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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.

ANRPC’s August 2026 statistical report forecasts global natural rubber production at 15.039 million tonnes for the year, up just 0.6% from 14.952 million tonnes in 2025, while demand is projected to reach 15.356 million tonnes, an increase of 0.4% from 15.301 million tonnes. This implies a potential annual supply-demand gap of around 317,000 tonnes. Production in August itself was estimated at 1.396 million tonnes, 4.51% below the 1.462 million tonnes recorded a year earlier. With tire production remaining one of the principal drivers of natural rubber consumption, the figures underline continuing pressure on the global tire raw material supply chain and reinforce interest in resource efficiency, tire life extension and circular material strategies.

The agreements give Pyrum long-term access to end-of-life tires from Pirelli’s defined German sources and provide Pirelli with ThermoTireBlack® for European tire production. Pyrum said the arrangement covers both sides of its business model: procurement of end-of-life tires and commercialization of the secondary raw materials produced from them.

The process draws on end‑of‑life tyres collected across Germany, from some Driver retail outlets and motorsport activities, as well as scrap tyres collected from Pirelli's Breuberg plant. They are processed through an industrial chain designed to maximize their inner value, converting them into secondary raw materials – including synthetic rubber – certified under the ISCC PLUS scheme. This ensures traceability along the value chain and enables the circular materials’ reintroduction into the manufacturing of new Pirelli tyres, maintaining their highest standards of quality and performance.

The latest Top 10 Elastomers for Sustainability ranking has added three new projects focused on improving the environmental profile of the rubber, elastomers and tire industries. The Elastomers for Sustainability, or E4S, ranking tracks materials-science and related developments that could support sustainability, recycling and circular economy goals in the global rubber sector.

Until now, the certification value of ELT-derived TPO has often been discussed primarily in terms of its biogenic share. This share is primarily linked to natural rubber used in tires and can be supported by 14C testing. That pathway remains relevant. But it did not fully address the larger commercial question: what about the fossil carbon in tires that is not bio-based, but is nevertheless recovered from a waste stream?

The development was discussed during RubberCon 2026, held in Paris on April 28-29, where Tyres Europe Secretary General Adam McCarthy stated that EU member states had granted the European Commission permission to initiate the withdrawal process. Europe is understood to be the largest financial contributor to the IRSG, making the potential exit a significant development for the international rubber industry body.

German Alliance for the Future of Tires (AZuR) reports thar each year, more than 500,000 metric tons of end-of-life tires are generated in Germany. Tires that can no longer be repaired, regrooved, or retreaded are ideally directed toward climate-friendly recovery pathways—preferably mechanical recycling, followed by chemical recycling where appropriate. A new film released by the Alliance for the Future of Tires (AZuR) clearly illustrates how tire pyrolysis plays a key role in avoiding waste, keeping valuable raw materials in circulation, and sustainably substituting fossil resources.

While resource circulation has advanced for materials such as steel and plastic, rubber remains difficult to recycle, and waste rubber is usually incinerated for thermal energy recovery. Recycling rubber requires devulcanization, a process in which heat and pressure break the sulfur bonds that give rubber its elasticity. However, this process also breaks other chemical bonds, resulting in reduced strength and leaving behind characteristic odors—long-standing challenges in rubber recycling.