Industry majors link up for 'closed loop' tire initiative

Brussels – Bridgestone EMEA, Portuguese tire recycler Grupo BB&G and Versalis (Eni) are to jointly establish a 'closed-loop ecosystem' to transform end-of-life tires (ELTs) into new tires.

The initiative, announced 2 Sept, will see the partners working together on research and technical solutions for the ‘large-scale’ use of tire pyrolysis oil (TPO) in the production of tire rubbers.

The collaboration aims to boost the development of pyrolysis technology and TPO, as well as “market scaling” the polymers as a circular resource for new tires.

TPO produced from granulated rubber at BB&G’s demo plant in Fatima, Portugal, will be fed into Versalis’ plants for the manufacture of circular elastomers over the next few months.

Bridgestone will then use the rubber to produce the first batch of circular tires in early 2025, according to a joint release by partners.

Having built pilot plants over the past 10 years, BB&G recently commissioned its first commercial-scale tire pyrolysis plant to validate the feasibility and quality outputs of the process.

The partnership is aligned with Bridgestone’s 2050 goal of producing tires with 100% sustainable materials, said Laurent Dartoux, president Bridgestone EMEA and global sustainability initiative lead at Bridgestone Corp.

The collaboration, Dartoux added, supports Bridgestone’s ‘Evertire’ initiative, which focuses on co-creating new and environmentally responsible ways to maximise the complete lifecycle of our tires.

The move, commented Germano Carreira, CEO of BB&G, confirms the value of the Portuguese company’s patented technology and will help BB&G expand its technology “across different regions.”