Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. announced a collaboration with Sumitomo Riko Company Limited and Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. This initiative is designed to further the development of recycling technologies, paving the way for a circular economy.

In November 2022, Sumitomo Riko announced a joint development agreement with LanzaTech Global, Inc. (LanzaTech), a US-based carbon recycling firm known for its expertise in carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technology. The three Sumitomo companies will join forces with LanzaTech aiming to pioneer groundbreaking technologies that enable a circular economy, transforming waste materials, including rubber, resin, urethane, and metal, into valuable resources. This will accelerate our efforts to create a sustainable society characterized by carbon neutrality and a circular economy – the goals of our unique circular economy concept, “TOWANOWA.”

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Key visual of the circular economy concept “TOWANOWA” | Image by Sumitomo Rubber Industries.

Under this concept, Sumitomo Rubber aims to recycle and make efficient use of finite resources, all the while capitalizing on our reservoir of big data to introduce groundbreaking, value-added solutions to our customers. The company’s goal is to foster a sustainable society, one that ensures safety, piece of mind, and comfort.

This time, Sumitomo Rubber takes another step forward to accomplish a circular economy for raw materials. The company aims to leverage LanzaTech’s biorecycling technology to turn waste materials like tires into isoprene, which can be used as new rubber materials. This will be achieved by gasifying the waste materials and purifying the resulting gas, and then putting them through a fermentation process that transforms the gas into new raw materials. The end goal, working alongside raw material manufacturers, is to explore the feasibility of establishing a recycling technology that enables the reuse of isoprene as materials for rubber and resin. Sumitomo is also contemplating the idea of recycling the metals recovered during the gasifying process and reusing them as raw materials.

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Collaborative R&D framework | Image by Sumitomo Rubber Industries.

Sumitomo group manufactures and sells a diverse selection of tires globally. Its annual tire sales total 110 million (as of 2022). As new tires are manufactured and sold, a significant number of tires are thrown away every year. To bring the “TOWANOWA” circular economy concept to life, for Sumitomo it is crucial to advance “Recovery and Recycling” initiatives to create a system that transforms discarded tires into useful resources. This collaboration is an integral part of Sumitomo’s research and development in recycling technology.

As per Sumitomo, although individual companies can contribute to building a sustainable society, accomplishing this goal on their own is a daunting task. Success requires fostering collaboration across diverse sectors, involving stakeholders from academia, industry, and government. Through engaging with diverse external stakeholders, Sumitomo seeks to share cutting-edge information and technology, thereby resolving social issues and creating a sustainable society.

To find out more, proceed to Sumitomo Rubber’s website.