Pirelli, Pyrum, Synthos and BASF have launched a tyre-to-tyre circular economy initiative in Europe to convert end-of-life and scrap tyres into certified secondary raw materials for new tyre production. The project, coordinated by Pirelli, draws on tyres from German retail outlets, motorsport activities and Pirelli’s Breuberg plant.

Pyrum processes the collected tyres through pyrolysis, a high-temperature thermal decomposition in the absence of oxygen, producing two secondary raw materials: recovered carbon black (rCB) and tyre pyrolysis oil (TPO). The rCB is upgraded in quality and fed directly into Pirelli’s European tyre production, partially replacing virgin carbon black.

The TPO is supplied to BASF, where it is co-fed with fossil-based feedstock to produce chemical products including butadiene and styrene, with recycled content attributed through a mass balance approach. These materials, certified under the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification Plus scheme, are used by Synthos to manufacture synthetic rubber, which Pirelli reintroduces into tyre production to close the loop.

The tyre-to-tyre model requires each partner to handle a specific stage of the material chain, with pyrolysis, chemical processing, synthetic rubber production and tyre manufacturing linked in a single traceable loop. The initiative demonstrates how circular material chains in the tyre industry depend on multi-company coordination rather than any single firm’s internal capability.

Source: Pirelli