I had to buy new tires for my Subaru last year, and one of the biggest things on my mind was: where will the old ones end up? And, here along the Vermont side of Lake Champlain, we recently had much to-do about a possible tire-burning plant just across from us in New York (public opinion against it won out).

So, even though tires aren't generally replaced that often, there are already way to many in landfills, and the environmental load of disposing them is only going to weigh heavier on consumers' minds in the future.

So, I took notice when I read that Michelin Tires is now trying to address this. Their puffy man character has symbolically slimmed down (check out their recent television ads), and they are touting how good tires and better cars can make fuel use more efficient, in addition to their usual selling points of safety. The brand is also talking a bit about end-of-life tires and pointing to the ways that tires can be recycled.

In an article by Karl Greenberg in a recent issue of MediaPost (and there is more in the brand's online press release), Michelin's brand director Parmeet Grover had this to say:

"We did a lot of research, and what we learned is that, more and more, it's becoming relevant, and the next generation of consumer is looking for both functional benefits, but also the corporate perception they may have: 'Do I trust this brand, is it a brand that does the right thing.'"

While the companion site to Michelin's "A Better Way Forward" campaign is clever, I still couldn't locate any more detailed reference to recycling tires - even though one of their commercials shows the Michelin Man installing recycled rubber at a children's playground and talking about alternative uses for end-of-life tires ( and even though I couldn't find that specific ad in their otherwise very thorough online press room - odd).

Will Michelin take it to the next level and start a program that makes recycling tires (of any brand, being the ideal) much easier and so very directly addresses consumer's concerns? That would be an amazing idea - and it was actually what I was looking for on their "forward" site.

Still, what Michelin is at least beginning to do in terms of marketing is valid. Consumers ARE looking above, beyond and after the purchase of their goods - so all brands, but especially those whose products take up much landfill space or are known to be harmful to the environment in other ways, will be smart to address those concerns now.