The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has announced a multi-year, multi-million-dollar program to develop a domestic source of natural rubber from a specific species of dandelion. Goodyear will work with Ohio-based Farmed Materials and is supported by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), and BioMADE.

The program will build on research that analyzed more than 2,500 species of plants but found only a few with properties suitable for use in tires. Taraxacum kok-saghyz, a species of dandelion known as TK, has proven to be a valuable alternative to natural rubber trees. 

While rubber trees typically take seven years to produce the latex needed for rubber production, dandelions can be harvested every six months. TK dandelions are also resilient and can grow in more temperate climates, such as Ohio. 

“If additional testing provides promising results, Goodyear sees potential for the application of TK rubber to be used in all tire applications,” a company release stated. 

Goodyear stated that more than 90% of the world’s natural rubber is made from latex derived from rubber trees and is primarily sourced from tropical locations outside the US today. 

For more information, visit goodyear.com/corporate.