Sustainable tyre company Enso has achieved B Corporation (B-Corp) certified business status, becoming the first in its market to do so.
B-Corp is a designation awarded to organisations excelling in making a sustainable and ethical impact, and to those striving for an inclusive, equitable and regenerative economy. It is a global movement of businesses supporting each other to improve and drive global change, at a time when many more people are recognising the need to become more sustainable.
Enso was founded to develop next-generation energy-efficient, low-emission tyres, with an exclusive focus on electric vehicles (EVs). Its London-based team of engineers and industry veterans is combining cutting-edge design and material technology, to develop a series of sustainable tyres designed specifically for EVs, to increase EV range and reduce tyre pollution.
Tyre emissions are largely unregulated, and to date their impact has been overlooked compared with tailpipe emissions. However, tyre pollution is now emerging as a leading source of air and ocean pollution, with serious implications to health and the environment.
EVs create environmental problems
The amount of pollution from tyres is on the rise, in part driven by the rapidly expanding EV sector. EVs typically wear tyres 20–50% faster than petrol and diesel models, due to their higher weight and torque, and need tyre replacements more often, leading to more waste. The weight and therefore pressure on EV tyres also means more particulate matter is expelled into the atmosphere.
Conventional tyres are also rarely optimised for EVs, and as a result EV energy-efficiency and EV range is significantly below what is possible, with higher electricity consumption and carbon emissions.
Tyres are largely made of fossil fuels, and as they wear down, they can emit more PM2.5 and PM10 air pollution than tailpipes (DEFRA, 2019), with tyre PM pollution also making up 28% or more of all primary ocean microplastics (IUCN, 2017). Enso’s ultra-energy-efficient tyres have achieved ‘A’ energy efficiency ratings in Germany and Spain, and recently broke a Hypermiling World Record, increasing the range of an unmodified Renault Zoe EV, by 50 miles (11.9%) compared with standard OE tyres.
Importance of sustainability
“We are leading a new movement in tyre development, so to be the first tyre company in the world to be awarded B-Corp status is a huge recognition and validation of our commitment to sustainably delivering a cleaner future for mobility,” commented G. Erlendsson, founder and CEO of Enso. “We hope our B-Corp certification will signal a vital move within the industry and inspire other tyre manufacturers to prioritise purpose over profit.”
To achieve B-Corp status, ENSO’s business operations and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy were rigorously assessed by an independent third-party to evaluate its commitment to meeting high standards, and to verify performance, accountability, and transparency.
In order to qualify for the certification, businesses must score 80 and above during the Impact Assessment. The average score is 91, and Enso successfully scored an overall total of 96.7. More than 150,000 businesses have applied through the B-Corp Impact Assessment, and only 4,740 across 155 industries in 78 countries have met the high standards to become certified; just 650 of which are UK businesses. Enso is today the only tyre company to be certified as a B-Corporation.
