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The final installment of a three-part scientific State of Knowledge (SoK) paper series on tire wear emissions concludes that, while the understanding of tire wear emissions has advanced, current data to quantify human health impacts attributable to tire wear emissions remains inconclusive. Supported by the Tire Industry Project (TIP)—part of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)—the SoK series represent the most comprehensive review of global science on tire wear emissions to date, analyzing more than 850 peer-reviewed scientific publications.

Munich, Germany – Maximilian Peter will take over as head of WACKER’s Polymers division. Holding a doctorate in chemical engineering,

Sabrina Soussan has taken over as chair of the Supervisory Board of Continental AG. At its constituent meeting immediately following today’s Annual Shareholders’ Meeting, the Supervisory Board unanimously elected her as its chair. Shareholders had previously elected her to the Supervisory Board as a shareholder representative. Soussan succeeds Wolfgang Reitzle

Bridgestone announced the roles of West CEO and Group President, North America are being decoupled. Scott Damon will continue in his current role as West CEO. Robert Johnson has been appointed Group President, North America. In this role, he will assume leadership of North America Core Tire as well as have end-to-end ownership and accountability for the full North America profit and loss (P&L). Wade Sempkowski has been named West Chief Financial Officer, succeeding Johnson in that role.

The Rubber Division, ACS reports that little over 20 percent of floor space is left for exhibitors to exhibit at GPS 2026 being held September 28 – 30, 2026 in Louisville, KY. Companies still considering showcasing products and services to a highly targeted audience in an immersive, face-to-face setting should secure their space today.

The International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers (IISRP) has elected Satoru Shiga as president-international for the 2026–2027 term. The announcement was made during the association’s 66th Annual General Meeting on April 15.

Shiga succeeds Douglas Wilson of LCY, who will serve as past president-international.

Michelin, the CNRS, INSA Lyon, Lyon 1 University, and Jean Monnet University inaugurated PolMixLab, an associated research laboratory (LabCom) to invent the rubbers of the future. This new partnership seeks to accelerate research and innovation in creating polymer materials for multiple industrial applications. It relies on the recognized scientific and industrial expertise of the partners to balance performance, durability, and energy sobriety.

The communications departments of the Tires group sector and the overall Continental Group were merged into a new unit at the beginning of April under the leadership of Vincent Charles. In the process, responsibilities and contacts for external communications have been reorganized. 

Henry Schniewind has assumed responsibility for external communications.

Myers Industries Inc. announced that shareholders elected Patricia “Tribby” W. Warfield to its Board of Directors at the Company’s annual meeting held yesterday. Effective immediately, the board consists of eight directors, seven of whom are independent.

The Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) announced a three-year partnership with Berlin-based social enterprise Elucid to deliver healthcare access to 1,800 rubber farmers and their households. This will benefit approximately 9,000 individuals in Côte d’Ivoire. The initiative is funded through GPSNR’s Shared Investment Mechanism (SIM) by 13 tire and rubber companies: Aeolus Tyre Co., Ltd., Apollo Tyres Ltd., Balkrishna Industries Ltd. (BKT), The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Hankook Tire & Technology, Kumho Tire Co., Inc., Maxxis International, Nokian Tyres plc, Prometeon Tyre Group, Sumitomo Riko Company Limited, Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd., Toyo Tire Corporation, and The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.