At the recently held St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), SIBUR, Russia's top polymer and rubber manufacturer, and Cordiant, a well-known automotive tire manufacturer, signed an agreement of intent. The agreement aims to explore the feasibility of replacing natural rubber with synthetic isoprene rubber in the formulation of various tires, thereby promoting the technological independence of China's transportation industry.
This cooperation marks a new research direction for the two companies, aiming to reduce dependence on natural rubber in Asia-Pacific countries and enhance the autonomy of China's tire manufacturing industry. According to the content of the agreement, the two parties will cooperate in depth, jointly explore and implement plans, and strive to maximize the use of the SKI970 isoprene rubber produced by Sebour to replace traditional natural rubber. Subsequently, both parties will conduct detailed bench testing and on-site verification of the experimental tire to ensure that its performance and quality meet or even exceed market expectations.
According to the Carbon Black Industry Network, Russia's tire production is facing huge challenges after foreign tire manufacturers withdrew from the Russian market, stopped funding for relevant R & D centers, and the EU imposed an import ban on Russian synthetic rubbers and chemicals. In response to this situation, Sipur actively launched a tire customer support project in 2023, planning to invest up to 200 million rubles to stabilize and promote the sustainable development of China's tire industry.
In addition, data shows that in the first four months of this year, Russia's synthetic rubber (SC) production has reached 502,000 tons, an increase of 4.7% over the same period last year. At the same time, the output of primary plastics also showed a steady growth trend, with a year-on-year increase of 2.9%, and the total output reached 3.7 million tons. This series of data fully demonstrates Russia's strong production capacity and development potential in the field of synthetic rubber and plastic products.
