On April 4, 2024, BLACK STAR and MOBIVIA won one of the 4 Collab Victories (2024 Planet Prize 🌍) in the AFM business ecosystem.
The Collaboration Victories is the event that rewards collaborative projects that move the AFM, the largest European retail ecosystem.
LEONARD was born from the collaboration of two French companies: the SME BLACK STAR, a French specialist in retreaded tires for over 40 years, and the MOBIVIA group, leader in automobile maintenance.
The two companies are coming together because they share the same ambition: to extend the life of tires.
In 2021, with the announcement of the closure of the Bridgestone factory in Béthune in Nord Pas de Calais, MOBIVIA and Black Star are betting on reuse by taking over part of the site in order to lay the foundations of an integrated ecosystem around the second life of the tyre.
By working together, the two companies are completely rethinking the way tires are produced, marketed and used.
MOBIVIA group's auto centers (Norauto, Midas, Carter Cash, etc.) collect used tyres and entrust them to BLACK STAR, which recycles the waste by allowing the remanufacturing of a selection of carcasses. In turn, auto centers market and promote these reconditioned tyres to their customers.
This is how the LEONARD tyre was born in 2023. A reconditioned, French, eco-responsible tire with performance comparable to that of a new tire. Available for purchase throughout the Mobivia network and major distributors.
We are very proud of our appearance on the Belgian television news RTL Info (03/20/2024).
A big thank you to the journalists for highlighting tire reconditioning to the Belgian public.
Un grand merci aux journalistes pour cette mise en lumière du reconditionnement du pneu auprès du public belge.
« 30,000km on the clock for these tires. Rubber too smooth and cracks visible, it is high time to replace them. Every second in Europe, six tires reach the end of their life, for a total of 200 million in one year. If many are burned or sent for recycling, some can claim circular treatment: reconditioning.»
“The qualities of this [reconditioned] tire compared to a new tire are that in terms of grip and braking distance, it is more or less identical. There is a little reluctance from customers at the beginning, but once we explain the process and the quality controls that go with it, they are sometimes rather enthusiastic,” confides Alexandre Hocquet, Auto5 Drogenbos assistant manager.
In this third episode of Hauts-de-France has everything to succeed, Noémie Morgant takes us to meet the Black Star company, the last company in France to produce reconditioned tires for light vehicles.
"Hauts-de-France has everything to succeed" is presented to you by the Hauts-de-France Region.
Find this show in replay on the site in the Territories section and the BFM Grand Lille application.
A look back at the 2023 Recircle Awards Ceremony which was held in Bologna on November 16.
The third edition of the Recircle Awards, hosted by Valebridge Media Services, celebrates outstanding achievements in the global tire #retreading and #recycling sectors.
It awarded BLACK STAR with the BUSINESS BREAKTHROUGH AWARD, in recognition of its significant impact in 2023 in terms of entering a new market or growing in the tyre retreading or recycling sector.
2023 was indeed a great year for BLACK STAR, the only French manufacturer specializing in the manufacture of reconditioned tyres for light vehicles on a large scale.
Last April we launched LEONARD reconditioned tyres manufactured in our new industrial site in Béthune and a few months later we began marketing our new range in France and Europe in the main auto centers and tyre retailers. It is the realization of an ambitious and disruptive project which aims to build an integrated tyre recycling ecosystem.
Jean Baptiste Pieret, BLACK STAR President, confirms: "We are certain that we have a valid and concrete solution to the environmental issues of the tyre industry: the circular economy is the right move, and today’s timing is also right.
We must now demonstrate that the business model holds up. At full capacity, our ambition is to produce 1 million remanufactured French tyres in Béthune, to recruit up to 200 people, and to save 18,000 t of CO₂ each year (manufacturing only).
We advocate the merger of the two worlds, where premium manufacturer and RE-premium manufacturer (=Black Star) will work together for the emergence and democratization of a multi-life tyre.
You can see the RECIRCLE AWARDS ceremony here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAICrm-r-Ik&t=1100s&t=18m20s
BLACK STAR attends the 2023 edition of the Salon des Maires et des Collectivités Locales, on November 21, 22 and 23, 2023, at Paris Porte de Versailles.
LEONARD and BLACK STAR reconditioned tyres are a reliable and proven alternative to greening public fleets.
