Green productivity and value chain analysis to enhance sustainability throughout the passenger car tire supply chain in Thailand

Abstract

Although the tire industry is important for the economy of the country, focusing only on productivity will not lead to sustainable production and competitiveness in today's global market. This research aimed to enhance economic and environmental performance throughout Thailand's tire supply chain using green productivity (GP) and value chain analysis. The current performance of the tire supply chain was presented using GP level with value chain analysis for identifying the causes of extravagant resources, energy, or waste. The clean technology (CT) concept was used to develop options to improve GP and obtaining a sustainable tire supply chain. The results showed that the highest GP value of primary and intermediate rubber products was fresh latex and smoke sheet rubber. Cup lump and STR20 block rubber, in contrast, offered the lowest GP. Overuse of chemical fertilizer in the cup lump production, water consumption in the STR20 production and steam consumption in the tire manufacturing process were key issues selected for developing CT options from value chain analysis. The chosen options are to fertilize following the Rubber Research Institute recommendations, recycle used or treated water in the rubber industry and lower mold open time among tire manufacturers to reduce steam and coal consumption. These techniques were predicted to raise the GP value from 0.1495 to 0.1626 in cup lump production, 0.0320–0.0326 in the STR20 plant and 0.0098–0.0114 in a tire factory. It indicated a more sustainable business operation that could reduce environmental impacts and increase competitiveness simultaneously.