Unlock New Opportunities for Thought Leadership with SB Webinars

Bridgestone Americas and Yulex Develop Renewable Alternative to Rubber

A little-known perennial shrub called guayule (pronounced why-u-lee), native to the Southwestern United States, has been tapped as a potential alternative natural source for rubber by Bridgestone Americas and agricultural-based biomaterials company, Yulex.

A little-known perennial shrub called guayule (pronounced why-u-lee), native to the Southwestern United States, has been tapped as a potential alternative natural source for rubber by Bridgestone Americas and agricultural-based biomaterials company, Yulex.

Bridgestone announced its interest in guayule over a year ago and now the company is breaking ground on a new Biorubber Process Research Center in Mesa, Arizona. The company says it hopes to have guayule rubber samples for tire evaluations by 2015.

Yulex is taking a different approach. The company has announced a $3 million award to the University of Arizona through a five-year grant focusing on breeding and agronomic development of guayule. Together, they will be applying classical breeding along with modern tools for research-assisted breeding as part of a crop improvement program.

The expectations for guayule are high. In addition to not competing with food or fiber crops, the plant requires relatively little water and no pesticides. It could prove to be a renewable source of natural rubber latex that could replace petroleum-based synthetics and lessen reliance on imported tropical rubber.

This is the latest example of how the tire and automotive industry continues to find new and innovative ways to accomplish its goals. In February, Goodyear announced that making tires from soybean oil could increase tread life and replace seven million gallons of petroleum-based oil each year.

Upcoming Events

Thursday, November 14, 2024
SB Member Network Discussion Group: From Brand to Brand
Member Event
More Information

December 11-12, 2024
SB Member Network: Shifting Customer Behavior and Demand December Member Meeting
Member Event
Sponsored by Amazon
More Information

March 18-19, 2025
SB'25 Tokyo Marunouchi
More Information

Related Stories

BMW, Volkswagen Eyeing Plant-Based Future for Car Interiors MATERIALS & PACKAGING
BMW, Volkswagen Eyeing Plant-Based Future for Car Interiors
How Does Consumer Behavior Challenge the Circular Economy? MATERIALS & PACKAGING
How Does Consumer Behavior Challenge the Circular Economy?
erthos: Giving the Plastics Industry an AI-Driven, Biobased Upgrade MATERIALS & PACKAGING
erthos: Giving the Plastics Industry an AI-Driven, Biobased Upgrade
Nissan’s ‘Cool Paint’ Will Cut Car-Interior Heat, Energy Use INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY
Nissan’s ‘Cool Paint’ Will Cut Car-Interior Heat, Energy Use
MIT Team Creates Clean Hydrogen with Seawater, Soda Cans, Caffeine INNOVATION & TECHNOLOGY
MIT Team Creates Clean Hydrogen with Seawater, Soda Cans, Caffeine
Sustainable Sailing Puts Its Sail-Recycling Process to Sweet, New Use MATERIALS & PACKAGING
Sustainable Sailing Puts Its Sail-Recycling Process to Sweet, New Use