Pirelli has introduced a new line of P Zero tires, developed for Jaguar Land Rover, that features 70% bio-based and recycled materials. The tires include natural rubber certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).
Eco-Friendly Tires
Pirelli first produced a tire model made with FSC-certified natural rubber in 2021. In 2024, the JLR became the first car manufacturer to equip its vehicles with Pirelli tires containing 100% FSC-certified natural rubber.
The current partnership between Pirelli and JLR marks another step toward increasing the incorporation of recycled materials in tires and overall sustainability efforts.
“This certification attests to the responsible management of the natural rubber supply chain, from plantation to factory,” said the company in a press release.
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“The P Zero developed for JLR will be manufactured using materials such as rice husk-derived silica, recycled steel, and FSC-certified natural rubber.”
According to Interesting Engineering, the new tire will initially be available on select 22-inch wheel options for the Range Rover. The design aligns with JLR’s goals of incorporating more sustainable tires among its luxury vehicle range.
The FSC marking and logo will identify the tire as one made with over 50% bio-based and recycled materials, as verified by Bureau Veritas, a third-party certification body. In order to fuse Ultra-High Performance (UHP) with a high quantity of recycled materials, Pirelli’s Research & Development team used materials such as recycled steel, silica produced from rice husks for wet performance, and circular carbon black sourced from pyrolysis oil from end-of-life tires.
The recycled steel used in the tires’ construction is partially sourced from scrap metal. Fossil-based polymers were also replaced with bio-circular polymers, which are manufactured from monomers sourced from used cooking oil or pyrolysis oil. Plant-based bio-resins work as plasticizers, providing a balance between dry and wet performance.
The new product will be used to further test material innovation. The goal is to find more ways to increase the percentage of recycled components in tires, allowing us to further reduce environmental impacts without sacrificing performance.
