Elastomers for Sustainability Awards 2026 - Update
23 Nov 2025
Voting deadline extended to 12 Dec, with results to be published in Jan/Feb 2026 issue of ERJ magazine
Dear ERJ Readers
With apologies, we have decided to extend the deadline and judging period in the Elastomers for Sustainability (E4S) Awards.
The voting deadline is now 12 Dec 2025 and the results will be published in Jan/Feb 2026 issue of European Rubber Journal magazine.
The extension is due to the significant number of voting forms submitted without required comments about selected project(s).
Readers who have voted in that way should resubmit their entry – with supporting comments.
Please note the E4S vote remains open to all readers up until the new deadline.
Many thanks in advance for your understanding
Patrick Raleigh, ERJ editor
Over the last year or so, the Elastomers for Sustainability (E4S) judging panel has worked hard to identify the projects most likely to enhance the environmental profile of the elastomers/rubber industry.
Their expert analysis forms the basis of the Top 10 E4S table published and updated in each issue of ERJ magazine.
These rankings have now culminated in a shortlist of candidate projects (See table and details below) for the inaugural E4S Awards 2025.
To help decide the winner(s) – now to be announced in ERJ Jan/Feb issue 2026 – we are asking readers to select one, two or three projects from the shortlist.
These are the developments you believe will make the biggest contribution to enhancing the sustainability of the elastomers/rubber industry going forward.
To select a project, readers should tick the box beside their chosen project(s). There is also an option to add comments to support each selection.
The deadline for replies is 12 December 2025.
For further information, please email the ERJ editor: praleigh@eurorubberjournal.com
Vote for your top E4S project(s) by completing and submitting the E4S Awards Form: ticking the appropriate box(es) – up to three.
Elastomers for Sustainability: Shortlisted projects
|
Project |
Entrant |
Location |
Project |
|
A |
Asahi Kasei Corp. |
Düsseldorf, Germany |
Hydrogenated SBR to reduce 6PPD usage |
|
B |
Cabot Corp |
Boston, Massachusetts |
Evolve reinforcing carbons |
|
C |
Evonik |
Essen, Germany |
Advanced rubber recycling formulation |
|
D |
Hankook, Hyosung, SK Chemical |
Seoul |
Advanced tire with chemically recycled PET |
|
E |
HF Group |
Hamburg, Germany |
Smart final mix |
|
F |
Lanxess |
Cologne, Germany |
Anti-degradant to replace 6PPD |
|
G |
Michelin Resicare |
Clermont-Ferrand, France |
Sustainable tire cord adhesive |
|
H |
Monolith (with Goodyear) |
Lincoln, Nebraska / Akron, Ohio |
Carbon black from plasma pyrolysis of hydrocarbons |
|
I |
Novoloop |
Menlo Park, California |
Chemically upcycled TPU |
|
J |
UPM Biochemicals |
Leuna, Germany
|
Renewable functional fillers |
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Asahi Kasei Europe
Project: New selectively hydrogenated SBR for reduced 6PPD usage
Asahi Kasei reported on the enhanced ozone resistance of its selectively hydrogenated styrene-butadiene rubber (HSBR) and its ability to allow reduced usage of 6PPD (N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine) in the rubber compounds.
In its E4S VII update, Asahi explained how further studies have shown that the HSBR makes it possible, to not only reduce usage of the antioxidant/antiozonant, but also to improve mechanical properties, including fatigue resistance.
Moreover, it said, if high-cis butadiene rubber is replaced by the HSBR in a NR/BR blend, then the equivalent NR/HSBR compound showed about twice the fatigue resistance with respect to the NR/BR compound.
Cabot Corp.
Project: Evolve sustainable solutions
Evolve is Cabot’s technology platform is designed to deliver reinforcing carbons in three sustainability categories: Recovered carbon black from end-of-life tires; reinforcing carbons made from renewable materials; and reinforcing carbons made with a demonstrably reduced greenhouse gas footprint from decarbonisation technologies. Cabot launched two Evolve products under the recovered category: Vulcan 7H-C circular reinforcing carbon and Sterling SO-RC110 circular reinforcing carbon.
EVONIK
Project: Advanced rubber recycling formulation
Essen, Germany-based Evonik AG has developed a process that enables the use of up to four times more recycled rubber in new tires than is possible with existing methods. The level of rubber recyclate incorporated into tires has been very limited up to now as the polymer structure hampers interaction with other materials, according to Evonik. In particular, it said, the sulphur bonds create a highly robust, three-dimensional network, which conventionally has an upper limit of about 5% when it comes to introducing ground tire rubber from end-of-life-tires into new tires.
