We organized with GGP Automobiles Groupe Renault a day of testing LEONARD tyres, under the supervision of the UTAC.
Et les résultats sont là !
“A lot of assumptions when arriving, an opinion that changes after the tests”
“Very pleasant, very quiet driving, excellent feedback”
“Very pleasantly surprised” “All the comfort, all the thoughtfulness, which really catches the eye! » “It’s a very, very high level of security.
“A feeling of good hold and security” “[the LEONARD tyre] performed really admirably”
We are proud to have changed your mind about retreading, thanks to the unprecedented quality of LEONARD reconditioned tyres!
A big thank you to GGP Automobiles Renault Group for your trust and to all the participants for their spontaneous interventions in front of the cameras.
🎥 Video MEDIALITY. Link: https://youtu.be/jZSDoXA–Ok
Le 04 avril 2024, BLACK STAR et MOBIVIA ont remporté l’une des 4 Victoires de la Collab (Prix Planète 2024) dans l’écosystème des entreprises AFM.
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.
Les deux entreprises se rapprochent car elles partagent la même ambition: prolonger la durée de vie des pneumatiques.
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 tyre with performance comparable to that of a new tyre. 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 now need to demonstrate that the business model is viable. At full capacity, our ambition is to produce 1 million remanufactured French tyres in Béthune and to recruit up to 200 people.
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.
✔ Reuse of material from used tyres.
✔ 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.
Link : https://youtu.be/iGcCrYg1WVk
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 new reseller of passenger tyres in France, Speedy is choosing a manufacturer that focus on closeness and French production. des pneus français remanufacturés à partir de matière réutilisée). Comme pour son offre existante, Speedy propose ces pneus reconditionnés pour l’été et les quatre saisons. Les pneus reconditionnés fabriqués en France sont couverts d’une garantie de 4 ans au bénéfice des clients de Speedy. Black Star et Speedy partagent des valeurs communes qui se traduisent par des offres à destination de tous les Français.
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 reused tyres manufactured nearby. This project is a precursor and contributes to a change in consumption habits.
LEONARD is a high-quality retreaded tire, made in France and remanufactured from recycled materials. The LEONARD range focuses on the mass market and covers 70% of the needs of the French market. Its 80 sizes (some currently under development) meet the summer and all-season needs of passenger cars, SUVs, and light commercial 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 find common ground in shared values and objectives: a responsible and reasoned approach to resources, reliable and economical 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.
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.
Après une mise à l’épreuve impitoyable, les carcasses retenues (85% de taux de rejet) reçoivent une bande de roulement et des flancs neufs. La prouesse est rendue possible par la reprise en 2021 du site Bridgestone, à Béthune (Pas-de-Calais), financée par subvention et l’entrée au capital de Mobivia (Norauto, Midas…). L’objectif d’ici quatre ans est de reconditionner 1 million de
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.