German rubber industry flags ‘untapped potential’ in tire recycling

Frankfurt, Germany – The German rubber industry has called for further strengthening of tire recycling, warning that despite strong performance, “there is still a lot of untapped potential that needs to be leveraged”.

While the circular economy in tires is “a success story”, it could be improved through more targeted regulation and better oversight of material flows, Stephan Rau, technical managing director of the German Rubber Industry Association (WDK), 11 Dec.

Last year, 533,000 tonnes of scrap tires were generated in Germany, with almost 70% remaining within the circular economy through reuse, retreading and material recycling, according to the association.

“At almost 200,000 tonnes, more than two-thirds are processed into granules and rubber powder,” Rau said.

“These products are an important secondary raw material from which many products are sustainably manufactured.”

However, Rau warned that the market potential of recycled rubber materials was being constrained by the way chemical components are assessed.

“A risk-based approach in the evaluation of the chemical ingredients of these recycled products is urgently needed to ensure their market success,” he said.

Rau added that this view had now been supported by Germany’s federal institute for risk assessment (BfR).

“We need binding limit values that must be assessed via a migration analysis, i.e. based on the bioavailability of substances,” he said.

The WDK also called for stronger political efforts to fully monitor scrap tire flows, warning that "a portion of used tires is not recycled within Germany or Europe."

“These are therefore lost to German recyclers and with them the secondary raw materials that can be produced from them.”

Therefore, the association said a complete recording of all used tires was urgently required.