Michelin commits to a green economic restart

Clermont-Ferrand, France – Michelin has joined an initiative led by Swiss-based Solar Impulse Foundation to promote sustainability and give the economy a ‘green’ restart, particularly in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic.

Solar Impulse, and its 11 partners, are promoting a vision to “build a new sustainable economic and industrial model” based on cleaner energy, higher efficiency and respect for biodiversity.

In a 6 May statement, Michelin said the move to join the initiative was in line with its ‘everything sustainable’ strategy. 

“Our aim is to achieve sustainable growth that creates a value balance, meaning it is profitable for the company and beneficial for our employees, the planet and its inhabitants," group’s CEO Florent Menegaux.

Michelin noted that the the success of such initiatives, in the wake of Covid-19, would depend on reconciling economic, societal and environmental interests. 

“This challenging opportunity is within the reach of Michelin Group, which has placed its ‘everything sustainable’ vision at the heart of its strategy,” the French group added.

To achieve its sustainability goals, Michelin said it is working on a number of projects including energy- and material-saving tires, biosourced materials for tires and in fuel-cell-based mobility solutions.

The group also maintains that it is “firmly committed to responsible rubber farming, the circular economy and the preservation of biodiversity.”