A direct response to the AGEC art.60 law relating to the fight against waste and the circular economy, which requires public procurement to favor retreaded tyres.
Black Star provides a concrete and immediate solution to reduce the carbon impact of public fleets: LEONARD reconditioned tyres.
✔ A complete and economical range of tyres for passenger and utility vehicles in a wide variety of sizes and pressures.
✔ 80% material savings, reducing local waste.
✔ Up to 60% reduction in CO2/equivalent new tire (Cabinet Espere – 2022).
✔ Manufacturing in France, in Béthune in the Hauts-de-France region, thus contributing to the reindustrialization of the region and the revitalization of the employment area.
✔ Performance comparable to a new tire. Without sacrificing safety or quality.
By choosing reconditioned tyres for public fleets, you have the opportunity to actively participate in reducing waste and reducing the carbon footprint of your municipality. Help us share it with your elected officials in order to accelerate the transition and promote the circular economy.
For more information, contact us directly: 04 74 87 18 18 / info@black-star.fr .
By Thomas Verbrugghe-Delchambre
In the former Bridgestone factory in Béthune (Pas-de-Calais), tens of thousands of used tyres are labeled, stored, then passed from machine to machine to become the Leonard tyre. The goal: to recover only the structure, in exemplary condition, and reuse it with the installation of a new tread.
« The tread is manufactured thanks to the passage of the material through a machine between a screw and a sheath which heats the rubber and produces this product which will be used to dress the carcass », explains Bruno Lagneaux, industrial director at Black Star. 1,000 units are produced every day and are currently sold throughout the Renault network.
« It is exactly the same as a new tyre, in terms of finish it is identical, » assure Laurent Cabassu, directeur général chez Black Star. « The only difference is that there is a small marking [‘’retread”] which indicates that it is a reconditioned tyre. »
And when driving, there is no difference with conventional tyres. “ The level of performance in terms of dry braking, wet braking, or avoidance, is equivalent to that of a quality tire, and sometimes even to a premium tire. » Allow 60 euros for retreaded rubber, guaranteed for two years.
SPEEDY, SPECIALIST IN MOBILITY SOLUTIONS, OFFERS NOW LEONARD RECONDITIONED TYRES TO ITS CUSTOMERS. MANUFACTURED IN FRANCE, THESE RECONDITIONED TYRES ARE PRODUCED IN BETHUNE BY THE COMPANY BLACK STAR AND EXPAND SPEEDY’S OFFERING. THIS NEW OFFER MEET THE EXPECTATIONS OF CUSTOMERS WHO WISH TO BE IN A CIRCULAR AND LOCAL ECONOMY APPROACH.
The local choice
By choosing Black Star, the last survivor of passenger retread tyres in France, Speedy is choosing a manufacturer that is close to its centers and close to the French. These new products assure customers who wish to do so that they can drive with French tyres made from 80% recycled materials and which offer savings of up to 60% in CO2 emissions during manufacturing compared to a new tyre (study carbon footprint ESPERE 2022). As with its existing offering, Speedy offers these reconditioned tires for summer and all four seasons. Refurbished tyres manufactured in France are covered by a 4-year tire warranty for the benefit of Speedy customers. Black Star and Speedy share common values which translate into offers aimed at all French people. With nearly 500 centers present throughout France, Speedy is a brand whose proximity is at the heart of the model. For 90% of French people, the company already fulfills its promise of being less than 15 minutes by car from one of its repair and maintenance offers.
Speedy, supporting the decarbonization of French mobility
The reconditioned tyres are a new step by Speedy in favor of ecological measures. Speedy is, for example, the first network in France to install E85 bioethanol boxes in 2022 – Flexfuel approved. The 12,000 boxes installed by Speedy technicians have already enabled the French to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 72% compared to conventional fossil fuels while preserving their purchasing power. Speedy helps the French to decarbonize their current vehicle via depollution diagnostics. This saves up to 11% on fuel and reduces fine particles released into the atmosphere by 4.5 times. For diesels, Speedy offers its customers the option of installing a particle filter to limit their pollution. Finally, the company provides maintenance and repair of electric cars and two-wheelers.
On October 5th in Béthune, the BLACK STAR company presented and officially announced a commercial and communications partnership with Renault Group. This partnership involves the listing of LEONARD consumer tyres (manufactured by BLACK STAR at their Béthune site, in Hauts-de-France) throughout the Renault Group dealership/points of sale network.
