Sustainable mobility is the theme that Bridgestone will showcase at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show that will happen in Las Vegas from January 5-8, 2023. According to a new release, Bridgestone’s presence at CES 2023 is centred around three key themes:
- Renewable natural rubber and tire recycling: Guayule is a domestically sourced natural rubber that is derived from desert shrubs in the arid regions of the U.S. and Mexico, and Bridgestone is co-developing tire recycling technologies as part of its EVERTIRE INITIATIVE.
- “Smart Corner” digitally connected tires and air springs for EVs: Vehicle performance, efficiency, safety and comfort are enhanced through sensor-enabled tires and air springs.
- Digital concierge for personal and fleet vehicle management: Vehicle owners and operators are empowered with online, concierge-style vehicle management tools to service their vehicles on their terms.
The delivery of sustainable mobility requires each stage of the tire and rubber product’s life—from manufacturing and ownership to maintenance and end-of-life material circularity—to consider the most responsible processes and tools for each step. According to the company’s report, at CES, Bridgestone will “demonstrate its vision of end-to-end tire ownership and vehicle management experience with the ultimate goal of carbon-neutral transportation in the future”.
In early 2022, Bridgestone announced its EVERTIRE INITIATIVE focused on the recycling of tires at the end of their useful life to create new tires. Through this global effort, the company is working with partners in the co-development of tire recycling technologies. One example of this is the bioprocessing of end-of-life tires through a fermentation process. The materials resulting from this process are fit for re-use in the manufacturing of new tires.
Bridgestone has committed to the target of increasing the use of recycled and renewable materials to 40 per cent of its resources by 2030 and achieving the goal of using 100 per cent sustainable materials by 2050. At CES, the company will showcase several key elements of its aim for a sustainable and circular tire economy.
A renewable alternative source of natural rubber, guayule, produces natural rubber with properties equal to that derived from hevea. Guayule is a desert shrub native to arid regions of the U.S. and Mexico and requires 40 per cent less water than crops such as alfalfa and cotton, grown today in the American southwest. The company has invested more than $100 million in the development and commercialization of guayule-derived natural rubber and currently operates a 281-acre research farm, a bio-processing pilot plant and several grower partnerships with local farmers and Native American tribes.
Bridgestone is working to educate local growers on climate-smart farming techniques and irrigation to help them adapt to the current hardships caused by the environmental changes, with the aim of planting more than 25,000 acres of guayule before the end of the decade.
