What's in it for me?
Yes, Nokian Tyres is passionate about our quest to lead the tire industry in sustainability. It's evident in our solar-powered production factory, manufacturing processes, emissions reduction targets and EV-driven tires.
But sustainability isn't just a value we're living out in a vacuum. It also has tangible benefits for drivers, including fuel efficiency and safety.
Lower Emissions...and Fuel Costs
At Nokian Tyres, we make tires with low rolling resistance. Rolling resistance is the energy needed to propel your tires along the road at a consistent speed, and it's a bigger factor in fuel economy than you might think: Rolling resistance accounts for between four and 11 percent of your vehicle's fuel consumption, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. If you drive an electric vehicle, that figure rises to a shocking 25 percent.
The higher the rolling resistance, the more your car will emit fumes like CO2. Lower rolling resistance not only means lower emissions, but also more efficient driving. Since 2013 we've reduced the rolling resistance of our tires by an average of 8.5 percent, enough to prevent more than a billion pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere -- and untold funds from escaping drivers' wallets.
Keeping Journeys Beautiful
Whether of not you're an environmental activist, you probably have an outdoor space that is special to you. This humble writer loves the Smoky Mountains and Quebec's cottage country, and regularly escapes to local parks and streams in Nashville.
Reducing emissions helps protect these sacred spots, keeping them beautiful for decades of journeys to come. On the flip side, higher emissions can result in loss of forests through phenomena like acid rain. The Smoky Mountains (click here for a road trip guide!) should be smoky because of their legendary natural haze, not because of exhaust clouds emanating from vehicles traveling through America's most-visited national park.
Driving Safety
When we take steps to reduce rolling resistance -- like keeping our tires inflated at the right level -- we're also keeping ourselves safer on the road. Properly inflated, balanced tires are better for drivers and for the environment. If tires aren't at the right pressure level or haven't been regularly rotated, they can wear unevenly and create unwanted, uncertain friction with the road that can compromise safety and sustainability.
Yes, sustainability is great for its own sake. We should all take steps to reduce our footprints. But even better, many of those steps also benefit us. It's a virtuous cycle that protects our beautiful journeys in more ways than one.
