and includes how materials are recovered, reused or recycled after tires leave service.

Development of stronger tire recycling systems and circular material markets can support recovery of rubber, steel and other tire-derived materials while reducing reliance on disposal and less circular treatment routes.

TIP marks two decades of industry collaboration

TIP Executive Director Larisa Kryachkova said data-driven reporting is important for demonstrating whether sustainability commitments are producing measurable results. The organization marked its 20th anniversary while publishing the latest progress data.

TIP began publishing shared sustainability KPIs in 2016. In 2021, it introduced the “Sustainability Driven: Accelerating Impact with the Tire Sector SDG Roadmap” framework to provide a common structure for measuring progress and accountability across participating tire manufacturers.

Report strengthens transparency across tire value chain

The latest KPI results provide a consolidated view of how some of the world’s largest tire manufacturers are progressing on emissions, renewable energy, water efficiency, sourcing, research and circularity.

For the tire recycling sector, the continued inclusion of end-of-life tire management within the roadmap reinforces the importance of developing circular recovery pathways and stronger markets for materials recovered from used tires as part of the industry’s wider sustainability strategy.

Original report covered by Tire and Rubber Association of Canada.