Pirelli initiates European tyre-to-tyre circular recycling programme

Pirelli, in partnership with Pyrum Innovations, Synthos and BASF, has launched the European “tyre‑to‑tyre” project to create a closed‑loop supply chain for end‑of‑life tyres and production scrap. The initiative collects used tyres in Germany from the Driver retail network, motorsport events and waste from Pirelli’s Breuberg plant. Pyrum processes the material by high‑temperature pyrolysis, producing recovered carbon black (rCB) and tyre pyrolysis oil (TPO). rCB is refined and re‑introduced into Pirelli’s tyre manufacturing, while TPO is sent to BASF for conversion into basic chemicals such as butadiene and styrene. Those chemicals are supplied to Synthos to make ISCC PLUS‑certified synthetic rubber, which is then fed back to Pirelli. All steps are traceable under the ISCC PLUS standard, aiming to lower dependence on virgin fossil‑based raw materials and demonstrate a full‑scale circular economy model for the tyre industry.