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A Greater Manchester start-up company has launched the first of a range of products aimed at reducing waste from end-of-life vehicle tyres, supported by the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre’s (GEIC) ERDF Bridging the Gap programme at The University of Manchester. In conjunction with the GEIC, Dr Vivek Koncherry developed SpaceMat – a flooring product that uses graphene to improve dramatically the performance of recycled tyre rubber compared to previous efforts.

The tire engineers and material experts of Continental are silently revolutionizing the industry by planning to use only sustainable materials for tire production by 2050. Although the journey is long, the gradual selection of raw materials has already begun to give shape to the future tire construction. The list includes agricultural waste, such as ash from rice husks, dandelion rubber, and recycled rubber or PET bottles. Claus Petschick, Head of Sustainability at Continental Tires, is clear about Continental’s mission, saying, “Continental is on the road toward becoming the most progressive manufacturer in the tire industry in terms of sustainability. We aim to use 100 percent sustainable materials in our tire products by 2050 at the latest.” He adds, “Our innovative power enables us to break new and even more sustainable ground. This encompasses everything from the origin and sourcing of our materials through to the reuse and recycling of our tires.”

At the most recent Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in Nashville, Tennessee, Bridgestone unveiled a new IndyCar tire that uses a sidewall composed of natural rubber derived from the guayule desert shrub.

Nokian Tyres says it has been striving to make the world a safer place for decades. In the company’s recent press release, it was announced Nokian reached yet another milestone, as it introduces its most sustainable tire yet. The Nokian Tyres Green Step concept tire is a masterpiece of sustainable innovation with its ambitious design consisting of 93% of the materials either recycled or renewable. It moves the company even closer to its goal: by the year 2030, 50% of all raw materials used in Nokian Tyres’ tires will be recycled or renewable

Bridgestone to demonstrate its vision for sustainable mobility through the enablement of material circularity, product performance, and on-demand services for personal and fleet mobility. The company’s presence at CES®1 2023 is centered around three key themes: renewable natural rubber and tire recycling, “Smart Corner” digitally connected tires and air springs for EVs, and a digital concierge experience for personal and fleet vehicle management. CES 2023 is the first time Bridgestone will showcase its vision for the full product life cycle—from manufacturing to ownership to end-of-life material circularity—as a demonstration of the Bridgestone E8 Commitment to becoming a Sustainable Solutions Company.

Globally, over one billion tires become unusable yearly, presenting a valuable resource for the circular economy. Efforts to manage end-of-life tires (ELTs) are underway, with various stakeholders collaborating to improve recycling rates and reduce tire dumping. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Tire Industry Project (TIP) has facilitated workshops to foster cooperation among stakeholders in regions such as the US, Europe, and China. While progress has been made in ELT recycling rates, challenges remain, including policy inconsistencies and inadequate market reporting.

A Dutch investment portal “Invest in Holland” says that a Canada-based company Tyromer is now building a pilot factory in Arnhem to bring its circular rubber products to the European market. Specializing in the devulcanization of rubber from scrap tires, Tyromer will fine-tune and exhibit its recycling technology at its new Dutch facility in order to sell the process to third parties. The company is one of the first in the Netherlands to give this hard-to-process residual product a high-quality new life, making it a valuable addition to the Dutch circular economy.

e-RubberCon is an international conference organized by the French Association of Rubber and Polymer Engineers (AFICEP) under the auspices of the International Rubber Conference Organization (IRCO) which AFICEP is a member of. As its name suggests, the conference is devoted to problems of rubber industry, including rubber and tire recycling, as this year its main motive is “Environment and Recycling: A Strategic Challenge for Rubber Materials.” This year, Robert Weibold – a tire recycling and pyrolysis expert from Vienna, Austria – speaks at e-RubberCon about “Challenges, trends and opportunities for end-of-life tires from a French perspective”. If you would like to connect with Robert Weibold, please send your inquiry at sales@weibold.com.

Continental has obtained the highest rating as a global leader in the implementation of sustainability measures and strategies from the international Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) for the fourth year in a row ("Supplier Engagement Rating") for its work in 2021. The evaluation is based on information on corporate governance, Scope 3 emissions, and supply chain management as a whole that was given by the relevant companies. In order to minimize environmental risks and emissions, CDP pays particular attention to strategies and procedures that help make those risks and emissions observable throughout the value chains.