SIBUR replaces foreign rubbers

SIBUR is implementing a project to support domestic tire manufacturers, who, due to the imposition of sanctions, had to seek alternative sources of synthetic rubber. In particular, the company's scientific centers have already helped to replace seven brands of scarce synthetic rubber and certify 50 more components for tires. This was stated by the Director of the "Transport" division of SIBUR, Anatoly Svetlikov.

According to him, SIBUR's support helped ensure the uninterrupted operation of Russian tire factories, preserve their product range, and start developing new tires using "SIBUR" rubber.

In 2022, the share of imported rubber on the Russian market was around 25%, but in 2023 it fell to 1%. At the same time, the load on the capacities of domestic tire enterprises in the first half of 2024 increased by 20%, Svetlikov added.

In 2024, SIBUR, together with tire companies such as "Cordiant", launched a program to replace natural rubber from Southeast Asia with Russian-made isoprene synthetic rubber. As Svetlikov notes, isoprene rubber is "cheaper and more technological than natural rubber".

SIBUR has also become a certification center for the homologation of chemical products used in the production of rubber compounds for tires. Currently, the company is among the three largest global rubber producers, and "all global tire companies on different continents use rubber produced by SIBUR".

"We confidently declare that the quality of tires made from Russian rubber is not inferior to imported ones," Svetlikov emphasized.

Source: "Behind the Wheel".