Hankook Tire & Technology has announced that its Daejeon Plant in South Korea has received the International Sustainability & Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS, marking the company's third facility to achieve this prestigious global certification for sustainable materials.
The ISCC PLUS is a voluntary international certification system that verifies the sustainability of bio-based and recycled materials, alongside supply chain transparency. Hankook Tire previously secured certification for its Geumsan Plant in 2021—a first for the tyre industry—and its Rácalmás facility in Hungary in 2023. The latest achievement underscores the company's commitment to expanding manufacturing systems for sustainable material-based products across its key global production hubs.
At the Daejeon Plant, Hankook Tire has replaced fossil-based synthetic rubber with bio-circular polymers, significantly reducing the environmental footprint throughout the entire lifecycle from raw material sourcing to product manufacturing. This transition enabled the plant to meet the stringent certification criteria required by ISCC PLUS.
The certification comes at a particularly significant time, as the Daejeon facility produces high-performance rally tyres for the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). The Ventus and Dynapro rally tyres, developed with up to 31 per cent sustainable materials—including those certified under ISCC PLUS, will be supplied exclusively as official rally tyres for the 2025 WRC season.
This demonstrates Hankook Tire's ability to deliver top-tier motorsport technology whilst advancing sustainability goals.
With the Daejeon Plant certification, Hankook Tire has established a comprehensive sustainable product manufacturing system spanning original equipment, replacement tyres, and motorsport applications. This reinforces the company's leadership position in global environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives.
Since 2024, Hankook has been supplying the iON evo as original equipment for the Porsche Taycan. This high-performance tyre was the first in the industry to feature an ISCC PLUS certification logo printed on the sidewall and incorporates 45 per cent recyclable and recycled materials based on the mass balance approach. Despite this high sustainable content, the iON evo delivers performance matching or exceeding conventional fossil-based products, meeting Porsche's stringent performance and sustainability standards.
In June, Hankook Tire launched the new iON GT in the European replacement market, increasing the share of ISCC PLUS-certified materials to up to 77 per cent based on the mass balance approach. As the first electric vehicle-dedicated tyre to achieve "Triple A" ratings under the EU Tyre Label for rolling resistance, wet grip, and noise, the iON GT has demonstrated world-class performance standards.
At IAA Mobility 2025 in Munich this September, Hankook Tire unveiled a concept product development case featuring 81 per cent sustainable materials, further strengthening iON's market position as an innovative brand pioneering the future mobility ecosystem.
The company also serves as the exclusive racing tyre supplier for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. Through its contributions to climate action and circular value chain development, Hankook earned the FIA's '3-Star Environmental Accreditation' in 2024. Building on this collaboration, the company is introducing the next-generation electric racing tyre iON Race this year, which incorporates 35 per cent sustainable materials.
Hankook Tire is actively pursuing open innovation with global partners to advance sustainable material substitution technologies. Current technical collaborations include working with ROTOBOOST to develop turquoise hydrogen-based carbon black and with Solvay to develop circular silica. The company is also participating in government-funded national research projects and domestic consortia to validate carbon-reduction technologies and expand the commercial viability of alternative materials.
Looking ahead, Hankook Tire will continue advancing technological innovation based on its circular economy strategy, E.Circle. The company aims to reduce reliance on fossil-based resources, prevent natural resource depletion, and steadily lower carbon emissions, contributing to greater sustainability across the tyre industry.
Tagged with: ISCC PLUS certification, bio-circular polymers, mass-balance approach, EV tyres, WRC tyres, Formula E, iON evo, iON GT, Porsche Taycan OE, recycled materials, carbon black alternatives, circular silica
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