Renault Group undertakes to promote and highlight LEONARD reconditioned tyres and in exchange obtains exclusive manufacturer distribution for a period of 9 months.
Renault Group has been present since the start of the project to take over the Béthune industrial site by BLACK STAR. The Group innovates and promotes new solutions in favor of the circular economy, hence their association with the project. The objective is to give consumers access to a wider range of quality recycled tires manufactured nearby. This project is a precursor and contributes to a change in consumption habits.
LEONARD is a quality reconditioned tyre, made in France which saves 80% of raw materials and up to 63% of CO₂ emissions during its manufacture*. The LEONARD range focuses on the mass market and covers 70% of the needs of the French market. Its 80 dimensions (some currently under development) meet the summer and all-season needs of passenger vehicles, SUVs and utility vehicles.
Dacia brand contributed to the launch operation by providing the vehicles for dynamic tests on the circuit, which made it possible to test and reassure the quality equivalent to a new tyre.
LEONARD and Dacia come together around common values and objectives: a responsible and reasoned approach to resources, reliable, economical and ecological solutions and finally the desire to reduce the environmental impact of mobility.
LEONARD reconditioned tyres are now available (since October 5) in the Renault Group network. The distribution of BLACK STAR is intended to be global, physical, online and direct. It also targets public procurement (maintenance of public procurement markets) and business fleets. Elle cible également la commande publique (entretien des parcs des marchés publics) et les flottes d’entreprises.
*In comparison with a new tyre – Cabinet ESPERE study, 2022
Founded in 1979 near Lyon, Black Star is the last company in France to retread tyres for light vehicles, a technique that major manufacturers no longer use except for trucks. Until now confined to atypical dimensions, Black Star is changing scale by unveiling at the low-carbon mobility fair Drive to Zero (from April 5 to 7) its Leonard tyres, compatible with 70% of sedans and SUVs in circulation.
“We wanted an unusual name for a tyre that is no less ordinary,” defends Laurent Cabassu, managing director of Black Star.
After ruthless testing, the retained casings (85% rejection rate) receive a new tread and sidewalls. A process that emits 63% less CO and consumes 80% less material than manufacturing a new tyre. The feat is made possible by the takeover in 2021 of the Bridgestone site, in Béthune (Pas-de-Calais), financed by subsidy and the entry into the capital of Mobivia (Norauto, Midas, etc.).
The objective within four years is to refurbish 1 million tyres per year, in a French market of 40 million new tyres. Sold 20% more expensive than an Asian tyre but 30% less expensive than a premium whose carcass it uses, Leonard promises services equivalent to those of a mid-range.
"Choosing our locally reconditioned tytes means contributing to the circular economy as much as safeguarding jobs that cannot be relocated", boasts Laurent Cabassu.
PRESS RELEASE
Reindustrialization of the Béthune industrial site:
Mobivia and Black-Star create a tyre reconditioning unit with the support of Bridgestone, ultimately creating nearly 200 jobs in the circular economy.
July 2, 2021: Mobivia, the European leader in multi-brand car maintenance and an emerging player in new mobility, and Black-Star, a French company that manufactures and sells reconditioned tyres, sign an agreement to create a collection unit, sorting and reconditioning of passenger car tyres within the Multi-Technologies Industrial Center in Béthune. Supported by Bridgestone, this first site reindustrialization project will create around fifty jobs in 2022, and nearly 200 jobs by 2025.
Mobivia, through its subsidiary iWip dedicated to the circular economy, and Black-Star will develop an integrated tyre recycling ecosystem on this industrial site in Béthune. This circular economy approach aims to give tyres a second life, while giving consumers access to a wider range of eco-responsible tyres at very good value for money. Collected from Mobivia auto centers (Norauto, Midas and Carter-Cash), the tyres will be transported, sorted and then reconditioned before being placed on the market again. Each reconditioned tyre saves 80% of material – i.e. 9kg of rubber and steel.
This circular economy project in the world of tyres will capitalize on the know-how and equipment of the Béthune site, of which it will use 25% of the surface. It will mainly generate jobs compatible with the skills of the former factory employees. This is the first concrete expression of the commitment made by Bridgestone to its employees and the region to revitalize the site and the region. It will start in January 2022, with a ramp-up as the activity develops.
