Seoul – Hankook Tire & Technology has joined a state-led national R&D initiative backed by the South Korean government. The project centers on developing tire manufacturing technologies with sustainable materials and scaling up the adoption of recycled feedstock extracted from end-of-life tires (ELTs).
Officially launched on June 4, the programme falls under the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment’s 2026 Environmental Technology Development Initiative. Its core mission is to extract high-grade recycled raw materials from waste tires and accelerate their large-scale commercial application within tire production, accelerating the development of a circular economy across South Korea’s tire sector.
Back in 2023, Hankook took part in Korea’s industrial Tire-to-Tire (T2T) consortium to advance resource circulation technologies for tires. This national R&D programme elevates the company’s standalone private research into a multi-stakeholder collaboration uniting industrial players, universities and professional research institutes.
Building on technical insights gained from the T2T consortium, Hankook will expand the application scope of circular raw materials sourced from ELTs and build comprehensive facilities for technical development and performance verification. Upon completion, the project will diversify the supply of circular raw materials, mitigate risks arising from volatile global raw material supply chains, and better equip the brand to comply with tightening worldwide environmental regulations while boosting supply chain resilience.
Eleven organizations participate in the joint research project, led by M&B Green Earth. Partners include Kumho Petrochemical, HS Hyosung, HS Hyosung Advanced Materials, Solvay, endirection, the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), KAIST, Pusan National University, Kwangwoon University and Soongsil University. All participants shared dedicated project roadmaps and aligned future cooperation plans during the launch event.
Through this cross-sector initiative, Hankook will continuously upgrade manufacturing techniques for tires integrated with recycled and sustainable raw materials. The brand sets a long-term R&D target to commercialize next-generation tires containing over 85% sustainable materials while cutting carbon emissions by more than 50%. Furthermore, the project will conduct mass-scale validation of Korea’s tire-to-tire circular economy model via prototype manufacturing and all-round integrated performance assessments.
Bonhee Koo, Head of R&D Innovation Division at Hankook Tire, commented: “This national R&D project pools professional expertise from leading industrial enterprises, top academic institutions and specialized research bodies, marking a milestone for sustainable development in the tire industry.”
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