Atire becomes the World’s 1st carbon neutral solid tire company

Atire Ltd. CEO and Director Saveen Abeyratne receiving the certificate from the Secretary to the Ministry of Environment Prabath Chandrakeerth

In a ground-breaking move, ATIRE Ltd., the rapidly growing industrial solid tire company based in Sri Lanka, has redefined the standards of environmental responsibility by becoming the world’s first carbon-neutral industrial solid tire manufacturing company.

This incredible milestone, certified by the Sri Lanka Climate Fund - under the Ministry of Environment of Sri Lanka, highlights ATIRE’s commitment to pioneering sustainable industrial practices.

Established in 2019, ATIRE has rapidly become a leading manufacturer and distributor of world-class specialty solid tires, serving diverse industrial sectors across over 40 countries worldwide. Renowned for their performance and longevity, ATIRE’s products cater to various applications, including material handling, construction, agriculture, accessibility, and ports.

Founded in 2019, ATIRE is one of the fastest growing solid tire brands in the industry. Founder and Chairman, Deshamanya Anurath Abeyratne is a highly reputed Sri Lankan entrepreneur and philanthropist, who started by producing solid tires in the year 2000 for globally renowned brands such as Watts and Continental.

After producing over four million tires, in 2019 he started ATIRE, to build high-performance industrial specialty tires, whilst advancing the industry’s progress towards sustainability and serving the unmet needs of the market. As a member of Anunine Holdings, a diversified conglomerate with a strong focus on sustainability, ATIRE is part of a broader mission to drive positive change across multiple industries.

“In 2020, we made an ambitious commitment to become carbon-neutral in five years. I’m proud to state that we accomplished this goal in only three years. More importantly we are proud of the innovative sustainable initiatives that led us to reach this milestone, and to advance the global solid tire industry one step forward in its sustainability journey.

Looking ahead, ATIRE is committed to aggressively innovating to further improve our environmental impact, by embracing emerging technologies, and challenging the norms of our industry. Our goal being to ensure the advantages of these innovations extend to our customers, enabling them to minimise their footprint, and support their own journey in becoming carbon-neutral,” stated Atire CEO and Director Saveen Abeyratne.

The ceremony presenting the certificate of Carbon Neutrality for ATIRE was presented by the Secretary to the Ministry of Environment Prabath Chandrakeerthi on 19 February 2024 to ATIRE Directors Saveen Abeyratne and Sonali Abeyratne, alongside the key management personnel of Atire at the Ministry of Environment Sri Lanka, marking a significant milestone for the entire global solid tire industry.

ATIRE was certified as Carbon Neutral on 13 November 2023, for both scope 1 and 2 levels during the emissions accounting year ending 31 March 2023, in compliance with the inventory reporting certification ISO 14064-1:2018.

“We are delighted to state that ATIRE is now the world’s 1st carbon neutral solid tire company, which includes its state-of-the-art tire manufacturing facility based in Sri Lanka, which is now a net-zero emissions manufacturing plant.

ATIRE’s journey to carbon neutrality is paved with innovative sustainable practices. We have fully embraced renewable energy, with over 85% of its facility’s roof covered in solar panels. Advanced Nano-technologies have been utilised to reduce energy consumption significantly, particularly saving over 15% in the tire curing process, one of the most energy-intensive stages in solid tire manufacturing.” enthusiastically stated Atire’s Carbon Neutral Production Facility General Manager Ajith Dharmasiri.

At ATIRE, our commitment to sustainability extends to every aspect of our operations, including energy consumption and waste management. Steam generation, a significant energy consumer in the solid tire industry, traditionally relies on fossil fuels, contributing to environmental degradation. However, at ATIRE, we have utilised only 100% biomass-generated steam. This considerably reduces emissions and also enhances the overall environmental sustainability of our operations. Moreover, our dedication to the principles of reuse, reduce, and recycle is evident in our waste management practices. We responsibly re-use over 80% of all waste generated, including factory rejects, production waste, and compound waste.

The combination of these emission reducing programs, coupled with the offsetting of emissions with carbon credits generated via its group’s renewable energy projects has enabled ATIRE to reach this milestone in the industry.

ATIRE’s achievement serves as a game changing benchmark for the future of sustainability, inspiring the solid tire manufacturing industry, as well as the broader industrial sector to embrace environmental responsibility. By demonstrating the possibility of achieving carbon neutrality within a short time, ATIRE sets a precedent for companies worldwide, urging them to pursue ambitious environmental goals and contribute to a more sustainable future.