Birla Carbon has released its 14th annual Sustainability Report, “Sustainable – Work in Progress,” outlining progress under its Share the Future sustainability strategy and its ambition to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The 2026 report highlights advances in circular carbon materials, emissions reduction, water management, supplier due diligence and operational efficiency across the company’s global manufacturing network. Of particular relevance to the tire and recycling industries, Birla Carbon says its Continua™ Sustainable Carbonaceous Material has reached industrial scale in Europe and Asia, with production facilities in Italy and India now fully operational. The material is derived from end-of-life tires through pyrolysis and is intended as a circular alternative to conventional carbon black in applications including tires, mechanical rubber goods, plastics and coatings. Birla Carbon says it is on track to produce more than 100,000 tonnes of Continua SCM annually by FY2030, positioning circular carbon materials as an increasingly important part of its long-term sustainability strategy.

Continua SCM reaches industrial scale

Birla Carbon identified the industrial scale-up of Continua Sustainable Carbonaceous Material as one of the main achievements in its 2026 sustainability report. Production facilities in Italy and India are now operational, supported by a global supply chain, quality management systems and health, safety and environmental practices.

The company says the expansion gives customers broader access to circular carbonaceous materials with consistent quality and a quantified reduction in carbon footprint compared with conventional carbon black.

Material is produced from end-of-life tires

Continua SCM is produced from end-of-life tires through pyrolysis and is designed for use as a circular material in applications including tires, mechanical rubber goods, plastics and coatings.

By using material recovered from waste tires, Birla Carbon aims to reduce dependence on virgin fossil-based carbon feedstocks while increasing recycled content in downstream products.

Production targeted above 100,000 tonnes annually by FY2030

Birla Carbon says it is on track to make more than 100,000 tonnes of Continua SCM available annually by FY2030.

The expansion would represent a significant increase in industrial-scale demand for tire-derived recovered carbonaceous material and could strengthen the connection between end-of-life tire pyrolysis and established carbon black markets.

Life cycle assessment indicates carbon reduction potential

According to Birla Carbon’s life cycle assessment, Continua 8000 SCM offsets approximately 0.73 kg CO₂e for every kilogram produced under a system expansion methodology.

The company estimates that production at full capacity could avoid more than 220,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually compared with conventional carbon black.

Circular materials form part of net-zero roadmap

Birla Carbon’s net-zero pathway is organized around four main levers: Reduce, Replace, Repurpose and Research. Circular materials such as Continua fall within the company’s strategy to repurpose carbon resources and reduce reliance on virgin inputs.

The company continues to state an aspiration to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, supported by operational efficiency, lower-carbon feedstocks, circular solutions and longer-term technology development.

Company also develops sustainable carbon black

In addition to Continua SCM, Birla Carbon is continuing production trials involving recycled and bio-derived feedstocks for its Sustainable Carbon Black products.

The company describes these efforts as part of a broader strategy to expand circular and lower-carbon carbon materials while maintaining the performance requirements of established industrial applications.

EcoVadis places Birla Carbon in top 1%

Birla Carbon received an EcoVadis Platinum rating in 2026, placing the company within the top 1% of more than 150,000 companies assessed globally.

The rating evaluates performance across environmental management, labor and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.

CDP awards B scores for climate and water

Birla Carbon also received B scores from CDP for both Climate and Water, which the company describes as the highest possible score available to a privately disclosing company.

The assessment reflects the company’s reporting and management of climate-related impacts, water use and associated environmental risks.

All manufacturing sites use recycled or harvested water

The company reports that 100% of its manufacturing facilities use recycled process water and/or harvested rainwater in their operations.

Water risk is assessed within Birla Carbon’s wider enterprise risk management framework, with higher-risk facilities incorporating dedicated Water Resource Management Plans into business continuity planning.

Waste heat recovery improves energy efficiency in China

At Birla Carbon’s Weifang facility in China, upgrades to waste heat recovery systems increased energy efficiency from 60.3% in FY2023 to 65.5% in FY2026.

The company estimates that recovered heat supplied for residential heating avoided approximately 20,809 tonnes of CO₂e during FY2026, compared with 18,758 tonnes in the previous year.

Supplier due diligence covers more than 18,000 vendors

Birla Carbon says its supplier due diligence program now covers all 18,171 active vendors. Suppliers are continuously screened through the NAVEX RiskRate platform.

The company also reports that all employees receive relevant policy training and all suppliers acknowledge purchasing terms prohibiting child and forced labor. No labor incidents had been identified through the program at the time of reporting.

Packaging reuse reduces waste at three plants

Facilities in Brazil, China and India have introduced systems for recovering and reusing large bags used to store carbon black. Suitable bags are cleaned, inspected and returned to service rather than discarded after a single use.

Birla Carbon says 39,517 bags were recovered through these programs, avoiding approximately 150 tonnes of packaging waste during 2025.

Company contributes to carbon black LCA standards

Birla Carbon is participating in industry work through the International Carbon Black Association to develop a Product Category Rule for carbon black.

The initiative is intended to improve consistency and comparability in life cycle assessments and product carbon footprint calculations across the carbon black industry.

Circular carbon materials become increasingly important for tire industry

The expansion of Continua is particularly relevant to the tire industry because carbon black remains one of the principal reinforcing materials used in tire compounds. Introducing tire-derived circular carbon materials at larger scale could help manufacturers increase recycled content while reducing dependence on conventional fossil-based carbon black.

The commercial development of such materials also provides an important downstream market for end-of-life tire pyrolysis, where the quality and consistency of recovered carbon products are critical to achieving higher-value applications.

Birla Carbon maintains focus on scale and circularity

Birla Carbon operates 19 manufacturing plants and three research and development centers across 14 countries and supplies carbon materials to tire, mechanical rubber goods and specialty markets around the world.

The 2026 sustainability report indicates that circular carbon materials are becoming a more established part of the company’s product strategy, alongside emissions reduction, resource efficiency and responsible sourcing. For the tire recycling sector, the industrial scale-up of Continua represents another step toward integrating materials recovered from end-of-life tires into mainstream carbon black and rubber supply chains.

Original announcement by Birla Carbon.