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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.

When end-of-life tires reach the end of their life cycle, they become hazardous for the environment and human health if they are dumped in landfills. Made of synthetic rubber, chemicals, and additives, these tires contaminate water and land, pose a high risk of fire, generate harmful gases when burned, and serve as breeding grounds for insect-borne epidemics. These concerns are particularly relevant in Mexico, where an estimated 32 million tires are discarded annually, equivalent to one tire per second. Unfortunately, only 12% of these tires are recycled, with the majority ending up in landfills.

Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) announced that it has produced a run of demonstration tires made with 75% recycled and renewable materials, including synthetic rubber made with recycled plastics and natural rubber harvested from desert shrubs grown domestically, in the Arizona desert. The company has completed production of 200 demonstration tires and is pursuing joint evaluation with automakers for use on the next generation of electrified SUVs and crossovers (CUVs). The company’s relentless commitment to its goal of using 100% sustainable materials in its products by 2050 was underscored in remarks by Bridgestone Global CEO, Shuichi Ishibashi, during a February 16 briefing with media and industry analysts in Tokyo where Bridgestone also announced that it is pursuing a tire design utilizing 90% recycled and renewable materials for passenger cars.

GRI Specialty Tires recently announced that its new tire model “Ultimate Green XT” became “one of the most environmentally friendly solid tires in the world.” The manufacturer says the new product is a premium-plus solid tire that goes beyond the norm to provide the ultimate in performance, sustainability, and efficiency. Powerful and robust, this tire epitomizes GRI's advanced engineering, research, development and manufacturing capabilities. The company said the tire contains 42.8% sustainable materials, which include bio-sourced and recycled materials. The tire is built with natural rubber silica, recovered carbon black and reclaimed rubber from end-of-life tires.

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.

German tire recycling organization AZuR reports that while car and truck tire are being produced, rainforests are being destroyed. Manufacturers require rubber, leading to the emergence of more natural rubber plantations at the expense of untouched forests. Although some alternatives exist, AZuR says, the tire industry remains entangled in opaque supply chains.