Ahead of October's Sustainability in Tires, we heard from expert speaker, Dr. Michio Hirayama, General maneger, Material technology department of technical center at Sumitomo Rubber China , to get a sneak peek of what we can expect from his presentation on: Long-term Sustainable Policy of Sumitomo Rubber.

 

1. Your topic will be “Long-term sustainable policy of Sumitomo rubber” this year, can you give us a snapshot of what delegates will hear? And why is it important for others in the industry to hear this message?

Sumitomo Rubber obviously needs partners to achieve the long term sustainable goal and will not tackle the issue solely. It is important to share our purpose of the sustainable policy in the whole supply chain in which raw materials suppliers are involved.

2. . In the sustainable context, what do you think are the key challenges facing the industry?

The key challenge is to commit the information on each role between tire manufacturers and raw material suppliers so that we can pull together to draw a common roadmap on developing sustainable materials to realize the sustainable society on schedule.

3. What industry topics are getting the most attention currently? How are these factors influencing the future of the tire value chain?
The most significant attention is paid for recycling the materials from the end of life tires, because it is the most simple and rational way to achieve the circular economy goal. There are several possibilities for end of tires to be included in the circular economy, such as recycle, reuse of materials from end of tires, for example. China is the most important and possible country because the number of disposed tires is No1 all over the world.

4. Why do you feel it's important for people to attend the conference this year?

Establishment of the roadmap toward the circular economy goal is an urgent issue. The conference provides a good opportunity for both the tire manufactures and raw material supplier to collect the newest information, networking and finding the partners in the location as one of the largest markets in terms of tire production and consumption.