Michelin, Enviro to recycle racing tires in expanded circular project

Stockholm – Michelin and Scandinavian Enviro Systems (Enviro) have launched a new collaboration to recycle used racing tires to produce recovered carbon black (rCB) and pyrolysis oil.

The project builds on earlier joint efforts and follows trials conducted at Enviro’s facility in Asensbruk, Sweden since the beginning of the year, Enviro announced 19 May.

Michelin plans to gradually implement the recycling system starting in 2026.

The tires involved are used in Le Mans Hypercar racing and consist of special compounds intended to provide maximum performance, according to Enviro.

Enviro and Michelin entered into a strategic partnership in 2020, and Michelin has since been Enviro's single largest owner.

As part of that partnership, Enviro has been delivering rCB to Michelin's racing tires.

The new agreement, Enviro said, extends the process by ‘taking back and pyrolysing’ the racing tires into recycled raw materials to be used again in racing tires.

Enviro's pyrolysis technology has been developed in close collaboration with Michelin,  according to Fredrik Emilson, CEO of Enviro.

The collaboration, he said, "has been crucial for creating a technology that can recycle raw materials of the right quality and with the right properties.”

Racing tires, Emilson added, represent “the pinnacle of tire technology”, and for Enviro to be involved in providing a circular solution for Michelin racing tires is “a mark of quality.”