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Belgian company RISORCE (Renewable, Innovative Solutions towards Recycling & Circular Economy) has closed a €12.5M round of financing from GREEN.er (Recytyre), Noshaq, Wallonie Entreprendre and various players in the financial sector in order to build a new end-of-life tire recycling plant in the province of Liège. Using a pyrolysis process, this plant will enable the equivalent of half of Belgium’s car tires to be processed locally.

The Circularity Gap Report 2024, released by the Circle Economy Foundation on January 24, 2024, underscores the pressing need for improved political, financial, and labor conditions to foster a worldwide circular economy. It not only identifies critical drivers but also offers concrete recommendations for policy, finance, and labor to expedite the transition toward a circular economy.

Recycled Rubber Coalition reports that while electric vehicles (EVs) can help reduce carbon emissions, there is an unexpected environmental issue emerging from the rapid adoption of EVs. While they offer many benefits, EVs are also significantly heavier than equivalent gas-powered vehicles due to the weight of their batteries. Combined with increased acceleration rates, these effects can cause EVs to use tires up to 30% faster.

This January, the Automotive World magazine published an article by Krzysztof Wróblewski, CEO and CTO of Contec – a successful tyre pyrolysis company from Poland. In the article, Krzysztof writes that “Circularity in automotive and tyre product designs will increase innovation, business opportunities, supply security, and industry cost savings.”

Vianney Vales, CEO of Wastefront AS, a Norwegian company building a Waste-to-Fuel business in Sunderland, highlights the significance of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in an interview with The Northern Echo. The UK Government’s plan for 10 percent of all jet fuel to be SAF by 2030 is a major boost for the region’s green economy. The SAF mandate, set to become law in January 2025, faces challenges due to insufficient feedstock and high demand. Currently, global SAF supply is at two million metric tons, while demand is growing at 45 percent annually, with commitments from over 40 airlines.

The French sports retail company Decathlon together with its innovation partners Rubberlink and Tintex, initiated two of these pilot projects, which consist of prototype footwear made from recycled end-of-life tires. The innovators at Rubberlink created a solution of devulcanized tire rubber that allowed Decathlon Portugal to produce a prototype shoe with a 100 per cent recycled rubber sole. According to data from Genan, in comparison with the use of virgin raw materials to produce similar products, for each ton of tire that is recycled, less than 700 kg of carbon emissions are produced.

Bandvulc, the UK's renowned commercial retreader and now a part of the Continental Tire Group, has been recognised at this year’s Western Morning News Business Awards after being selected as a finalist for the Environmental and Sustainability Award. A finalist’s trophy was presented to the team during an exclusive awards ceremony in Exeter, which recognises innovative businesses from across Devon and Cornwall. To be in with a chance of winning the Environmental and Sustainability Award, judges sought out companies that were working to achieve an environmentally conscious operation. The businesses also needed to demonstrate that it had steps in place to reduce carbon emissions, implement sustainable working and maximise energy efficiency.

According to the latest press release by Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA), Australia recovers close to 90% of passenger, bus and truck tires, but the remaining 10% gap is critical to achieving national waste reduction goals, reducing carbon emissions and deterring tire eco-hazards in the future. As per TSA data, even 10% of unrecovered tires still pose an intolerable eco-hazard, and Australia stands the risk of regressing until it stops illegal dumping, stockpiling, and rogue waste operators.

The TIP plan created in 2005 is partly managed by Bridgestone, Goodyear and Michelin. Other big names, including Pirelli and Continental, are also involved in the initiative. In total, all the stakeholders represent over 60 percent of international tire producers who provide jobs for over 650,000 employees. To keep the project going, once in two years the CEOs meet in Geneva to hold talks.