Your tires can help reduce the CO2 emissions – Nokian Tyres works towards greener tires

On the World Environment Day Nokian Tyres wishes to remind how drivers can impact air pollution. Nokian Tyres is passionate about improving sustainability, and these numbers highlight its impact on the environment.

Car owners have more ways to make environmentally friendly choices than they may realize. One way is choosing tires with a lower rolling resistance: this will save fuel and reduce CO2 emissions.

Nokian Tyres works hard to make tires greener: the rolling resistance of its tires has been reduced by 8% in average compared to 2013. This equals to the exhaust fumes of 65,000 cars.

Rolling resistance refers to the energy lost when the tire is moving as you drive. The lower the rolling resistance, the less energy is lost and less fuel needed. Better fuel efficiency affects positively the environment and the driver’s carbon footprint by reducing CO2 emissions. For electric cars lower rolling resistance means also longer driving range.

Here’s a powerful example of the impact of rolling resistance: if all passenger cars in Finland, Sweden and Norway used low rolling resistance Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 winter tires over the product’s life cycle instead of other premium winter tires, benefits would be remarkable. The fuel savings would be nearly 300 million liters and carbon dioxide emissions would decrease by some 710,000 tons.*

In EU, traffic is estimated to form around 24% of the greenhouse gas emissions. The target is to reduce GHG emissions by 20% by 2020 compared with the levels of 1990. Stricter targets set by EU will apply from 2021 on.

Premium tire manufacturers like Nokian Tyres are actively working to reduce rolling resistance by developing advanced rubber compounds and introducing new innovative tread designs and tire constructions.

“Our engineers work hard to keep up the good work: our goal is to reduce the rolling resistance of each new tire generation without compromising safety”, said Teppo Huovila, Nokian Tyres’ vice president of quality and sustainability.

Save fuel – and the environment

Over 90% of Nokian Tyres’ tires are in the best rolling resistance categories A, B or C. To give some perspective: the most common passenger car tire label in the market is in the E category (ETRMA analysis, October 2018). The difference is huge for a car owner – and not just environmentally. A class summer tire that has a correct tire pressure can save up to 0,5 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers compared to the lowest performing tires.

Nokian Tyres has worked for years with sustainability at the core of its business. In the RobecoSAM Sustainability Yearbook 2019 the company received the Silver Class distinction. Although over 85 percent of the carbon footprint of a tire comes from its use, Nokian Tyres continues to work to reduce the environmental impacts of a tire throughout its entire life cycle.

That is why we are also proud of these achievements:

RECYCLING

100% of the waste in our Nokia factory was recycled in 2018. Almost 100% of used tires are recycled in the Nordic countries and around 95% in Europe.

SAVING ENERGY

Installing a new scrubber to the Nokia energy plant which provides our factory and headquarters in Nokia with hot water and steam, has already saved 185 truckloads of fuel.

RENEWABLE ENERGY

At our factory and head office in Nokia, Finland about 47% of all used energy is produced with renewable energy sources. We have installed solar panels in our warehouse in Vermont, US.

SUSTAINABLE RAW MATERIALS

Nokian Tyres joined the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber in March 2019. The GPSNR will work to improve respect for human rights, prevent land-grabbing, protect biodiversity and water resources, improve yields, and increase supply chain transparency and traceability.

IMPROVEMENTS IN LABOR RIGHTS

Nokian Tyres’ sustainability follow-up-audits in Malaysia and Indonesia showed improvements in labor rights in 2018 compared to weaknesses highlighted in earlier audits. Workers were educated on their rights, worked shorter shifts with more rest days and enjoyed better access to water as they worked, among other quality-of-life enhancements.

Nokian Tyres plc

Päivi Antola
SVP, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations

Further information: Teppo Huovila, Vice President, Quality & Sustainability, tel. +358 10 401 7701

*Calculations are based on a comparison of the rolling resistance of Nokian Hakkapeliitta R3 to the rolling resistance of other premium winter tyres. Key assumptions used in the calculations are as follows: number of passenger cars in Finland 2.6 million, annual average mileage in Finland 14 400 km, and annual average fuel consumption in Finland 6.7 l/100 km. Winter tyres are estimated to account for 45% of the mileage. The societal cost of carbon dioxide emissions has been calculated with an assumed price of 40 euros per tonne of CO2 emissions, which is in line with the cost used by the Finnish Transport Agency, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration and the US Environmental Protection Agency. Source: Assessment based on KPMG’s True Value methodology.

Nokian Tyres develops and manufactures premium tires for people who value safety and sustainability. Inspired by our Scandinavian heritage, we craft innovative products for passenger cars, trucks and heavy machinery that give you peace of mind in all driving conditions. Our Vianor chain provides tire and car services. In 2018, the company’s net sales were EUR 1.6 billion and it employed some 4,800 people. Nokian Tyres is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki. Further information: www.nokiantyres.com

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