Michelin’s eco-mark becomes de facto standard
Can a tyre be “green”? More importantly, can you get people to pay a premium for it? Bernard Delmas, president and CEO representative director of Nihon Michelin Tire, understands the problem. “For most people, what is a tyre? It’s black, it’s round, it goes on a car … that’s about it,” he says.
But there are ways to reduce a tyre’s environmental impact. The key factor is “rolling resistance,” the energy needed to push the tyre down the road. Rolling resistance accounts for a fifth of a car’s petrol consumption; for a truck it’s a third. So it is a key to boosting fuel efficiency. But performance factors have to be addressed at the same time – such as cornering, grip, noise, durability, ability to carry a load and resistance to damage.
“So a ‘green’ tyre would have improved rolling resistance, while maintaining the other factors,” Delmas says. “You do this by adding technology, such as silica instead of carbon black, and by optimising tread pattern, reducing weight, etc.”
But how to communicate all this effort to the consumer? In 2008, Michelin introduced a simple system for ranking tyres, using only two variables – rolling resistance and wet grip – in five classes, indicated in green lettering on a tag affixed to the tyre. Tyres that earn a ranking of A/C or better can sport the green eco-mark.
It began as an internal certification system and marketing tool, but has since been adopted throughout the industry. It is to be adopted into law by the EU in 2012, when all tyres have to carry the rating, eco or not.
In Japan, the system is voluntary, regulated by the Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association. “Here, there are two categories – eco-mark [for tyres with a rating of A or better rolling resistance] or not,” says Delmas. “None of the tyre makers in Japan put the eco-mark on tyres that are not eco, meaning it is the de facto standard.”
“It’s also a way to regulate the use of the term ‘eco’,” he notes. “Companies have been using it, but nobody knew what it meant. Now we know.”
It may be too soon to say whether the system can boost sales of tyres. But the eco-mark has allowed Michelin to enhance its image as a green company, create some buzz for its new “energy saver” tyres, defuse some criticism of the auto industry from environmentalists, and get a jump on the competition.