This project constitutes a new stage in the development of a Multi-Technology Industrial Pole in Béthune, initiated by the agreement between Bridgestone France and SIG, the development and real estate subsidiary of the LOG'S group, for the acquisition and development of the site. This announcement also follows the signing of a revitalization agreement worth 16 million euros to promote the creation of activities and the development of employment in the area.
The project leaders would like to warmly thank the State, the Agglomeration Community of Béthune Bruay Artois Lys Romane and the Hauts-de-France Region for their support and their commitment at their side, without which this project would not have been possible.
For Agnès PANNIER-RUNACHER, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy, Finance and Recovery of France, in charge of Industry: « I am delighted with the materialization of this project, which should ultimately lead to the creation of nearly 200 jobs corresponding to the skills of former Bridgestone employees. This circular economy project lays the foundations for a reconditioned tyre industry that benefits the environment. The constant mobilisation of State services alongside employees and local stakeholders is bearing fruit. We will continue to support the success of this project, and that of those who could set up on the former Bridgestone site and more broadly in the Béthune-Bruay area. The “Bridgestones” know they can count on my support.»
For Xavier BERTRAND, President of the Hauts-de-France Regional Council: « Almost 2 months to the day after the closure of Bridgestone in Béthune, we are happy to see a new industrial project creating jobs and committed to the sustainable economy arriving on the site. The tyre reconditioning unit that Mobivia and Black-Star are going to install brings hope to former Bridgestone employees and to the region. Alongside the State and the Agglomeration Community of Béthune-Bruay Artois Lys Romane, the Hauts-de-France Region will support this project financially. This first installation marks the renewal of the Bridgestone site: the Region will be alongside the former employees until everyone has found a solution and alongside the territory until the site is fully occupied. »
For Olivier GACQUERRE, President of the Agglomeration Community of Béthune-Bruay Artois Lys Romane and Mayor of Béthune : “The closure of the Bridgestone site was a major news event for the territory and the Urban Community immediately mobilized to mitigate as much as possible the impact of this announcement. Various steps have since been successively taken to restore a momentum that still needs to be continued. This first announcement concerning the implementation of this project is therefore a crucial step which makes it possible to maintain hope for the territory and more particularly for the former employees of Bridgestone. This project is all the more interesting in that it embodies very precisely the industrial transformation that we wish to stimulate in Béthune-Bruay, particularly around new activities with promising projects in the field of the circular economy.”
For Fabien DERVILLE, President of MOBIVIA : « After more than 20 years of developing 22 end-of-life management channels for used products from our Norauto, Midas, Carter-Cash and A.T.U networks in Germany, we are entering a new era that aims to extend the life of products collected. We started a few months ago the regeneration of lead batteries to give an additional life cycle for 1/3 of used batteries. It is now around tyres that we are continuing our commitment, contributing to the development of industries of the future in France, particularly in Hauts-de-France, with a project at the heart of Mobivia's Raison d'Etre : “Opening sustainable mobility to all.»
For Jean-Baptiste PIERET, President of Black-Star : « Tyres are being reinvented at Béthune through the conversion of part of the former Bridgestone site into an integrated ecosystem: collection, sorting, recycling and reconditioning of tyres. An ambitious industrial project, which aims to meet contemporary ecological challenges and in response to more sober, more reasoned consumer expectations.
Mobivia and Black-Star are participating in the emergence of a center of excellence around sustainable mobility in the Hauts de France territory, by placing re-industrialization and local jobs that cannot be relocated at the heart of the recovery system. To do this, membership must be strong, unanimous, and concrete by equipping you, us, local authorities with recycled tyres "made in Béthune"! “
For Daniel Giroud, Commercial Director and member of the executive committee of Bridgestone EMIA, in charge of finding recovery solutions and new activities for the Béthune site and the region : « The implementation of this first project is good news which concretizes the dynamics of reindustrialization of the site initiated several months ago. Bridgestone continues to honor its commitments made to employees and the territory. We are providing this project with essential support from a financial point of view (aid for hiring former employees), operational (transfer of the machines necessary for the project for a symbolic amount), commercial (by supporting the sale of reconditioned tyres in our distribution networks – Speedy, First Stop and Côté Route-) and technical (IT support, training). In addition, it is in line with our strategic objectives to use 40% sustainable materials by 2030, then 100% in 2050, since retreading makes it possible to reduce the quantities of raw materials used in tyres by 80%.»