Sustainable Tire Materials - Myth or Reality ?

Globally, over 1 Billion tires are removed from service each year requiring new sustainable methods to recover the value of these post-consumer materials. While the European Union and the United States have instituted programs to recover and recycle over 95% of removed tires, approximately 50% are burned for energy, limiting the capture of the full value of this resource. Reuse of materials in tire and rubber formulas captures value where this use can be proven as truly sustainable. Today the use of micronized rubber powder for both improved cost and sustainability is well-established and in use by most major tire companies; whereas, in the future, collaboration will be needed to increase sustainable material content in tires. This presentation will review the current landscape of sustainable materials including micronized rubber powder, devulcanized rubber as well as other materials being used or otherwise offered in the industry today. In addition a roadmap to use more sustainable materials in rubber formulations in the future will be presented.