Retreads Put ‘Best Foot Forward’
When it Comes to the Carbon Footprint

(July 7, 2008) — Many school districts across the country utilize retreads on the rear school bus wheel positions to save on costs, but it now appears those plans are having a positive affect on the environment.

A new independent report indicates that manufacturing retreaded tires for light commercial vehicles compared to producing a brand new tire reduces greenhouse emissions by 30 percent and saves nearly 40 pounds of material.

Best Foot Forward, an Oxford-based firm specializing in assisting communities and organizations to reduce the carbon footprint, found that the retread manufacturing process for a 17.5-inch tire emits 58.2 fewer pounds of CO2 than if that same tire was manufactured anew. The report was commissioned for the Centre for Remanufacturing and Reuse, an online clearinghouse published by Oakdene Hollins Ltd in Aylesbury, Bucks that promotes clean technology. Best Foot Forward has measured everything from apple production in Africa to the carbon footprint of a 2007 North American tour of musical act Radiohead to managing the ecological footprint of Greater London.

The manufacturing process of a new 17.5-inch tire produces 191.6 pounds of CO2 emissions compared to 133.4 pounds CO2 for an equivalent retread tire. The report also breaks down the tire’s carbon footprint by comparing the impacts arising from different product stages. The embodied carbon of materials is the largest component for both new tires and retreads accounting for more than 50 percent of the total impact. It is responsible for 108 pounds of CO2 in new tires compared to 68.3 pounds CO2 in retreads.

The second largest impact was attributed to the energy needed in the manufacturing and retread process. The energy used to manufacture a new tire produces 68.3 pounds CO2, while retread energy is 48.5 pounds CO2. When it comes to transporting each tire for distribution, the footprint is roughly the same for both, approximately 22 pounds CO2 for a new tire and nearly 18 pounds CO2 for a retread. Best Foot Forward attributed the higher emissions for transport of new tires to importing raw materials from overseas.

Best Foot Forward also created an online carbon calculator for National Express Corporation’s that shows the lower footprint of the company’s UK train service compared to car and plane travel. National Express, based in London, owns Durham School Services and Stock Transportation school bus operations in North America.