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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.

Ecomondo 2026 will return to the Rimini Expo Centre in Italy from November 3 to 6 with an expanded international profile, a broader Waste as a Resource exhibition area and stronger emphasis on circular economy policy, resource recovery, bioeconomy, digital technologies and sustainable manufacturing. The 29th edition of the Italian Exhibition Group event is being developed as an increasingly cross-sector platform connecting industry, institutions, researchers and policymakers working on the green, blue and circular economy. For recycling industries, including tire recycling and rubber recycling, the expanded waste and resource recovery focus is particularly relevant as European companies face tighter requirements around Extended Producer Responsibility, secondary raw materials, circular product design and domestic recycling capacity. Ecomondo 2026 will also increase the number of English-language conferences and international institutional participants, with discussions expected around the Circular Economy Act, Critical Raw Materials Act, RESourceEU Action Plan, bioeconomy policy and new EPR provisions.

The Tire Industry Project has reported measurable sustainability progress among its ten member companies between 2021 and 2024, including lower carbon intensity, increased use of renewable electricity, reduced water withdrawals and stronger responsible sourcing practices. The latest report, “Sustainability Driven: TIP’s Progress Towards SDGs,” tracks 16 environmental, social and governance indicators across seven pathways of the Tire Sector SDG Roadmap. TIP members reduced CO₂ intensity by 26% over the reporting period, increased renewable electricity use by 121% and cut total water withdrawals by 14%. The report also highlights continued work on tire and road wear particles and circularity, including development of an End-of-Life Tire Management Hierarchy intended to help the tire value chain and governments move toward more circular management of waste tires.

Boundless will host a webinar with Liberty Tire Recycling examining how lifecycle assessment can be used to quantify and substantiate the environmental benefits of recycled rubber products. The session will present a recent LCA covering four recycled-rubber products and explain how their greenhouse gas impacts were compared with the conventional materials they replace. The webinar is intended to address an important issue for tire recycling and circular economy markets: recycled content alone does not automatically demonstrate a lower carbon footprint, and environmental claims need to be supported by transparent methodology, credible baseline comparisons and data capable of withstanding external review. Millicent Poole, Sustainability Manager at Liberty Tire Recycling, will discuss how the assessment results are being used commercially, while Boundless Founder and CEO Michele Demers and Research Analyst Patrick McElroy will explain the methodology behind the calculations, including approaches to avoided emissions and auditable sustainability claims.

From AI and automation to sustainability, advanced materials, energy systems and circularity, manufacturers face mounting pressure to ensure that investment in innovation translates into productivity, resilience and profitability. The Future Tire Conference 2026 will bring together senior leaders from across the tire, automotive, materials, chemicals and equipment sectors to examine how the industry can successfully deploy and scale the technologies shaping its future.

Recovered carbon black can vary significantly depending on tire feedstock, pyrolysis conditions, milling, pelletizing and post-processing. These variations can influence handling, dispersion and final rubber performance, making quality control essential for producers seeking approval from tire and rubber manufacturers.

HITEC Luxembourg participated in Recovered Carbon Black Asia 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand, marking the company’s first appearance at the Asian edition of the industry event. Over two days, the company engaged with more than 200 professionals from across the recovered carbon black value chain and demonstrated its Individual Pellet Hardness Tester, or IPHT, as a tool for evaluating pellet quality and consistency. HITEC emphasized that reliable batch-to-batch performance remains one of the central requirements for broader commercial adoption of recovered carbon black in tire, rubber and other industrial applications. The company also used the event to strengthen cooperation with regional partners CG Engineering in Thailand and Highest Instruments in China, reflecting growing demand in Asia for quality control, laboratory testing and process monitoring technologies supporting recovered carbon black production.

Bridgestone is expanding its work on recovered carbon black as part of its long-term goal to manufacture products using 100% sustainable materials by 2050, combining internal research with partnerships across the tire recycling, pyrolysis and carbon black industries. Speaking during the recovered carbon black symposium at the 2026 Global Polymer Summit in Louisville, Kentucky, Bridgestone representatives highlighted both the potential of rCB from end-of-life tire pyrolysis and the technical challenges that still limit broader adoption in new tires. The tire manufacturer is working on material qualification, performance consistency, specifications and advanced processing technologies while collaborating with carbon black producers, universities, pyrolysis companies and other tire manufacturers. Bridgestone sees recovered carbon black as an important circular raw material because it can return carbon already contained in end-of-life tires to tire manufacturing, reducing dependence on virgin fossil-based carbon black and helping establish tire-to-tire material loops.

WSP has received NZ$264,200 for research addressing environmental concerns associated with tire-derived products in roads. The principal output will be a consolidated evidence guide outlining issues that should be considered when adopting or trialing tire-derived road materials in New Zealand.