Singapore-based tyre distributor Omni United and United States casual outdoor shoe and clothing maker ​Timberland Boots have launched a new line of tyres whose life cycle is nearly a closed loop - a first in the industry.

Branded ‘Timberland Tires’, these tyres for cars, trucks and vans will be made in the United States from domestic and imported materials, and will be sold from April next year. A closed loop is any system in which waste - used tyres in this case - is used again in making another product.

At the end of their lifespan, after 50,000 to 80,000 miles (or about 80,000 to 130,000 kilometres), retailers will set aside the branded tyres to be recycled into crumb rubber, which has a granular, crumb-like form, by US-based Liberty Recycling.

The crumb rubber will then be processed into sheet rubber and used in shoe outsoles by Timberland manufacturers. The first batch of tyres should be ready for recycling in late 2017, the firms estimate.

The two companies announced their collaboration at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show, a major automotive specialty-products trade show, in Las Vegas earlier this month.

“Given the strength of the Timberland Shoes brand, and our target consumer’s appreciation for sustainability, we see a huge opportunity to change the way people choose their tyres,” said G.S. Sareen, president and chief executive of 11-year-old Singapore firm Omni, whose tyres are distributed in more than 80 countries around the world.

Last year, Omni’s line of Radar tyres was the industry’s first to be declared carbon-neutral. This was achieved through the purchase of carbon credits from wind and solar energy projects to offset the emissions from their manufacturing and distribution.

The idea for Timberland Tires was born three years ago, when both companies began collaborating on sustainability solutions for their industries, said Sareen.