Our Commitment to Mining Sustainability

Q: What role does mining play in the global energy transition?

Mining plays a critical role in the race to net zero. In fact, mining is the key factor in the way the world sources our solutions for a cleaner future. Without mining, we would be unable to have the precious materials that are necessary for the clean energy transition. Mining for materials such as lithium, copper, and nickel is essential for the creation of solar plants, wind farms, electric vehicle batteries, and more.

The world is facing many large-scale, urgent challenges that impact human wellbeing and environmental health – global warming, overuse of natural resources, biodiversity loss, mass migrations and poverty.

Responsible companies understand their role in building a more planet-friendly future and are working toward decarbonization and sustainable development.

In most instances, more sustainable means more metals and minerals, which puts pressure on the mining industry to mine more responsibly and minimize the industry’s environmental and social impact.

A sustainable material is one that is either renewable, meaning derived from resources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale, or recycled – made from feedstock recovered from industrial waste that has been reprocessed into new products, materials or substances.

This commitment lowers Michelin’s dependence on finite raw materials and boosts our use of recycled waste to aid in a more circular economy. Using our expertise in high-tech materials and partnership with leading global companies in recycled and renewable materials, we are laying a roadmap to full circularity by 2050 without compromising the quality or performance of our products.

For example, Michelin’s innovative tire pressure monitoring system – MICHELIN MEMS 4 – monitors the temperature and pressure of mining tires remotely and continuously to help mines boost fleet performance and improve mine safety.

Integrating a system like MICHELIN MEMS 4 into a site’s overall production planning enables mines to unify maintenance planning and optimize mining productivity. With this information, mines can quickly react to potential issues and improve employee safety, decrease unscheduled downtime and extend tire life.

Michelin uses Life Cycle Assessments to track and quantify the environmental impact of each stage of a tire’s life, from “cradle to grave”, including raw materials extraction, manufacturing, finished-goods shipments, use and waste. These insights equip our tire designers and product and service engineers with data needed to continually evolve and innovate products, services and solutions that advance mining sustainability without compromising product performance. 100% of Michelin’s products and services will be eco-designed by 2030.

As one of the world’s leading buyers of natural rubber, the Michelin Group is committed to making the industry more sustainable and beneficial for everyone. One of the biggest challenges in the natural rubber industry is how highly fragmented and complex it is: 85% of global natural rubber production originates from small farms with an average of two to three hecacres.

For several years, Michelin has been working with its suppliers to engage all players in the value chain to adopt the best social and environmental practices for sustainable development through a collaborative approach. Leveraging the digital solution RubberWay^TM helps assess and map social and environmental risks. Based on the results, mitigation actions and capacity building projects are implemented to support small farmers in their sustainability journey.

Farmers often face livelihood challenges, such as limited access to agricultural training, income diversification options, and other skills. Michelin, its subsidiaries and joint ventures in West Africa, Brazil and Indonesia provide roughly 100,000 small farmers with training in agricultural practices to aid them in sustainable development.

For Michelin, sustainable natural rubber means upholding human rights, improving livelihoods and protecting forests and ecosystems. Michelin made a zero-deforestation commitment in 2015 and has led the transformation of the Natural Rubber industry through its ambitious strategy, actions and partnerships.

What role does mining play in the global energy transition?

Why is sustainable mining important?

Mining is central to nearly every facet of our lives from construction to technology to mobility, and the demand for minerals and metals, especially those critical to the energy transition, is increasing. Miners must find the balance between benefits and impact for sustainable development, meaning there is a net positive contribution to people and the environment in addition to economic benefits. Sustainable mining is crucial to ensure we meet the demands of today without sacrificing the needs of tomorrow. w.

How can we improve mining sustainability?

Through Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), Michelin knows that the greatest environmental impact of the tire occurs while the tire is in use. Maintaining proper tire pressure and temperature of mining tires can help mining trucks reduce rolling resistance, thereby consuming less fuel, emitting less CO2, and lowering the costs of the mining operations. Further, Michelin uses its expertise in materials and matter to understand how a tire’s construction and compounds lend to greater energy efficiency for mining vehicles. A 10% gain in rolling resistance delivers generally 1 – 3% improvement in fuel consumption depending on usage.

What is eco-design?

Eco-design is a methodology for designing products and services that considers the environmental impacts from the very beginning – the design phase. At Michelin, we analyze the environmental footprint of a product or service at every stage of the life cycle based on 16 environmental factors across health, climate change, use of fossil-based resources and biodiversity. Eco-design works hand-in-hand with Life Cycle Assessments by aiming to mitigate a tire’s negative impact while preserving its qualities and performance. At Michelin, the eco-design process is multi-step, multidimensional and multidisciplinary as many different métiers in the company join forces to improve the design of a product or service. Michelin’s goal is for all its products and solutions to be eco-designed by 2030.

Our Commitment to Mining Sustainability

Michelin’s commitment to help miners advance towards a more sustainable future

Sustainable mining offers – Part of Michelin Better Mining

Recycled or renewable materials

Energy-efficient mining tires

Rolling resistance and motion resistance.

How do tires impact a mining truck’s energy efficiency and fuel consumption?

What’s behind these terms – rolling resistance and motion resistance – and what are the effects on a mining truck’s fuel consumption?

Rolling resistance and motion resistance are key to reduce a vehicle’s CO2 emissions and advance sustainable mining practices

End-of-life mining tire Solutions

Mining community wellbeing

Sustainable mining partnerships

SUSTAINABLE MINING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS