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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.

Continental’s tire manufacturing plant in Mount Vernon, Illinois, has become the company’s first facility in the United States to receive International Sustainability and Carbon Certification PLUS (ISCC PLUS). According to Continental, the certification confirms compliance with strict documentation and traceability requirements for renewable and recycled raw materials and represents an important step in the company’s global sustainability strategy.

Perpetuus Advanced Materials has announced the development of a graphene-based masterbatch designed to replace 6PPD in tire and rubber formulations. According to the company, the new material eliminates the formation of 6PPD-quinone (6PPD-Q), a toxic by-product linked to ecological impacts, particularly in salmon-bearing waterways in the Pacific Northwest.

Pioneering recyclers of rubber in Asia took centre stage at the BIR World Recycling Convention in Bangkok on 28 October. Their case studies highlighted the potential for valuable, closed loop solutions for the challenging material. The emphasis on adding value while delivering sustainability credentials increasingly sought by OEMs and brands came during the session for BIR’s Tyres and Rubber Committee.

Continental is integrating even more renewable and recycled materials into its tire production. Committed to the principles of the circular economy, the tire manufacturer is also motivating its suppliers to increasingly develop and provide sustainable materials to manufacture tires. While Continental's share of renewable and recycled materials in tire production averaged 26 percent in 2024, the company's goal is to increase this figure to at least 40 percent within the next five years.

On October 21, Bridgestone held a groundbreaking ceremony on October 21 for its new pilot demonstration plant for precise pyrolysis*1of end-of-life tires at its plant in Seki City, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. The ceremony brought together 32 participants, such as Seki City Mayor Kiyoshi Yamashita and representatives from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, as well as other stakeholders, who gathered to pray for the safety of the construction of the new plant.

Continental is prioritizing the use of renewable and recycled materials in its tire production. While the share of these materials averaged 26 percent in 2024, the tire manufacturer expects an increase of 2 to 3 percentage points by the end of this year. In just five years, by 2030, this figure is expected to rise to at least 40 percent. Among other materials, the focus is on rubber and resins from various more sustainable sources. Both materials are essential for the quality and performance characteristics of tires.

When Europe adopted the Renewable Energy Directive III (RED III) in June 2023, few outside the energy policy sphere anticipated how consequential the reform would be for niche industries. Yet, for producers of Tire-Derived Pyrolysis Oil (TPO), RED III is more than legislative housekeeping; it's a turning point that transforms a once-marginal circular fuel into a recognized contributor to Europe's decarbonization ambitions.

HANWA THAILAND CO., LTD., a subsidiary of HANWA CO., LTD., has made a partial investment in PYRO ENERGIE CO., LTD., a tire pyrolysis recycling company based in Thailand. Globally, large volumes of end-of-life tires and off-spec products from tire manufacturing continue to pose environmental challenges, including illegal dumping and landfilling. While HANWA Group currently supplies tire chips as a low-impact energy source to industrial users in Japan, pyrolysis has become a leading recycling method in international markets.