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DISPELLING RETREAD MYTHS – Facts vs Fiction – ENVIRONMENTLY FRIENDLY

There are many misconceptions surrounding the retreading industry but questioning whether retreads are environmentally friendly is a tough fight to defend.

Using retread tire products is not being environmentally friendly. FICTION

That statement is very much fiction. There is no question about the environmental benefits of using retread tires.

Some environmental facts include:

  • Requires 68% less energy to produce a retread than a new tire. One retreaded truck tire saves enough energy to power an average U.S home for 33 days.
  • Tires are primarily petroleum products. Every retreaded tire saves gallons of oil. A retreaded truck tire requires approximately 15 fewer gallons of oil to produce than a new tire. When you consider this per tire savings to what number of retreads are produced each year, that equates to an annual savings of about 210 million gallons of oil.
  • Reduced CO2 and other carbon emissions because less energy is needed to produce a retread tire.
  • The production of retread tires promotes recycling. Thanks to the re-use of tire casings, retreads contain up to 75% recycled and re-used materials. Premium casings are made to last 2 to 3 tire life-cycles so retreads continue their useful lives for thousands of more miles.
  • In the U.S. alone, 89,000 tons of rubber is buffed from truck tires each year. This rubber is recycled and turned into products many of us use or see every day. Just some of the applications are playground and gym surfaces, rubber mats, turf fields and mulch.
*sources of data include TRIB and Retread Tires in U.S. and Canada Report.

For information on a Raben Truck Tire Retreading Program, fleet inspections and information on our commercial tire and mechanical services, visit  www.rabentire.com/commercial/fleet/.