ATLANTA -- The Dow Chemical Co. and Lehigh Technologies, manufacturer of sustainable, micronized rubber powders (MRP), have partnered to conduct collaboration targeted at making tires more sustainable.

Dow and Lehigh will combine proprietary technologies to modify the rubber particles with the goal of creating more sustainable tires. The program will combine Dow's expertise in polymer chemistry with Lehigh's expertise in sustainable rubber compound development and testing.

"This collaboration is a great opportunity to continue leveraging our latex polymer technology for a sustainable cause. Dow's 2015 sustainability goals include a focus on technologies that are advantaged by sustainable chemistry and this project is anchored in that same commitment," said Colin Gouveia, general manager, Dow Construction Chemicals. "Further, we're excited to work with Lehigh's unique market understanding and application expertise to develop solutions that bring value to the marketplace."

Lehigh Technologies' proprietary manufacturing process takes tire and other post-industrial rubber material and "upcycles" it into micron-scale, high-quality, sustainable powders that are compatible with customers' existing formulations, making it easy to integrate into new or existing products. These sustainable powders help companies achieve sustainability goals, while helping manage the high cost of non-renewable raw materials. Currently, there are more than 100 million tires containing Lehigh's micronized rubber powder.

In June, Lehigh launched an industry-wide "Road to One Billion Campaign" to put 1 billion tires on the road manufactured with sustainable materials, to further reduce the carbon footprint of a tire.

"Our primary customer base, the world's leading tire companies, has been requesting advanced technologies to enable increased sustainable content in tires. The Dow-Lehigh research program is part of a broader technology program at Lehigh, aimed at providing sustainable solutions without compromise," said Dr. Alan Barton, Lehigh Technologies' CEO. "Our objective is to have 1 billion tires on the road manufactured with our alternative material - our collaboration with Dow is a critical step in realizing this significant milestone."