Bridgestone to share perspective on supply chain trends

Nashville, TN – Bridgestone announced William Niaura, Director of Sustainable Materials and Circular Economy, Bridgestone Americas, will present at the Clemson University Global Tire Industry Conference on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, on Tuesday, April 19. During the conference session “Future Tire Trends/Requirements,” Niaura will lead a discussion titled, “Radically Re-Thinking our Raw Materials Supply Chain.”

Niaura’s presentation will focus on the current challenges the tire industry faces as it aims to deliver on its sustainability objectives. Specifically, he will discuss the major challenge of decoupling the industry’s upstream supplies from traditional petrochemical feedstocks, and diversifying into renewable, bio-sourced, and recycled materials. 

“As we continue on our journey to become a sustainable solutions company, we are committed to solving the technological and market challenges to realizing a circular tire economy,” said William Niaura. “Delivering our sustainability commitments will take collaboration at all levels of our business and across our entire value chain. We look forward to discussing this important topic with many of our peers in the industry, who are also exploring promising new concepts for the future of sustainable mobility.”

Started in 1985, the Clemson Tire Conference is a three-day, comprehensive, interdisciplinary conference designed to address developments throughout the field of tire design, research and manufacturing in all allied industries, whether directly or indirectly involved in tire making. The conference attracts attendees from North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. It is organized and presented by Clemson University’s Center for Corporate Learning and supported by the expertise of many tire companies and auxiliary companies of the tire industry.

To achieve the company’s vision to provide social and customer value as a sustainable solutions company, Bridgestone has set goals aimed at the realization of a circular economy and carbon neutrality. These goals include a 50 percent reduction in CO₂ emissions by 2030 (compared to 2011), achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, and making tires from 100 percent renewable materials by 2050.