The Nokian Tyres Green Step Ligna concept tire wins at the New Wood 2025 bioeconomy breakthrough competition

The New Wood competition is aimed at wood-based bioeconomy products and solutions, challenged pioneering companies to offer new solutions to global challenges. The nine-member jury assessed the societal significance of the solutions entered to the competition, as well as their ability to respond to global challenges and promote the Sustainable Development Goals. The winning solution also had to have international market potential and utilize wood in an innovative way.

The jury of the New Wood competition praised the fact that Nokian Tyres Green Step Ligna concept tire represents a concrete step towards more sustainable transport and the materials industry. They note that the innovation can serve as an example for other players looking for ways to combine performance and ecology.

“Sometimes the most powerful innovations don’t alter the product itself, but the materials behind it—transforming it into something truly sustainable,” commented Pauli Aalto-Setälä, a jury member of the New Wood 2025 competition.

"This year, the utilization of industrial side streams was particularly highlighted in the New Wood competition. The lignin-based tire material that won the competition and the second-placed wood fiber insulation are excellent examples of this," said Martta Fredrikson, Chair of the New Wood competition jury.

Fillers make up about a third of the mass of tires and have a decisive impact on their durability and performance. In the sidewall of the Nokian Tyres' Green Step Ligna concept tire, fossil raw materials have been replaced with lignin-based UPM BioMotion™ filler. Lignin is a natural compound found in wood, produced as a by-product of pulp production. The Nokian Tyres Green Step Ligna concept tire demonstrates the usability of the groundbreaking new raw material in tires and marks a leap towards the use of renewable materials for the whole tire industry.