Hankook rolls out recycled-PET-reinforced iON tires

Seongnam, South Korea – Hankook Tire & Technology has launched commercial production of tires featuring recycled PET from discarded plastics materials.

In collaboration with SK Chemicals and Hyosung Advanced Materials, the company has developed an ‘electric vehicle-exclusive’ iON-branded tire with rPET used in tire cords.

SK Chemicals employs a chemical recycling technology to break down discarded plastics and use them as raw materials for recycled polymers.

Hyosung Advanced Materials has developed the high-strength recycled PET-based tire cords for the iON tires, using the recycled polymers.

The new iON tire has a 45% sustainable material content and has recently passed the reliability verification by “a European automotive manufacturer”, Hankook announced 5 March.

The tire has secured final approval for use and is being mounted as tires for new vehicles, the statement added.

Other sustainable materials used in the tire include bio-based, circular, and bio-circular polymers and bio-based silica, noted Hankook.