British start-up among top five in international sustainability competition

Device designed to capture tyre pollution stands chance of winning €500,000 in international sustainability competition

A device designed to capture microplastics emitted from tyres and help reduce the effects of pollution has won its designers a cheque for €100,000 and a place in the final of an international sustainability competition.

The Tyre Collective, based in London, was announced as one of five finalists in the Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge 2021 competition. The business that will be taking home the grand prize of 500,000 euros will be announced during the finals on 14 October. Now in its 15th year, Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge this year is focusing on innovations that can be used in daily life or made into consumer products.

Tyre wear is the second-largest microplastic pollutant in our ocean after single-use plastic, as well as a source of air pollution.

Tyres wear out from friction every time we brake, accelerate or turn a corner. The particles become airborne and are swept into our waterways and oceans.

While exhaust emissions are reducing due to tight regulation, tyre wear pollution remains unregulated. Even when the vehicle fleet has moved to all electric, emissions from brakes and tyres will still be a major cause of air and microplastic pollution, as electric vehicles generally have a heavier curb weight than Internal Combustion Engines.

The Tyre Collective is developing a retrofttable device, which sits at the wheel, mitigating emissions by capturing tyre wear at the source to ensure clean air, safeguarding both the environment and public health.

The final will take place on 14 October, where the finalists will pitch their idea to an international jury. The winner will receive €500,000, and one runner-up will take home €200,000.

Hanson Cheng, Co-Founder and CEO at The Tyre Collective said, “Making it to the final of Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge is amazing! Our innovation will enable any vehicle to be retrofitted with our device to prevent tyre particles from entering our ecosystem. This will have an immediate, massive impact on reducing the emission of microplastics on a daily basis and we can’t wait to demonstrate our project to the jury next month.”

Postcode Lotteries Green Challenge is a competition hosted by the Postcode Lotteries in Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway and Germany.

In Britain, players of People’s Postcode Lottery have raised over £750 million for more than 9,000 good causes.

For further information:

www.greenchallenge.info