Select Tyes out of Chelmsford, England has managed to go green in its retreading process.

The tire company, which produces 800 tires per month and distributes retreaded tires throughout the United Kingdom, has been using a plate system for capturing solar energy to power its retreading process. Select Tyres receives a reimbursement from the government because the surplus of energy generated goes directly to the public.

“Initiatives like these, aimed at reducing electricity consumption, are of the utmost importance. In the European Community, tire retreading has been considered a green industry for a long time. Now, companies are investing in solar energy to make the business even more sustainable. For this reason, Select Tyres must be congratulated for the initiative,” says Leonardo Muller from Vipal Europe Commercial Department, one of the world’s leading tire retreaders and suppliers.

In comparison to a new retread, Select Tyres’ retreaded heavy-duty tire reduces energy consumption by up to 80% and saves on average 57 liters of oil.

Vipal says studies show that an additional 8.4 million new tires would have to be produced per year to replace the same number of retreaded tires per year. That would mean using 500 million liters of oil per year.

“When it comes to retreading systems, we can see the importance of these processes for the environment, where the ecosystem benefits in many ways, failing to extract nonrenewable sources and, at the same time, reusing the materials,” Muller said. “The tire retreading system is a process that has brought benefits to both suppliers and consumers, as well as to the planet itself. All this process represents savings for the consumer and generates profit for transport companies, establishing a healthy balance between development needs and the environment.”