Synthos

Home > Automotive

We have a broad portfolio of technologically advanced rubber materials that are driving positive change in the global automotive industry.

Synthos, a global market and technology leader in advanced synthetic rubber and tire materials, has announced the launch of its first international research award. The Synthos Rubber Circularity Award aims to foster innovative ideas and solutions that will lead to the development of a breakthrough technology platform that will significantly improve the environmental performance of synthetic rubber-based tire compounds while supporting the sustainability objectives of the global automotive and tire sectors.

The winning research institute or university will receive a three-year funding package to support a dedicated junior research team. Applicants must submit their proposals by August 31. Finalists will be invited to present their ideas at an event in Schkopau, Germany, on Wednesday, October 11, 2023.

If you would like to learn more about this award, you can find more details in the ‘Our Solutions’ section.

Focused on the mobility of tomorrow with a reduced ecological footprint

We are a collaborative innovator in synthetic rubber and work closely with global tire manufacturers to develop solutions that have less impact on the environment, such as tread materials with lower rolling resistance for better energy efficiency, improved tire abrasion resistance and reduced microplastic formation.

Through innovation, collaboration and partnerships we are focusing all our efforts in developing sustainable, resource-efficient synthetic rubber solutions for today’s and tomorrow’s forms of mobility.

Our vision is a net-zero future for synthetic rubber and its applications. We are focused on embedding sustainability throughout the value chain. To this end, we are investing in growth, green technologies and building partnerships that harness science to drive circular innovation.

We want to create a world where we produce all our synthetic rubber using renewable or recycled resources. Work is already well underway to increasing the share of bio-based raw materials along the value chain so we can reduce the environmental impact of our products and help our customers to do the same. Our scientists have developed an advanced bio-butadiene technology that uses renewable, bio-derived ethanol feedstock to produce synthetic rubber grades for tire manufacturers – the largest customers of the synthetic rubber industry.

We have partnered with Lummus Technology to further optimize the development and commercialization of this technology, and construction of our plant is scheduled to commence in 2023 with a planned annual production capacity of 40.000 MT.

We have aligned our innovation strategy with our customers’ goal of significantly reducing CO2 emissions. We operate two research and development centers in Schkopau (Germany) and Oświęcim (Poland), where our large team of chemists, technology and processing experts is committed to accelerate the development of advanced materials and solutions for sustainable, environmentally-friendly and highly efficient applications.

As part of our investment in our customers’ success, our state-of-the art SSBR pilot plant, which was inaugurated in 2018, supports close collaboration and enables faster innovation cycles.

And our investment in the future does not stop there: we collaborate with universities around the world working with the industry’s next generation of polymer technologists on new and innovative research projects.

As one of the world’s largest synthetic rubber producers, we are very aware of our responsibility to lead the drive to net-zero in our industry. An important milestone on this pathway was to become the first synthetic rubber manufacturer to offer its entire rubber product portfolio as ISCC Plus certified materials.

Our International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) mass balance certified materials enable our customers to make credible environmental claims for their products. ISCC is a globally recognized standard that provides traceability throughout the supply chain. All of our synthetic rubber plants are ISCC Plus certified and all of our commercial grades are available as bio/circular attributed product under ISCC certification.

Sustainability is the key driver for our research and development activities so we can offer our customers the most advanced product portfolio in the synthetic rubber industry.

We are focused on investing in low- and zero-carbon energy sources and developing innovative, technologically advanced products with a better environmental profile.

Our Sustainable Development Strategy means we will be using entirely carbon-free energy by 2028 and climate neutral by 2050.