Guayule shrub being harvested in Eloy, Arizona
Bridgestone, a world chief in tires and rubber, has introduced a further dedication of $42 million to ascertain business operations for planting and harvesting guayule – a woody desert shrub that serves as a supply of pure rubber. The plant, which is warmth tolerant and thrives in desert settings, is far more environmentally sustainable than Hevea brasiliensis (the Pará “rubber tree”), which serves as right now’s major international supply of rubber.
Guayule’s tolerance for heat, arid climates may make it a really perfect crop for farmers in America’s desert southwest. Not solely is the shrub straightforward to develop, however it requires as little as half the water of current desert crops similar to alfalfa and cotton. Farmers may additionally plant, elevate, and harvest guayule with current row-crop tools, permitting farmers to transition to the brand new crop with little expense.
“We’re extraordinarily bullish on the potential for guayule as a home supply of strategically vital supplies, similar to rubber, hypoallergenic latex, constructing materials adhesives, and renewable gas, simply to call a couple of. We’re thrilled to be taking this main step towards commercialization earlier than the top of the last decade,” stated Nizar Trigui, Chief Know-how Officer and Group President, Options Companies, Bridgestone Americas, Inc. “With guayule, we are able to scale back the environmental impacts that include abroad sourcing whereas additionally realizing a extra sustainable agricultural system for elements of this nation which can be dealing with persistent and worsening local weather situations, so it’s actually one thing with many advantages for our surroundings and our financial system.”
Bridgestone’s dedication to guayule analysis goes again a whole decade as a part of the corporate’s plan to attain carbon neutrality and make tires from 100% renewable supplies by 2050.
In 2012, the corporate broke floor on a processing and analysis middle in Mesa, Arizona. At present, the Mesa middle is complemented by a 281-acre guayule farm in Eloy, Arizona. The corporate has invested greater than $100 million to commercialize guayule, and its efforts have been fruitful. In 2015, the corporate produced its first tire from guayule-derived pure rubber. In 2022, Firestone Firehawk race tires made with guayule-derived pure made their competitors debut as an alternate race tire on the Large Machine Music Metropolis Grand Prix in Nashville, Tennessee.
As a part of the brand new $42 million dedication, Bridgestone will companion and collaborate with Native American tribes and native U.S. farmers to extend crop sizes. This coming 12 months, the worldwide chief expects 350 new acres of the shrub to be planted. Finally, as much as 25,000 extra acres can be farmed. In consequence, the corporate expects to have sustainable business manufacturing of guayule-derived pure rubber by the top of this decade.
