In early December, the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association revealed that the rate of growth for scrap tire generation is outpacing the rate of growth for ELT recycling.
Scrap tire generation increased by nearly 13 percent, according to the association's "2021 Scrap Tire Management Report," whereas markets that consume them only increased by 6 percent.
Throughout the year, USTMA has taken the lead on top priorities in the tire industry, including encouraging scrap tire market expansion during the June 14-16 congressional virtual fly-in; backing a retreading bill, H.B. 8165, that same month; and urging scrap tire use in infrastructure projects alongside the Tire Industry Association through a joint letter to President Biden, among other initiatives.
"We see scrap-tire recycling as a key part of our role in supporting a sustainable circular economy, and we have been steadfast in our efforts to promote market expansion," said Anne Forristall Luke, USTMA president and CEO. She added that the association will continue its commitment to expand opportunities for scrap tire management.
And the association is not alone in emphasizing the importance of ELT recycling, as companies throughout the tire industry have invested in and rolled out their own initiatives toward the cause.
In February, Bridgestone Corp. launched a joint research and development program to advance chemical recycling of waste tires.
The Japanese tire maker partnered with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tohoku University, energy group Eneos Corp. and JGC Holdings Corp. to develop chemical recycling technologies to achieve "high-yield production of isoprene."
And in the spring, Bridgestone Americas Inc. entered a partnership with LanzaTech to pursue ELT recycling technologies—the company's first step toward a circular economy.
As part of the partnership, the two companies will co-develop an ELT recycling process with LanzaTech's proprietary CCT technology. The two companies said they will work to convert scrap tires into new materials and explore processes to create sustainable synthetic rubber that does not rely on petrochemicals.
Apollo Tyres Ltd. and Continental both have entered partnerships with waste tire recycler Tyromer Inc., bringing recycled rubber and ELT back into their tire production.
And on Aug. 2, the partnership between Bolder Industries Inc. and Liberty Tire Recycling L.L.C. came to fruition, wherein Liberty will supply scrap tires for Bolder's patented fossil fuel and steel mining processes.
Beginning in 2023, Bolder will process about 3 million scrap tires per year at its western Indiana location from Liberty's feedstock, and that number could increase to 6 million per year with further expansion in Terre Haute, Ind.
These companies, along with countless others this year, all have driven home the importance of circularity when it comes to working toward a sustainable future.
Because at the end of the day, if a product with sustainable materials ultimately ends up in a landfill, is it truly sustainable?
"Half of the path is sustainability, but there is the other half of the path, which is circularity," said Jason Stravinski, CEO of Michelin-owned Lehigh Technologies, during the Smithers Traction Summit in July.
"So as we start to judge things that are sustainable, I ask the question: Is it circular?"