Driving ESG in Mining: How Michelin is reinventing tyres for a safer, smarter and more sustainable future

As ESG reshapes the global mining landscape, mining companies are under mounting pressure to cut emissions, improve safety and embed circularity into their operations.

Governments are tightening environmental regulations, the public sector is demanding transparency and accountability, and investors are scrutinising performance beyond financial returns. Suppliers, meanwhile, are being challenged to deliver solutions that make sustainability measurable and profitable.

In this context, one critical yet often underestimated component is emerging as a strategic lever for ESG performance: the mining tyre.

According to Michelin Vice President Amaury Vadon, ESG plays a vital role in aligning the entire industry. “ESG is important because it helps the industry make sure, we are all moving in the right direction,” he explains. “But whatever we say, this transition has a cost. It’s not for free.”

That cost is one of the central tensions in mining’s sustainability journey. Investment in new technologies, whether in trucks, tyres or digital systems, is significant and immediate. The long-term savings, however, are less visible.

“The cost you pay today is very tangible, and it hurts,” Vadon says. “The promise you are supposed to get is not visible. So how do we make that promise tangible today? That is really important.”

Tyres and Fuel Efficiency: An Overlooked ESG Lever

Fuel represents between 30 percent and 40 percent of a mine’s operating cost. Yet many operations underestimate how much tyres influence that number.

“One tyre is responsible for around 10 percent of the fuel consumption of a truck,” Vadon notes. “So, the choice of your tyre will determine your fuel consumption.”

The key factor is rolling resistance. Lower rolling resistance reduces the energy required to move heavy haul trucks, directly cutting fuel use and CO2 emissions. Advanced mining tyres are currently delivering between 5 percent and 7 percent fuel savings.

“When you know that fuel is between 30 and 40 percent of the cost of the mine, you will buy a tyre that is more expensive, because it will save you money in the long term,” he says.

This is where the shift from cost per hour to total cost of ownership becomes critical. Mines traditionally focus on hourly operating cost, but that approach does not capture the broader ecosystem impact of tyre performance.

“The mines always look at productivity and cost per hour,” he explains. “But they need to look at the total cost of ownership. Cost per hour is not enough.”

Circularity: From Disposal Problem to Resource Recovery

Beyond fuel efficiency, end of life management is becoming a defining ESG issue for the mining sector. Used tyres have historically accumulated on sites or in landfills. That model is no longer sustainable.

“We cannot let tyres stay in the land forever,” Vadon says. “We need to find ways to recycle and to have a circular model.”

When new tyres are delivered, used tyres are collected and transported to a recycling facility in Johannesburg. There, a pyrolysis process breaks them down into carbon black, oil and steel. These materials are then reused in other industrial applications, including conveyor belts and solid tyres.

“We deliver the tyre, they use the tyre with less impact on energy, and then we also have a solution for a circular model,” he explains.

The recovered carbon black is not reused in new premium mining tyres, as performance standards must be maintained, but it is repurposed in other applications. Importantly, the recycling process is not limited to one brand.

“Sometimes we don’t bring only Michelin tyres,” he says. “We also bring competitors’ tyres to recycle them. It’s not something focused only on Michelin. The goal is beyond Michelin. It’s about the planet.”

Data, Localisation and the Challenge of Awareness

While the technology exists, implementation remains complex. One of the biggest barriers is awareness.

“The impact of the tyre is quite low in terms of awareness,” Vadon admits. “Mines often see it as a cost rather than an investment impacting the full ecosystem.”

Another challenge is translating global averages into site specific results. Every mine has unique terrain, haul cycles, drivers and maintenance systems.

“We can come with general patterns, but it’s not enough,” he says. “We need to go local. Each mine has its own life, its own usage. We need to test on every site what is happening.”

Modern mining operations generate vast amounts of operational data but making that data actionable is a significant undertaking.

“The data is available,” he explains. “The challenge is how to articulate it, analyse it and bring the best recommendations. It’s a big job. We cannot do it alone.”

Collaboration with mining partners is therefore essential, enabling access to site data and the development of tailored performance recommendations. Early outcomes from these initiatives are already emerging, although the journey is still at an early stage.

Michelin Better Mining: Safety, Sustainable, Smart

To simplify its sustainability strategy, Michelin has structured its approach under the banner Michelin Better Mining, built around three pillars: safety, sustainable and smart.

Safety remains paramount, both within manufacturing operations and on mine sites. Sustainable focuses on reducing rolling resistance, lowering fuel consumption, cutting emissions and enabling circular recycling. Smart centres on data analytics and intelligent recommendations that help mines improve productivity while meeting ESG targets.

As the global mining industry works to supply the materials essential for the energy transition, it must also transform its own environmental footprint. Innovation in areas as fundamental as tyre technology demonstrates that ESG progress does not rely on a single breakthrough, but on continuous improvement across every component of the operation.

In the end, as the Michelin representative emphasises, sustainability in mining is not just about compliance or branding. It is about aligning long term economic performance with environmental responsibility. And sometimes, that transformation begins with something as fundamental as the tyre beneath a haul truck.