Hankook Tire, First in Tire Industry to Obtain 'ISCC PLUS'... "Leading Sustainable Management Based on Eco-Friendliness"

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] As the importance of carbon neutrality is being emphasized worldwide, the industrial sector is also paying attention to it. This interest is partly due to the trend where ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) is becoming essential.

According to the tire industry on the 26th, companies are making various efforts to lead the reduction of carbon emissions and secure future growth engines in an environment where sustainable management is increasingly emphasized. As part of this, many companies across the industrial sector have recently obtained the 'ISCC PLUS' certification, a global eco-friendly material international certification system, to enhance sustainability in the production and usage processes of their products.

The ISCC PLUS certification is an international certification that complies with the European Union (EU) Renewable Energy Directive, requiring verification throughout the entire process from raw material procurement to product sales to obtain certification. It is the most trusted certification in the eco-friendly certification field.

Primarily, as the low-carbon policy framework is being strengthened, the refining and chemical industries are accelerating the restructuring of eco-friendly businesses, with companies such as Hyundai Oilbank, LG Chem, Hwas Chemical, Yeonwoo, Dongseo Fiber Chemical, and SK Geocentric quickly acquiring ISCC PLUS certification.

In the domestic automotive industry, the global leading tire company Hankook Tire & Technology (hereinafter Hankook Tire) is making various efforts based on its technology philosophy called 'HIP' to enable safe and enjoyable driving experiences through innovative tire technology and realized future mobility. It is implementing sustainable natural rubber policies and the E-Circle declaration to secure the economic, social, and environmental sustainability of the natural rubber value chain.

Hankook Tire is conducting research and development (R&D) on sustainable activities using materials and raw materials such as natural oil and recycled carbon. In November last year, Hankook Tire became the first in the tire industry to obtain ISCC PLUS certification. Given that tire production processes are more complex compared to other manufacturing industries, Hankook Tire’s achievement as the first in the industry to receive ISCC PLUS certification is highly significant.

Hankook Tire succeeded in replacing petrochemical oil with natural oil and petrochemical products (synthetic rubber) with bio-chemical products (bio-based polymers) among tire raw materials.

To receive ISCC PLUS certification, in the case of natural oil, certification must be conducted throughout all processes from the cultivation of raw materials, refining into oil, to use as tire raw materials and final product production. This proved the eco-friendliness of using naturally derived materials in tires. Additionally, it contributed to reducing carbon emissions compared to the use of conventional petrochemical products and suggested the direction of eco-friendly tires through the use of ISCC PLUS certified SBR, which enhances sustainability.

Using certified eco-friendly raw materials, Hankook Tire introduced the all-weather tires 'Kinergy 4S 2' and the SUV version of Kinergy 4S 2, 'Kinergy 4S 2 X.'

Kinergy 4S 2 and Kinergy 4S 2 X demonstrate performance equal to or better than when using conventional petrochemical products by leveraging the characteristics of natural raw materials. The rubber compound using natural oil can maintain the properties of rubber at lower temperatures compared to when using general petrochemical oil. Therefore, Kinergy 4S 2 is characterized by excellent snow driving performance, maintaining the elasticity and toughness of rubber at low temperatures.

Based on this outstanding performance, Hankook Tire ranked first in the all-weather tire segment of 'Auto Bild,' Europe’s most prestigious automotive magazine, and was selected as the 'Tire Manufacturer of the Year.'

Additionally, Hankook Tire is researching and developing recycled carbon, which is produced by pyrolyzing waste tires into carbon black and used in tire production. Generally, carbon black is produced using fossil fuels, so reducing carbon dioxide emissions is important. Hankook Tire reduced CO2 emissions by 80% during carbon black production by using recycled carbon. This is significant as it contributes to resource recycling by using waste tires. In 2023, the company plans to expand the use of recycled carbon to about 2,000 tons, twice the amount used this year.

Moreover, even before the importance of ESG management emerged, Hankook Tire has been contemplating the use of sustainable raw materials and has been actively engaged in various ESG activities. Based on this, it has received exceptional evaluations from global specialized institutions. In November last year, it achieved the remarkable feat of being included in the 'Dow Jones Sustainability Indices World,' the world’s most prestigious sustainability evaluation index, for six consecutive years from 2016 to 2021. Notably, it scored the highest in the automotive parts industry group, ranking first worldwide. Furthermore, it received the highest grade, ‘Platinum,’ awarded to the top 1% of companies in this year’s ESG evaluation by the global sustainability assessment organization Ecovadis.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.