While trucks, particularly those used for commercial purposes, are useful for bringing us our food and pretty much everything we use—from the factory or farm to the store--, they still have this image of being eco-wasters. You know, the kind that wastes a lot of fuel and resources. Their heavy loads, for instance, can be a drain on tires.
Renowned tire maker Michelin, however, seems to be doing its bit to curb this image by offering a range of truck tires that can alleviate the wasteful use of rubber and even save precious fuel. Sound like marketing fluff? The French Ministry of Ecology, Energy, and the Sea, along with the Agency for Environment and Energy Control have bestowed the Circular Economy Grand Prize on Michelin for “fighting climate change”.
This is in recognition of the eco design of its truck tires that have been in use for quite some time now. These tires, experts note, have a regrowing process that extends its life by some 25%, as well as increasing overall performance over several lifetimes. Michelin has likewise improved and even perfected the retreading process, making it possible to give the tires a new lease on life, allowing them to run like new. Moreover, fuel economy has been observed to improve by as much as 2km/L—a huge step for vehicles of this size and weight.
Of course, all this is part if Michelin’s commitment to reduce its carbon footprint by 20% between the years 2010 to 2030. This it swore during the COP21 conference in November 2015. The latest award simply reinforces its efforts and shows that it is on the right track to help make our planet a cleaner place to live in.
