Hankook Tire & Technology has joined a national research and development project in Korea focused on tire manufacturing technologies using sustainable materials.

The company hosted a kick-off event for the project on June 4 at Hankook Technodome, its research and development center in Daejeon.

The project is part of the 2026 Environmental Technology Development Program led by Korea’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment.

Project targets tire-to-tire circular economy model

The initiative is designed to support Korea’s circular economy by securing high-quality recycled raw materials from end-of-life tires and advancing their use in tire manufacturing.

The project includes two main workstreams. These focus on developing technologies to produce premium recycled feedstock from waste tires and establishing tire manufacturing technologies that use sustainable materials.

Hankook Tire said the project expands its existing Tire-to-Tire circular economy activities, which began with the launch of an industry-led consortium in Korea in 2023.

Collaboration includes industry, academia and research groups

The national project brings together 11 organizations from industry, academia and research institutions.

Participants include lead institution M&B Green US, Kumho Petrochemical, HS Hyosung, HS Hyosung Advanced Materials, Solvay, Endirection, the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, KAIST, Pusan National University, Kwangwoon University and Soongsil University.

During the kick-off event, the participating organizations reviewed their responsibilities, project roadmaps and potential areas for future collaboration.

Focus on recycled and sustainable raw materials

Hankook Tire said the project is expected to diversify sources of circular raw materials and strengthen technology validation infrastructure.

The company said participation in the project will help reinforce responses to environmental regulations and improve resilience in raw material supply chains.

Using experience from its Tire-to-Tire consortium, Hankook Tire plans to expand the use of circular raw materials derived from end-of-life tires while addressing global supply chain risks.

Commercialization goals include lower-carbon tires

Through the project, Hankook Tire aims to advance tire manufacturing technologies that incorporate recycled and sustainable materials.

The company is targeting commercialization of next-generation low-carbon, high-performance tires containing more than 85% sustainable materials and reducing carbon emissions by more than 50%.

The initiative is also expected to support large-scale verification of Korea’s Tire-to-Tire circular economy model through product demonstration and integrated performance assessment.

Hankook continues sustainability-related industry work

Hankook Tire has previously introduced the iON GT, a premium touring tire under its EV-focused iON brand, to the European market. The company said the tire contains more than 70% sustainable materials.

In April, Hankook Tire also participated in the launch of the Eco-design Forum, where industry participants discussed responses to the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation and sustainable product development challenges.

Bonhee Koo, Head of the R&D Innovation Division at Hankook Tire, said the national R&D project provides an opportunity to combine expertise from industry, academic and research organizations to support competitiveness in the global market.

For more information, please read the official press release by Hankook Tire.