A new partnership has been announced between Bridgestone EMEA (Bridgestone), Grupo BB&G (BB&G) and Versalis (Eni) to develop a closed-loop ecosystem that recycles end-of-life tires into new tires. This partnership targets a new system for the introduction of a scalable and increasingly sustainable supply chain.
Bridgestone, BB&G and Versalis aim to provide a green solution to improve sustainability in the synthetic rubber business with the new agreement, which will also help the three brands reach their target environmental goals.
Using pyrolysis, end-of-life tires will be converted to tire pyrolysis oil (TPO) to create high-quality elastomers like the ones from traditional feedstock for new tires. The brands also aim to accelerate the development of pyrolysis technology as well as market scaling the polymers as a raw material for new tires. The partnership will also use BB&G’s thermomechanical pyrolysis process to renew end-of-life tires on a large scale.
BB&G recently commissioned its first commercial scale tire pyrolysis production unit, located in Fatima, Portugal. The oil from recycled old tires will be used in Versalis’s plants to manufacture the elastomers. Bridgestone will then use these elastomers to create a first batch of tires in early 2025.
Versalis, Eni’s chemical company, will integrate BB&G’s pyrolysis oil into its own supply chain, thus expanding the Balance-ISCC Plus-certified product range. Versalis’s elastomers are designed to ensure high performance. Bridgestone will then convert these elastomers into tires.
Laurent Dartoux, group president Bridgestone EMEA and Global Sustainability Initiative lead at Bridgestone Corporation, said, “At Bridgestone, we have set a goal of working with 100% sustainable materials by 2050, and recycling and reusing products is an important part of this.”
Adriano Alfani, CEO of Versalis (Eni), commented, “This agreement aims at delivering maximum value to our customers and an innovative boost to the tire industry, furthering our commitment toward a more sustainable mobility.”
Germano Carreira, CEO of BB&G, said, “This collaboration is not just about advancing our products; it is a joint effort to increase circularity in the industry, aligning with global sustainability goals.”
