UPM/Nokian Tyres partner on concept tyre with renewable functional fillers

Finland’s UPM Biochemicals, a materials firm, and tyre maker Nokian Tyres say they are set for an industry first with a concept tyre partly based on UPM’s BioMotion renewable functional fillers (RFF).

The partnership will launch UPM’s CO?-negative RFF into a new market segment and highlights the possibilities to use a lighter weight, 100% renewable alternative to traditional CO?-intensive fillers.

Functional fillers represent approximately 30% of a tyre and consist of materials such as primarily carbon black and precipitated silica. According to an initial test series by Nokian Tyres, replacing functional fillers with UPM BioMotion RFF offers a potential for more sustainable tyres. It will also be the first tyre manufacturer incorporating UPM’s RFF into a tyre.

UPM’s BioMotion RFF are among several CO2-negative solutions set to be produced at UPM’s Leuna facility. The company is investing EUR1 billion to build the world’s first industrial scale biorefinery in Leuna that will convert sustainably sourced, certified hardwood into next generation biochemicals – enabling the vital shift away from fossil-based to renewable materials across a wide range of industries. The Leuna biorefinery is part of a broader growth area, UPM Biorefining, which is scaling refineries to produce a variety of renewable fuels and chemicals made from sustainable biomass.

“We are constantly working on innovations that advance us towards our target of increasing the share of recycled or renewable raw materials in tyres to 50% by 2030. Since 2022, a portion of the carbon black used by Nokian Tyres has been made from recycled materials. We see UPM BioMotion RFF as a promising renewable alternative to traditional carbon black, and in the future, we hope to see that renewable filler materials will find their way into various tire applications, complementing an increasing share of recycled content,” explains Teemu Soini, Vice President Innovations & Development at Nokian Tyres.

Michael Duetsch, Vice President Biochemicals at UPM, commented: “Our partnership with Nokian Tyres marks the exciting entry of our Renewable Functional Fillers into the global tire markets. In successfully demonstrating their application value, it helps us to lay the groundwork for scaling our biorefinery business so that we can make a significant contribution to the sustainable transformation of the mobility sector and beyond.”