04 Sustainability Statement Resource use and circular economy (E5) 4.6.3 TOWARDS A PARADIGM SHIFT: SIGNIFICANT CIRCULARITY INITIATIVES AND RESOURCES 4.6.3.1 Resource depletion Michelin takes a proactive approach to the issue of using resources sustainably (for initiatives undertaken specifically to mitigate the depletion of natural rubber resources, see the Biodiversity section). In 2023 and 2024, for example, the ADO Biomaterials corporate program helped to define selective or destructive criteria for sourcing renewable biomaterials. This led to a set of recommendations to guide purchasing towards more ethical and sustainable choices, thereby reducing the impacts from resource depletion. They will be deployed beginning in 2025. 4.6.3.2 Resource circularity The Group is making a significant contribution to the circular economy and sustainable resource use through a number of innovative projects advancing its renewable or recycled materials roadmap. This is updated every year to ensure that the 2030 milestone will be met and that the Group is on track for 2050. This commitment is being bolstered by strategic partnerships with various organizations that are developing disruptive material sourcing and recycling technologies. In this way, Michelin is strengthening its sourcing capabilities while promoting a shift towards more sustainable manufacturing practices. Investments committed to projects to support resource circularity represented €12 million in 2024 and are budgeted at more than €200 million over the next five years. The leading resource circularity actions and projects are as follows: 4.6.3.2.1. Retreading The “Reuse” phase of the Avoid+4R process is being supported by solutions such as repairing, regrooving and retreading tires, which help to conserve raw materials by extending a casing’s useful life and using less raw material than manufacturing a new tire. They primarily concern truck and aircraft tires. MICHELIN-brand truck tires are designed to be retreaded or regrooved, thereby further extending their useful lives. For example, a truck tire with a theoretical lifespan of 100,000km can last another 25,000km with regrooving and then a further 100,000km with subsequent retreading, all while using only a quarter of the amount of material as a new tire. Moreover, depending on the tire’s condition, it can be regrooved and retreaded several times. In all, these technologies enable a truck tire to last 2.5 times longer than a new tire with only around 30% additional material. In 2024, Michelin’s worldwide truck tire retreading business reused more than 220,000 tonnes of casings. That corresponds to around 7% of the total amount of materials used by the Group in all its operations over the year. Compared with a single-life, non-retreadable, non-regroovable tire, the solution offers benefits that are (i) economic, by lowering cost per kilometer; (ii) environmental, by significantly reducing raw materials use; and (iii) social, by stimulating the local economy with new retreading/regrooving-related services (collection, inspection, maintenance, sales, etc.). 4.6.3.2.2. The BioButterfly project In sync with the “Renew” phase of the Avoid+4R process, the BioButterfly project is seeking to produce butadiene using ethanol derived from plant biomass to replace butadiene made from petrochemical feedstocks. This innovation could play a crucial role in developing more environmentally friendly synthetic rubbers, to meet growing demand while preserving natural resources. Coordinated by Michelin in partnership with Axens and IFPEN, BioButterfly started up in January 2013 for an initial period of eight years, extended to 2024. To date, the project represents a total investment of €80 million. In January 2024, an industrialscale demonstrator unit capable of producing bio-based butadiene was inaugurated at the Michelin plant in Bassens (France), marking a pivotal milestone in the development of a new industrial source of bio-synthetic elastomers. In 2025, Michelin will pursue the project by using the pilot installation to produce tire demonstrators. The ultimate goal is for the partners to build a full-scale production unit. 4.6.3.2.3. The Empreinte Project To take its All-Sustainable approach to the next level, in late 2020, Michelin launched the Empreinte project to develop effective solutions for recycling or biosourcing materials and eco-designing products. These solutions will improve the overall environmental footprint of tires while still delivering performance aligned with the expectations for new vehicles and emerging mobility needs. The innovations primarily concern novel processes for producing recycled and renewable raw materials and the development of demonstrator tires made with these materials. Their renewable or recycled materials could be more widely deployed in some of the tires on the market starting in 2025. In addition, tires with even higher renewable or recycled materials ratios are already being engineered in the project to prepare for the next stage in 2024-2025. 253 2024 UNIVERSAL REGISTRATION DOCUMENT_MICHELIN
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