Bridgestone Tests New Source of Natural Rubber

Bridgestone Corp. has built prototype passenger tires that use natural rubber derived from guayule, a desert shrub that grows in southwestern U.S. and Mexico. Currently, about 90% of all natural rubber is harvested from the Hevea brasiliensis rubber tree, which primarily is found in tropical regions of southeast Asia.

Several other tiremakers also are evaluating guayule-based rubber tires as a means to lower costs and reduce dependence on current natural rubber sources. Rubber is contained in the bark and roots of guayule.

Bridgestone cultivated the guayule rubber at its bio-rubber process research center in Mesa, Ariz. All of the prototype tires' natural rubber content including the tread, sidewall and bead filler was made from the material.

Moving forward, Bridgestone plans to focus on optimizing the natural rubber content in each guayule shrub. It also is evaluating applications for a wider range of tire types and rubber compounds. By 2050, Bridgestone aims to exclusively use sustainable raw materials in all its tires.