Pirelli North America Launches Closed-Loop Tire Recycling Program

According to company reports, Pirelli North America has launched the first closed-loop tire recycling initiative within the wider Pirelli group, using recovered carbon black derived from scrap tires in the production of new tires in North America.

The program focuses on manufacturing scrap generated at Pirelli’s North American facilities. The waste tires are processed by Bolder Industries through pyrolysis technology to produce ISCC PLUS-certified BolderBlack recovered carbon black (rCB), which is then reintroduced into Pirelli’s tire manufacturing operations.

The initiative is part of Pirelli’s broader strategy to increase the use of recycled and bio-based materials across its product portfolio and establish circular supply chains capable of returning recovered materials back into tire production.

Pirelli said the project has already received recognition from the Tire Recycling Foundation through its Circle of Change Award in the Value Chain Collaboration category, which recognizes developments in tire recycling technologies and circular economy practices.

“The Rome plant is one of the most technologically advanced manufacturing facilities in Pirelli,” said Claudio Zanardo, chief executive officer of Pirelli North America. “This initiative reflects an approach focused on increasing the use of recovered materials within existing production processes.”

Recovered carbon black produced through tire pyrolysis is increasingly being explored as an alternative to virgin carbon black, a petroleum-derived material widely used in tire manufacturing to improve durability and performance.

Pirelli said the North American initiative is intended to serve as part of a broader industrial model that could eventually involve additional production facilities across the group’s global manufacturing network.

“Our collaboration demonstrates that a traceable, mass-balance approach to tire-to-tire circularity is achievable and ready to scale,” said Tony Wibbeler, chief executive officer of Bolder Industries. 

The tire sector has faced increasing pressure to improve circularity and reduce reliance on virgin fossil-based raw materials, particularly as regulators and automotive manufacturers push for lower-carbon supply chains.

Pyrolysis technologies capable of recovering carbon black, oil and other materials from end-of-life tires have gained momentum in recent years as tire manufacturers seek commercially viable recycling pathways for one of the world’s largest rubber waste streams.

Pirelli said the initiative supports its long-term sustainability targets, which include increasing the share of recycled and bio-based materials to more than 80% in its most sustainable product lines by 2030 and 40% across total production.

Source: PR Newswire

SUNSHINE Spotlight: Tire manufacturers are increasingly integrating recovered carbon black into production as closed-loop recycling technologies move closer to commercial scale.