Bandag has used its 60th anniversary of local manufacturing celebrations to reinforce the company’s role in a circular economy and sustainable future, as well as demonstrate how retreading tyres plays an essential part in Bridgestone’s global and regional strategy.
Whilst celebrating the diamond jubilee milestone, the sustainability benefits of Bandag are now more relevant than ever. In line with today’s shifting landscape within the trucking and bus industries, environmental and social factors are playing an increasingly more prevalent role in the product and service choice that businesses make in addition to traditional performance requirements.
According to Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand Managing Director, Heath Barclay, Bandag retreads are an impactful way that Bridgestone is supporting its customers’ ambitions towards a more sustainable future.
“Environmental and social factors have always been a consideration for our customers, but we have seen it increasingly becoming top of mind in recent years. Now, our customers are turning to us to discuss how we can work together to support them in meeting their sustainability goals,” Mr Barclay said.
“No longer is our company selling just products to our customers, we are committed to working with them on long-term solutions that contribute to not only economic, but also environmental and social performance indicators,” he added.
The Bandag retread process exemplifies product circularity and a working circular economy within the tyre industry. The local manufacturing process re-captures the value of old truck tyre cases and retreads them to give them additional working life as high-quality Bandag products, before being recycled into other products
Retreading for a Better World
With a growing interest in the tangible benefits of retreads, Bridgestone and Bandag recently released its Retreading for a Better World product information, a snapshot of the environmental and economic benefits of the Bandag retreading process on a local level. The information outlines how Bandag’s local pre-cured tread manufacturing and retreading process reduces carbon emissions and conserves raw materials when compared to the production of a new tyre. A local manufacturing offering that is unmatched in Australia.
The Retreading for a Better World material highlights how the manufacture of a retread sees a 34 per cent reduction in carbon emissions compared to a new tyre – the equivalent of 73kg per unit, based on a commissioned life cycle analysis of the Bandag process. This reduction is then compounded with each time a tyre is retreaded, to a 51 per cent saving on the third time, or 110kg.
In line with the carbon emissions reduction, the retreading process also sees a 46 per cent reduction of waste on the first retread, and nearly 70 per cent by the time the unit is retreaded a third time, with the process not only seeing cases reused, but also recovered material used in the manufacture of the tread compound.
Bandag’s retread offering sees more than 6,000 tonnes of material remanufactured and re-used each year. In addition to case re-use, throughout the retread process, waste material is captured and reused in the manufacturing process or recycled into other products such as rubber flooring – the same type as Bridgestone uses in many retail stores and key offices.
The Bandag retread process also sees 70 per cent less oil utilised in its production, as well as significantly less energy and water.
The emphasis on Bandag as a sustainable solution for business is underpinned by the significant role Bandag plays in the realisation of Bridgestone’s 2050 vision outlined in the global Mid-Long Term Business Strategy, and is a demonstration of several values of the recently launched Bridgestone E8 Commitment.
“Toward 2050, Bridgestone’s vision is to continue to provide social value and customer value as a sustainable solutions company, and Bandag plays a significant role in being able to deliver this value,” said Bridgestone China Asia Pacific (BSCAP)’s Vice President of Sustainability and CSR, Dr Sreepad Karanam.
“Bridgestone places great importance on product circularity and investing into a circular economy. Bandag is an excellent example of how we are recapturing the value of the products that we produce and giving them a new life, not only reducing our company’s impact on the environment, but also aligning with the ever-increasing social and environmental values of our customers.
“In line with our Bridgestone 3.0 global strategy, Bridgestone has ambitious goals of material circularity across all our products, from truck and bus tyres right down to tyres for passenger vehicles. Through Bandag’s preservation of natural resources, reduction in energy use and waste recycling, Bandag is a critical component to our sustainability goals,” Dr Karanam added.
Ongoing investment in sustainable practices
Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand continues to invest in the Bandag facility in Wacol to further bolster the site’s energy efficiency and reliance on town water.
Most recently, investment in the site has seen the upgrade and expansion of the site’s solar array system, adding an additional 140kW system to the existing capabilities, with a second phase of expansion planned in 2023.
The site has also seen an increase in water harvesting capabilities, expanding storage to 2 million litres enabling harvest and use of more than 5 million litres of rainwater per year.
“Our manufacturing processes leverage the on-site creation of renewable energy and harvesting of water to minimise reliance on town water. Our own water supply proved to be critical during 2009 drought to maintain production and support local community water supply,” Mr Barclay said.
“We will continue to invest in the Bandag business and remain committed to aligning with our customers’ sustainability values, in line with the Bridgestone E8 Commitment and our transformation to a sustainable solutions company.”
Bandag’s waste reduction efforts also extend to logistics using slip sheets for exports of pre-cured tread to New Zealand, which has seen nearly 5,000 wooden pallets removed from the process contributing to further waste reduction.
Dr Karanam says the Bandag process and the local efforts have a direct contribution to Bridgestone’s global efforts towards carbon neutrality and a circular economy.
“The efforts being undertaken by the Bridgestone Australia & New Zealand team, and the Bandag team, are in line with our global objective to reduce our impact on the environment and strongly support our Bridgestone E8 Commitment, particularly in the values of efficiency, extension, economy and ecology,” he said.
“Our commitment to a sustainable society not only benefits our business but creates shared value for our customers through offering sustainable solutions that are aligned with their own values.” Dr Karanam added.