Hankook, Hyosung, SK Chemical
Project: Advanced tire with chemically recycled PET
Hankook Tire & Technology in collaboration with SK Chemicals and Hyosung Advanced Materials developed an ‘electric vehicle-exclusive’ iON-branded tire with recycled PET from discarded plastics materials (rPET) used in tire cords. SK Chemicals is providing chemical recycling technology to break down discarded PET, while Hyosung Advanced Materials has developed the high-strength recycled PET-based tire cords for the iON tires. The new iON tire has a 45% sustainable material content and has recently passed the reliability verification by “a European automotive manufacturer”, Hankook announced.
HF Mixing Group
Project: Smart Final Mix
AI-based algorithm Smart Final Mix is capable of optimising final mixing processes in the tire and technical rubber goods industries. By using the tool for optimising industrial processes in the technical rubber goods and tire industries, energy savings of up to 29 % could be achieved. As shown in a technical paper, within the algorithm, data on batch-temperature, energy-consumption and mixing-quality are linked to each other and then optimised. The technology, thereby, enables the optimal process-parameter settings that apply to the final-mixing process to be calculated.
Lanxess
Project: Rubber anti-degradant - alternative to 6-PPD
Lanxess topped the E4S table with its project to develop rubber anti-degradant, labelled Vulkanox 4060, which is said to offer an alternative to the use of 4-N- (4-methylpentan-2-yl)-1-N-phenylbenzene-1,4-diamine (6PPD) in tires. Developed to protect against oxygen, ozone and cracking, 6PPD is used in almost all commercial tires, especially in the tire sidewalls and the tread compounds. On reaction with oxygen and ozone in the environment, however, 6PPD can transform into 6PPD-quinone, found to be acutely toxic to coho salmon – possibly via entry of tire wear particles into aquatic environments. Based on lab results, Lanxess believes that Vulkanox 4060, which contains n,n’-dicyclohexyl-1,4-phenylene diamine is a potential 6PPD replacement.
Michelin ResiCare
Project: Sustainable tire cord adhesive
Michelin has started a drive to increase the uptake of ResiCare tire cord reinforcement adhesive, which has been developed as a bio-based and non-toxic alternative to conventionally used RF (resorcinol-formaldehyde) products. Based on ‘araminolic’ resins – polymers synthesized from polyphenols and aromatic aldehydes, Michelin said the product “offers the same technical performance as historical resins and, over the past four years, has been commercialised within the tire industry.”
Monolith Materials Inc. and Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co.
Project: Carbon black from plasma pyrolysis of hydrocarbons
Furnace carbon black, in this case, N660, behaves in a known way in each of the common systems where this grade of carbon black is used, butyl rubber or in a diene like natural rubber or SBR. Making a carbon black produced from a plasma pyrolysis process behave the same way in both rubber matrices was a significant accomplishment, enabled by intentional design of colloidal properties and appropriate formulation adjustments to achieve drop-in performance. To our knowledge, this is the first ever plasma pyrolysis carbon black development to allow for drop-in performance compared to a furnace black in a diene.
Novoloop
Project: Upcycled TPU elastomers
With its project, titled World’s first chemically upcycled thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPU), Novoloop has ranked highly in the E4S Top 10 table. TPU feedstock is produced via the California start-up’s patented ATOD (accelerated thermal oxidative decomposition) process. Focused on chemically recycling polyethylene waste, the technology is said to offer a carbon footprint reduction of up to 91% when compared to the conventional process of producing adipic acid feedstock. TPUs produced via Novoloop’s patented ATOD (accelerated thermal oxidative decomposition) process have already found a number of promising applications. Novoloop has also made significant progress with production and TPU manufacturing partnerships in India and China respectively.
UPM Biochemicals
Project: Renewable functional fillers
UPM Biochemicals has steadily maintained a high ranking in the E4S Top 10, supported by a high level of information about its project for the commercial production of renewable functional fillers (RFFs) at its bio-refinery in Leuna, Germany. This has included in-depth technical details about the wood-based RFF alternatives to carbon black and silica used in tires and rubber products. As well as providing a substantial amount of technical detail, the updates from UPM have spotlighted progress with projects with major OEs to establish new commercial applications for RFFs. The project has been delayed by about a year, with commercial start-up now scheduled to take place within the next few months.
Vote for your top E4S project(s) by completing and submitting the E4S Awards Form: ticking the appropriate box(es) – up to three.
