ENSO, the world’s first sustainable tyre company, has become the first tyre company to achieve B Corporation (B-Corp) Certified business status – a designation awarded to organisations excelling in making a sustainable and ethical impact, and striving for an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economy.
ENSO was founded to develop next-generation energy-efficient, low-emission tyres, with an exclusive focus on electric vehicles (EVs). Its London-based team of engineers and industry veterans is combining cutting-edge design and material technology, to develop a series of sustainable tyres designed specifically for EVs, to increase EV range and reduce tyre pollution.
Tyre emissions are largely unregulated, and to date their impact has been overlooked compared with tailpipe emissions. However, tyre pollution is now emerging as a leading source of air and ocean pollution, with serious implications to health and the environment[1].
The amount of tyre pollution is on the rise, in part, driven by the rapidly expanding EV sector. EVs typically wear tyres 20–50% faster[2] than petrol and diesel models, due to their higher weight and torque, and need tyre replacements more often, leading to more waste. Conventional tyres are also rarely optimised for EVs, and as a result EV energy-efficiency and EV range is significantly below what is possible, with higher electricity consumption and carbon emissions.
B Corporation (also known as B-Corp or B-Lab) is a global movement of businesses supporting each other to improve and drive global change. B Corp awards a private certification to for-profit companies based on their social and environmental performance. To achieve B-Corp status, ENSO’s business operations and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy were rigorously assessed by an independent third-party to evaluate its commitment to meeting high standards, and to verify performance, accountability, and transparency.
- Erlendsson, founder and CEO of ENSO comments: “We are leading a new movement in tyre development, so to be the first tyre company in the world to be awarded B-Corp status is a huge recognition and validation of our commitment to sustainably delivering a cleaner future for mobility. We hope our B-Corp certification will signal a vital move within the industry and inspire other tyre manufacturers to prioritise purpose over profit.”
To qualify for the certification, businesses must score 80 and above during the Impact Assessment. The average score is 91, and ENSO successfully scored an overall total of 96.7. More than 150,000 businesses have applied through the B-Corp Impact Assessment, and only 4,740 across 155 industries in 78 countries have met the high standards to become certified; just 650 of which are UK businesses. ENSO is today the only tyre company to be certified as a B-Corporation.
Tyres are largely made of fossil fuels, and as they wear down, they can emit more PM2.5 and PM10 air pollution than tailpipes (DEFRA, 2019), with tyre PM pollution also making up 28% per cent plus of all primary ocean microplastics (IUCN, 2017). ENSO’s ultra-energy-efficient tyres have achieved ‘A’ energy efficiency ratings in Germany and Spain, and recently broke a Hypermiling World Record (June 2021), increasing the range of an unmodified Renault Zoe EV, by 50 miles (11.9%) compared with standard OE tyres.
As well as increasing EV range, ENSO is focused on making tyres far more durable to reduce tyre pollution and increasing renewable raw materials to achieve Net-Zero. This substantially reduces the impact of tyres across the lifecycle and cuts the need for frequent tyre replacement – ultimately reducing waste and reliance on scarce raw materials. ENSO is already working with leading EV carmakers and EV fleets on large-scale trials as it continues development.
B-Corp businesses are a force for good that champions change for people and the planet. They care about the people who work for them, the communities in which they do business in, and the environment they rely upon for resources by having the highest standards of social and environmental performance.
*Article Source http://www.ensotyres.com
