World’s Largest Tyre Manufacturer* Switches To Recycled Materials

We’d usually raise an eyebrow at a tyre manufacturer announcing it’s switching to making its rubber from old fishing nets, ropes and engine oil. You know, things you wouldn’t normally associate with providing grip to the roads. So when ‘the world’s largest’ says it’s doing so, an eyebrow is raised.

Then you remember that technically, Lego is the world’s largest manufacturer of tyres. And simultaneously the smallest, probably.

Depending on the sources you believe, Lego is said to produce about 380 million tyres a year – for some context, Michelin comes close to 200 million.

What this news does then, is give us an excuse to talk about Lego during work hours. It will also affect most of us, as we’re sure many of you out there could take a glance at a shelf at home to reveal some sort of Lego car set. This particular author has just looked to the left and counted nine.

Although it has already started trialling tyres made from one-third recycled materials in some sets, Lego has now committed to phasing them in wholesale this year.

We weren’t kidding with old fishing nets, ropes and engine oil, either. Its boffins have figured a way to melt those down into one consistent material, named rSBES, that it can use in its rubber tyres to make them a little more eco-friendly to produce.

Annette Stube, Lego’s Chief Sustainability Officer, said: “Over the past five years, we have invested significant time in developing and testing this new recycled material to ensure it meets our high standards for quality, safety, and durability. The tires are just one of many options we’re working on to make our products more sustainable and it’s encouraging to see something this innovative making it into our sets.”

Lego says 120 different kits should utilise the new tyres by the end of 2025, which we assume will cover the incoming F1 sets, the confirmed Speed Champions Fast & Furious Toyota Supra, as well as the rumoured Honda S2000 and Technic R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R. It’s good to know we can all feel a little better about our kits.