Pirelli, Bolder launch tire-to-tire recycling project in North America

Rome, Italy – Pirelli North America has launched the group’s first closed-loop recycling initiative, recovering manufacturing scrap tires and using the resulting materials in the production of new tires.

Under the initiative, developed in collaboration with US recycler Bolder Industries, scrap tires generated during Pirelli’s North American manufacturing operations are collected and processed by Bolder using pyrolysis technology.

The process produces ISCC+ certified recovered carbon black (rCB), which Pirelli said is then reused in the production of new tires in North America.

According to Pirelli, the recovered material can partially replace virgin carbon black, contributing to a more efficient use of resources.

The tire maker said the project forms part of a broader plan to involve additional facilities and create industrial ecosystems capable of converting waste into recovered materials for reuse across its global manufacturing network.

“The Rome plant [in Georgia] is one of the most technologically advanced manufacturing facilities in Pirelli,” said Claudio Zanardo, CEO of Pirelli North America.

The initiative, said Zanardo, reflects an approach focused on increasing the use of recovered materials within existing production processes.

Bolder Industries CEO Tony Wibbeler said the collaboration demonstrated that “a traceable, mass-balance approach to tire-to-tire circularity is not only achievable, but it's ready to scale inside a premium manufacturing environment.”