Synthos, a global producer of synthetic rubber, has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI), a Japanese tire manufacturer, to promote the development and use of high-performance rubber powders for the production of sustainable tires.

Under the MOU, the two companies will collaborate on development, testing, evaluation and other activities to advance the development and use of recycled rubber powder in combination with advanced synthetic rubber to create a circular solution that enables a significant improvement in the environmental footprint of tires, without compromising tire safety, durability and rolling resistance.

“Our R&D team is constantly looking for solutions that help our customers achieve their sustainability goals. I am personally encouraged to see that closed loop solutions are increasingly part of the innovation and technology development conversations we are having with our customers”, commented Dr. Malte Wohlfahrt, R&D Director, “Synthos is honored to count SRI among its strategic partners, as they actively seek ways to keep valuable end-of-life raw materials in their material cycle to achieve innovative solutions that are part of the circular economy. We value our partnership and are confident that with the TyreXol™ rubber powder technology, we can make great strides in achieving our common goals.”

Synthos, which has production facilities in Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland, has achieved ISCC PLUS certification for its entire portfolio of synthetic rubber products as part of its efforts to support tire manufacturers reduce their environmental impact. Synthos is the largest producer of synthetic rubber in Europe with a differentiated product portfolio and a strong sustainability-focused technology roadmap that includes solution styrene- butadiene rubber (SSBR), emulsion styrene- butadiene rubber (ESBR), and high and low cis polybutadiene rubber (NdBR, NiBR and LiBR). Synthos offers TyreXol high-performance rubber powder, which is derived from end-of-life tire treads as part of its collaboration with Tyre Recycling Solutions (TRS).

Press release by Synthos.