The Global Tire Industry Conference is held at Clemson University in Greenville, South Carolina. It is reported that this is the first time that the Global Tire Industry Conference is held in Greenville. Different location, same passion. On the second day of the conference, tire industry insiders discussed a series of topics including industry sustainability, synthetic rubber market prospects, leadership and product development.
Among them, what is sustainable development, how to actively achieve sustainable development, and the recovery of the automotive industry have become the three key points discussed at this meeting.
In this global tire industry conference, the sustainable development of the industry has become one of the important themes. Many industry insiders said that the sustainable development of the tire industry and enterprises is far more than reducing carbon footprints and protecting natural resources - environmental friendliness is important, but it is only a part of sustainable development and not the whole.
Tracey Norberg, Senior Vice President and General Council of the American Tire Manufacturers Association, said in an April 19 discussion: "Sustainability is not just about environmental progress. It's about business economic stability. It's about safety. I hope everyone doesn't forget,' Sustainability' is not just an environmental issue, but an important decision related to the long-term development of enterprises."
For the tire industry, sustainable development is about building a responsible industry that is environmentally responsible, socially responsible and economically responsible. For the American Tire Manufacturers Association and its member companies, sustainability efforts rest on a vision based on six pillars.
The six-pillar vision is: to improve tire life and performance, to achieve zero work-related injuries, to increase the use of sustainable materials, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions throughout the tire life cycle, to understand the impact of products, and to strive to ensure that end-of-life tires enter sustainable development. Ongoing end-use markets.
Although people in the tire industry regard the above six visions as the direction of sustainable development of the industry, it is not easy to practice sustainable development in actual tire manufacturing and tire use. Although sustainable development has been written into laws and regulations, the internal driving force of enterprises and industries is still needed to truly implement the concept of sustainable development.
People in the industry believe that the best internal driving force that can guarantee the sustainable development of enterprises is that sustainable development should be conducive to the commercial development of enterprises. That's why the American Tire Manufacturers Association believes that sustainability is not just about environmental protection.
Tracey Norberg said tire companies should not wait for government regulation or mandates for sustainability. Instead, tire companies should define sustainability in a business-friendly way.
According to Tracey Norberg, it's not just up to tire manufacturers to make this happen. Achieving the SDGs will require the support and input of manufacturers, suppliers and others across the industry – it will take a concerted effort to not only set aggressive and achievable goals, but also to achieve a guiding vision.
“When the tire industry makes sustainability a priority, businesses can not only benefit from it, but can define why they benefit. So tire companies should not just set goals, but think about how to actually make our own business sustainable. Sustained development is beneficial to one’s own business development.”
With the continuous advancement of sustainable development, but the commercialization of 100% sustainable tires by tire manufacturers and the establishment of a more sustainable supply chain, the future of natural rubber has also become the industry's concern at this conference. focus.
In addition to raw materials and sustainable development, this industry conference also discussed changes in the automotive industry in the future. After all, in the past three years, due to the slump in upstream automobile production and sales, tire companies have suffered varying degrees of impact on their original equipment business. In 2023, how to restore the auto industry will naturally become a key topic of this conference.