Key Takeaways:
- The plenary opening session at Tire Technology Expo 2026 will feature three presentations on the evolution of vehicles, transformation of materials and supply chains, and the industry’s response to tire emissions and environmental impact.
- Autonomous vehicles are driving changes in tire technology, with a focus on durability, predictability, and real-life service performance.
- Decarbonization and circularity in the tire industry depend on traceable, measurable, and scalable supply chains, with a focus on renewable and recycled butadiene.
- The industry is making progress in understanding and mitigating tire and road wear particles (TRWP) and emissions, with a focus on science-based research and collaboration.
- The conference will bring together industry professionals to discuss the latest developments and challenges in tire technology, with a focus on innovation, collaboration, and industrial pragmatism.
Introduction to the Plenary Opening Session
The plenary opening session at Tire Technology Expo 2026 is set to be a highlight of the conference, featuring three presentations that will set the tone for the week ahead. Rather than focusing on a single technology or challenge, this year’s session will bring together three complementary perspectives that reflect the realities tire manufacturers are grappling with today: how vehicles are evolving, how materials and supply chains must transform, and how the industry responds to growing scrutiny of tire emissions and environmental impact. The session will offer a snapshot of where tire technology is heading, and what it will take to get there, covering topics such as autonomous mobility, sustainable monomers, and science-based research into tire and road wear particles.
Tires in an Autonomous World
Autonomous vehicles have long been viewed as a future disruptor for tire technology, but according to Dr. Andreas Topp, vice president for platform development and industrialization at Continental, that future is no longer theoretical. As autonomous systems move beyond pilots and into scaled commercial operations, the tire industry is being asked to support a far more diverse vehicle ecosystem. Purpose-built robotaxis, autonomous shuttles, and retrofitted passenger vehicles all place different, and sometimes competing, demands on tire design, validation, and industrialization. Dr. Topp’s presentation will explore how tire technology must evolve to meet these requirements, balancing the classical needs of fleets with emerging expectations around durability, predictability, and real-life service performance. Particular attention will be given to the role of tires in smart vehicle dynamic controls, where consistent, data-rich tire behavior becomes critical for autonomous decision-making.
Decarbonizing the Value Chain
Sustainability remains a defining challenge for the tire industry, but the conversation is becoming more concrete. For Michelin’s Dr. Garance Lopitaux and Christophe Durand, decarbonization and circularity depend on something very specific: supply chains that are genuinely traceable, measurable, and scalable. Their joint presentation will focus on renewable and recycled butadiene, a critical building block for synthetic rubber, and the different pathways available to reduce its carbon footprint. Rather than positioning solutions as either-or, the session will highlight the need for complementary approaches, including mass balance methods under strict connectivity criteria alongside fully segregated pathways that deliver complete traceability. A key example is BioButterfly, a technology developed by Michelin in partnership with IFP Energies nouvelles and Axens, which converts renewable ethanol into 100% bio-based butadiene and has already been validated at demonstration scale.
Tire Emissions and Environmental Impact
The final contribution to the plenary opening session will come from Nicolas Tissier, director of research for the Tire Industry Project (TIP) at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. His presentation will address an area of increasing regulatory and societal focus: tire and road wear particles and emissions during the use phase. Drawing on recent progress from TIP’s global research programs, the session will share new findings on how tire and road wear particles (TRWP) are generated, how they move through the environment, and how their potential impacts are assessed. This will include advances in reference sample development, modeling approaches to predict particle transportation, and methodologies for measuring tire emissions in real-world conditions. Rather than framing the topic in terms of isolated studies, the presentation will highlight how collaborative, science-based work can support informed decision-making across the industry.
Why This Conference Session Matters
Taken together, the opening plenary session offers more than three standalone presentations. It reflects an industry navigating multiple transitions at once – technological, environmental, and operational – and doing so through a combination of innovation, collaboration, and industrial pragmatism. For tire manufacturing professionals, these are not abstract discussions. They are conversations that connect directly to product development priorities, investment decisions, and long-term strategy. Being a part of them and engaging with peers facing the same challenges is one of the key reasons Tire Technology Expo remains a focal point for the global tire community. The opening plenary will take place on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, setting the agenda for three days of technical exchange, debate, and insight. For those shaping the future of tire manufacturing, it’s a conversation worth joining.
