Nokian Tyres has reached one of its key emissions reduction targets seven years ahead of schedule. One of the company’s science-based greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets was to cut its tire factories’ CO2 emissions by 52% per production ton by 2030 compared to the emissions level in 2015. The target was already achieved in 2023. Nokian Tyres’ factory emissions per production ton are the lowest in the tire industry, but the company continues its work to reduce them even more.
In 2015 the direct CO2 emissions from the factories were 723 kilograms1 per ton of tires, so reducing them by 52% means that they are below 347 kilograms per ton of tires, which was the target level for the year 2030. However, in 2023 Nokian Tyres is already progressing rapidly toward a level of less than 200 kilograms per ton of tires manufactured
The level of Nokian Tyres’ direct CO2 emissions was the lowest in the tire industry already last year. In 2022, Nokian Tyres direct CO2 emissions were 420 kilograms2 per ton of tires manufactured, whereas the majority of tire manufacturers operate between 700 and 1100 kilograms3.
“Urgent actions are needed to tackle climate change, so even though Nokian Tyres’ factory greenhouse gas emissions are at an industry-leading level, we consider it important to cut the emissions to zero as soon as technically possible. In the best case, it leads to setting new sustainability benchmarks that can have a positive impact on how the whole industry operates,” says Teppo Huovila, Vice President of Quality, Sustainability and Supply operations business development at Nokian Tyres.
On the way toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions
The already-achieved target is one of Nokian Tyres’ four science-based greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. Two of the targets are related to emissions from the supply chain, and one target is to reduce emissions during tire use.
“Besides the emissions from tire manufacturing, the emissions during tire use are something that Nokian Tyres’ own actions and choices can influence the most. The lower the rolling resistance of tires, the less fuel or energy the vehicle consumes. Between 2013-2022, Nokian Tyres has reduced the rolling resistance of its tires by 8.5% on average. This equals to the exhaust fumes of 65,000 cars annually,” Huovila says.
The CO2 emissions from tire production are mainly the result of the energy mix used in the factories. Thus, to reduce emissions, most of the purchased energy has to be from zero-CO2-emission sources. Improvements in energy efficiency reduce both energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. At Nokian Tyres, energy efficiency is considered when procuring new machinery, utilizing heat recovery solutions, and also, for example, in updating lighting with energy-saving led solutions.
Nokian Tyres is in the process of updating its science-based climate targets to be even more ambitious. The company is committed to setting targets that enable net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. An important step on the journey is the new factory that Nokian Tyres is currently building in Oradea, Romania, as it will be the first zero CO2 emission tire factory in the world.
1 Nokian Tyres Corporate Sustainability Report 2015, p. 126, Greenhouse gas emissions intensity ratio, Scope 1 + Scope 2/production tonne
2 Nokian Tyres Corporate Sustainability Report 2022, p. 47, Greenhouse gas emissions intensity ratio Scope 1 + Scope 2, CO2 eq t/production t.
3 CDP Climate reports and annual Sustainability Reports of tire companies
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