COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Global Rubber Industries (Pvt.) Ltd. (GRI) has unveiled the Ultimate Green XT, claiming it is one of the most environmentally friendly materials-handling solid tires in the world.
The Ultimate Green XT contains 42.8% sustainable materials, which include bio-sourced and recycled materials, the company said. The tire is built with natural rubber, silica, recycled carbon black and reclaimed rubber from used tires.
"Environmentally sustainable growth is our strategy today and for generations to come." GRI CEO Mahesha Ranasoma said.
"We work towards this goal through the way we produce our tires as well as develop new tires. The Ultimate Green XT solid tire for the material-handling industry is a result of our drive to create and manufacture products that are sustainable."
The tire provides a higher energy efficiency due to 20.4% lower rolling resistance than the current tire, GRI said, resulting in higher energy savings regardless of whether it's used on an electric or internal combustion engine forklift.
GRI claims the new tire also provides longer life due to 26.6% lower abrasion loss.
GRI is promoting the Ultimate Green XT as a premium-plus materials-handling tire, built for 24 hour-per-day, three-shift operations, enabled by lower heat build-up and higher endurance.
The green-colored version is a non-marking, high-performance tire developed for all surface conditions and intense operating environments, GRI said.
The tread compound of the non-marking Ultimate Green XT contains highly dispersible silica and no carbon black, lowering abrasion loss, and thereby reducing particle release into the environment, the company said.
In the center and base of the tire, GRI said it uses recycled carbon black. Natural oil is used instead of petroleum-based oil and GRI has pioneered the use of carbon nanotubes in the black version of the tire.
