Bridgestone Introduces ENLITEN Technology at the World Solar Challenge

Bridgestone has unveiled its commitment to sustainability by announcing its provision of tires developed using 63% recycled and renewable materials to teams participating in the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge (BWSC). These specially designed tires are tailored to meet the unique challenges posed by the grueling 3,000-kilometer race across Australia.

Bridgestone has long been dedicated to promoting safety in motorsport, recognizing the demanding nature of such competitions, where drivers consistently face extreme conditions and challenges. The company takes immense pride in its unwavering passion and commitment to advancing technology, production, logistics, brand power, and talent development through its involvement in motorsport.

For the 2023 BWSC, Bridgestone has introduced new tires featuring ENLITEN, the company's cutting-edge foundational technology for product design. ENLITEN represents a significant advancement in conventional tire technology, enhancing not only environmental performance but also exceeding customer expectations and market demands in terms of product performance. Bridgestone is deeply committed to leveraging the advanced attributes of ENLITEN technology to increase both social and customer value.

The tires equipped with ENLITEN technology, supplied to the BWSC teams, have been meticulously designed to meet the rigorous demands of the 3,000-kilometer event. These demands include criteria such as low rolling resistance, durability, and weight considerations. Bridgestone is further customizing these tires based on individual team requirements to showcase the capabilities of the new ENLITEN technology. The company is also dedicated to further developing and delivering ENLITEN technology-equipped tires tailored to customers' needs, both in motorsport and conventional tire applications.

What sets these tires apart is their composition, which includes a remarkable 63% ratio of recycled and renewable materials, as measured by the Material Circularity Number (MCN). This is a substantial improvement over the roughly 30% ratio seen in the 2019 BWSC event. The development of these tires incorporates various recycled and renewable materials, including recycled organic fiber, reclaimed carbon black, recycled rubber chemicals, recycled oil, and reinforcement materials made from recycled steel. In addition, tires provided for the cruiser class have been created using rice husk silica and carbon black obtained through the pyrolysis of used tires.

In an effort to further enhance the sustainability of tire shipments to the BWSC, Bridgestone has partnered with DHL, a leading logistics provider committed to achieving zero emissions by 2050. Through DHL's GoGreen Plus solution, the transportation of tires to the BWSC will be completely carbon neutral. This will be achieved through a combination of sustainable marine fuel utilization (insetting) and the compensation of emissions via VER Gold Standard carbon credits (offsetting).

Naotaka Horio, Director of Bridgestone Motorsports, expressed Bridgestone's dedication to promoting a more sustainable future in motorsports through its ENLITEN tires, made with 63% recycled and renewable materials. Bridgestone is committed to showcasing this innovative technology under the most extreme conditions of the BWSC. Additionally, as the title sponsor of the event, the company eagerly anticipates supporting young and diverse engineering talents from around the world as they strive to create breakthrough technologies that can contribute to a more sustainable mobility society in the future.