Reselo and Nokian Tyres sign agreement to use birch bark-based biorubber in tires

Nokia, Finland – Nokian Tyres and the Swedish biomaterials company Reselo AB have signed a development agreement to further develop their renewable material Reselo Rubber as a new raw material in tires. Reselo Rubber is a completely renewable material made from birch bark that comes from residues from the global pulp, paper and sawmill industry. The purpose of the now signed cooperation agreement is to develop the material further to adapt it for commercial tire production.

“According to the initial laboratory tests we have carried out at Reselo Rubber show great potential to replace traditional fossil-based materials in tires. In addition, the material is not only renewable, but we believe it can also be used to improve tire performance. We are happy to develop Reselo Rubber further in cooperation with Reselo and we hope to have Reselo Rubber in Nokian Tires tires in the future”, says Heini Siekkinen, Senior Manager, Research & Sustainability from Nokian Tyres.

“We are incredibly proud and excited to, together with Nokian Tyres, further improve the durability and performance of rubber for the largest rubber industry segment. The partnership with Nokian Tires marks an important milestone in our ambition to revolutionize the rubber industry with a high-performance bio-based rubber,” says Henrik Otendal, CEO and one of the founders of Reselo.

Reselo won Nokian Tyres’ FAST RACE, BIG CHANGE tire innovation challenge aimed at finding new solutions for more durable tires. After initial tests, Nokian Tyres saw the potential of Reselo Rubber as a possible tire material and now the collaboration continues in close collaboration to further develop the material to match demanding tire properties on an industrial scale.

One of Nokian Tyres key sustainability goals is to have 50% of the raw materials in Nokian Tyres tires renewable or recycled by 2030, and the company has reached several milestones recently. In June 2024, the company demonstrated the utility of UPM BioMotion™, a ground-breaking new renewable material in tires by presenting the Nokian Tyres Tires Green Step Ligna concept tire. In August 2024, Nokian Tyres announced that their factory in Nokia, Finland has received the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS. With the certification, Nokian Tyres can introduce new sustainable, ISCC PLUS-certified raw materials in its tires.

“We believe that Reselo Rubber has the potential to be one of the steps in our journey towards our sustainability goals and are delighted to have Reselo as a partner in our endeavour,” said Teemu Soini, VP, Innovations & Development of Nokian Tyres.