Commitments / Sourcing Sustainably
Sourcing Sustainably
At Goodyear, we strive to make an impact through our choice of the materials we use.
At Goodyear, we are committed to responsibly managing the materials we use for our operations and products. We proactively work with our suppliers to identify and evaluate environmental and societal impacts, risks and opportunities, while collaborating with them on ways to build a more sustainable and resilient supply chain.
We are committed to managing sourcing in a way that helps reduce environmental and social impacts and improve our global risk management. This includes our efforts to source sustainable natural rubber and increase our sustainable material usage.
Sustainable Materials
Product quality, safety and customer satisfaction are our ultimate goals. We actively seek sustainable material options that deliver product performance while meeting our high standards of quality and safety. To advance our sustainable material use, our teams work to investigate new alternative raw materials and incorporate innovative solutions.
We use the ISO 14021 standard to guide our definition of a sustainable material. Goodyear actively reviews definitions and standards that continue to mature and currently defines a sustainable material as bio-based; a renewable, or recycled material; or one produced using or contributing to other practices designed to promote resource conservation and/or emissions reductions, including ISCC Plus mass-balance materials.
Rice Husk Ash Silica
We use a silica product made from residual rice husk ash—a byproduct of rice processing. Rice husk ash (RHA) silica can help deliver performance similar to traditional sand-based silica, can have lower greenhouse gas emissions and can help reduce waste going to landfill. We have been working closely with our suppliers to explore further expanding the use of RHA silica. In 2023, we more than doubled our use of RHA silica over 2022.
Our Use of Bio-Based Oils
Goodyear uses commodity soybean oil, a surplus available beyond food applications, in our polymer and tire manufacturing processes in various ways depending on the application. We have announced sustainability goals around the increased use of soybean oil in our products. Currently, soybean oil is used in various product lines, and we increased our use of soybean by 9.9% in 2023 over 2022.
Natural Rubber
Social and agricultural practices in natural rubber production can vary greatly and can have significant impacts on the livelihood and rights of local people, as well as local ecosystems through potential habitat conversions and reduction of species from deforestation.
Goodyear does not own any rubber tree plantations, but we have taken actions as purchasers of natural rubber. Our Natural Rubber Procurement Policy aligns with the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber‘s (GPSNR) Policy Framework. This alignment signals our strong natural rubber supply chain commitments across all aspects of sustainability.
Through the Tire Industry Project (TIP), Goodyear worked with other stakeholders, including automakers, rubber producers and other end users, to move the natural rubber supply chain toward natural rubber sustainability. TIP members and others launched the GPSNR in 2018.
Goodyear prioritizes engagement directly within GPSNR Working Groups or indirectly as necessary, as GPSNR facilitates the natural rubber industry’s move towards a more sustainable supply chain.
Supply Chain Management and Traceability
When managing our supply chain, Goodyear considers all aspects of the supply chain. We work with our suppliers to continuously increase the overall sustainability-focused performance of our supply base.
Goodyear’s supply chain is complex, and Goodyear is exploring processes and technologies to enhance supply chain traceability, tracking materials along development paths from agricultural production to storage, distribution, processing, manufacturing and more.
We plan to continue to invest in our supply chain traceability.
