Omni United announced at this week’s SEMA Show/Global Tire Expo that Liberty Tire Recycling will lead a nationwide network of tire recyclers as part of the new Timberland Tires lifecycle.
Timberland Tires are the first tires ever purposely designed to be recycled into footwear outsoles after their journey on the road is complete.
Timberland Tires is the result of a collaboration between Singapore-based Omni United and global lifestyle brand Timberland to create a premium line of tires that feature a rubber formulation that is appropriate for the recycling of the tires at the end of their useful life into Timberland shoes.
“Liberty’s industry leadership, technologies and processes, and nationwide scale make it a key part in our tire take-back process. Establishing this type of industry-first recycling program before the first tire is sold is critical,” said G.S. Sareen, president and CEO of Omni United. “Our intent is to capture every worn Timberland Tire and recycle it for a second life, so none is used as fuel or ends up in a landfill.”
“As the top tire recycling company in North America, we’re honored to join Timberland and Omni United in transforming worn Timberland Tires into smart, sustainable products,” said Jeffrey Kendall, president and CEO of Liberty Tire Recycling. “Our company is committed to finding new and better ways to reclaim, recycle and reuse scrap tires into useful products. We believe this is the start of things to come.”
Through its own company locations and a network of sub-contractors across the U.S., Liberty will collect worn Timberland Tires after they have been changed out at authorized Timberland locations and sort the tires at its consolidation centers. From there, the used tires will be shipped to a North American tire recycling facility where they will be recycled into crumb rubber and further processed into sheet rubber for use in Timberland footwear. The rubber will be mixed into a Timberland-approved compound for outsoles that will ultimately be incorporated into Timberland boots and shoes.
Timberland Tires will be sold initially in the U.S. at leading national and regional tire retailers, as well as online through an e-commerce platform beginning next year. The Timberland Cross tire, for small SUVs and CUVs, will be available in April in 21 sizes, expanding to 35 sizes by September 2015. The Timberland A/T tire, for trucks and large SUVs, will be available next July in 30 sizes, and the Timberland Tour passenger tire will be launched in 2016 in at least 25 sizes.
With warranties targeting 50,000 to 80,000 miles depending on tire model, Timberland and Omni United anticipate that the first lot of returned Timberland Tires will be ready for recycling in late 2017. Until a critical mass of supply comes in, Timberland and Omni United are seeking alternative recycled rubber compounds for a special collection of Timberland boots with outsoles inspired by the treads on Timberland Tires. These boots are slated to launch in fall 2016.
“Many tire buyers are concerned about where their tires end up at the end of their usable tread-life,” added Sareen. “We are providing consumers an alternative to other brands, and the confidence that special efforts are taken to ensure their tires are recycled. Thanks to our partnerships with Timberland and Liberty, we are creating a more sustainable lifecycle for rubber.”
