Goodyear is using technology advances in tire design to minimize the impact of used tire disposal. Its revolutionary two-piece off-the-road assemblies are keeping huge earthmover tires out of landfills. The company's broad line of retreading products for large tires is extending tire life by three to four times. And the company's Goodyear, Dunlop and Kelly brands are designed for long treadwear and optimized performance when properly maintained.

Integrating environmental concerns
It's all about integrating environmental concerns into product development and end-of-lifecycle business decisions. Engineers, designers and business leaders now raise questions about how new products will affect the environment and how they will be disposed. The answers figure heavily in the development of future products.

Managing scrap tire uses
But when tires come to the end of their useful lives, Goodyear actively promotes global programs to assure environmentally responsible management of scrap tires. Nearly 80 percent of all scrap tires are recycled or recovered for other uses a rate higher than paper, plastic, cardboard or aluminum recycling.

Approximately 35 percent of all scrap tires are used to replace coal as fuel in cement and lime kilns, electric arc furnaces, electric utilities and boilers. In nearly all cases, tire fuel reduces nitrogen and sulfur emissions. In fact, the Atlanta, Georgia, air quality improvement program requires cement kilns in the metropolitan area to use tires as part of their fuel to reduce air emissions. Demand for tire fuel is expected to increase as competitive fuel costs rise and the public calls for improved air quality.

About 13 percent of all scrap tires are ground into crumb rubber for use on playgrounds and sports surfaces, making active recreation safer for both adults and children. Crumb rubber also is used in asphalt pavements that deliver quieter rides and longer-wearing roads as well as to repair cracks. Demand for asphalt-modified rubber is expected to increase to gain these benefits.

Ground rubber is a filler in non-engineered rubber materials, including brake pedals on vehicles, highway noise barriers, parking curbs, dock bumpers and even as filler in tires. Shredded rubber is a lightweight fill material for retaining walls, highway embankments and basement walls. Shredded tires also are used in drainage applications.

Goodyear is a member of several organizations that support proper scrap tire management, research and development for non-traditional uses. Goodyear has joined trade associations as well as national and manufacturer organizations in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Venezuela and 25 European countries that facilitate scrap tire management.