Pneumatic tires have been a fundamental technology in Western civilization for well over a century. They are essential for modern transportation, and their manufacturing has a significant CO 2 footprint. In 2020, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. launched a project to develop an entirely carbon neutral tire, a very difficult task. The company has unveiled a test tire demonstrating progress to date, and it has achieved a 70% reduction in net carbon emissions. To achieve this, the Goodyear team substituted biological materials such as rice husk derived silica and soybean oil as synthetic compund substitutes, and significantly, has developed alternate methods for producing the most critical tire additive, carbon black. Several different methods of low-impact carbon black production have been explored, including combustion of biological materials and synthesis directly from carbon dioxide itself.The global steel industry is dominated by Asian producers, particularly China. But steel can be cost-effectively made in America through mini mills which use scrap as the primary input to produce higher value products such as high strength sheet and strip for the automotive and consumer goods industries. U.S. Steel, following up on the company’s recently acquisition of Big River steel in Arkansas, is investing $3 billion on an advanced mini mill with two electric arc furnaces capable of producing 3 million tons per year.Access all episodes of This Week in Engineering on engineering.com TV along with all of our other series.