Hankook ESG Report Sets New Benchmarks for Circular Tyre Economy

Hankook Tire & Technology has published its 16th ESG Report, covering 2024-25. The 90-page document maps progress against climate, human-rights and circular-economy goals, and aligns with the EU’s ESRS framework plus the emerging TNFD guidelines. It highlights eight priority issues, the mass-production of tyres made from 77 % sustainable materials and new governance steps to hard-wire ESG into board oversight.

A double-materiality approach

Hankook’s latest ESG Report applies the EU’s double-materiality lens, weighing both how sustainability factors affect the business and how the business affects people and planet. The company has strengthened biodiversity and supply-chain disclosures in line with TNFD, and set up a cross-functional committee to prepare for the EU Deforestation Regulation.

Eight focus areas

• Climate-change mitigation
• Energy-efficiency management
• Hazardous-substance control
• Resource-circulation management
• Worker health & safety
• Respect for human rights
• Supply-chain ESG risk management
• R&D and technological innovation

Circular economy in action

In 2024 Hankook, Hyosung Advanced Materials and SK Chemicals commercialised Korea’s first tyre using chemically recycled PET cord. The tyre maker has since:

• Launched EV-only tyres containing 77 % ISCC PLUS-certified materials.
• Begun industrial-scale production of three grades of carbon black made from waste-tyre pyrolysis oil.
• Expanded its UK logistics hub, Hankook House, designed to BREEAM “Excellent” standards—underscoring the brand’s low-carbon distribution strategy.

Governance upgrades

The Board-level ESG Committee, active since 2021, now oversees performance targets and links them to executive remuneration. Internal board evaluations introduced in 2023 are intended to “reinforce independent oversight and sharpen sustainability expertise,” a company spokesperson said [Statement paraphrased – no direct quote available].

Competitive context

Hankook’s move mirrors Michelin’s first CSRD-aligned sustainability report, published in May 2025, signalling that transparent ESG data is now table-stakes for global tyre brands.

Hankook plans to publish baseline-verified Scope 3 emissions data in 2026 and to pilot traceability tech for its natural-rubber supply chain. The full 2024-25 report can be downloaded from Hankook’s global ESG page

‍

‍

Tagged with: Hankook, Hankook ESG report, tyre sustainability, circular economy, ESRS, TNFD, EU deforestation regulation, sustainable materials, carbon black, tyre industry reporting, natural rubber traceability, governance reforms

‍