Pirelli launches Europe‑wide tyre‑to‑tyre recycling loop with Pyrum, BASF and Synthos

Pirelli, together with partners Pyrum, BASF and Synthos, has started a European “tyre‑to‑tyre” project aimed at turning end‑of‑life tyres and production scrap into new raw materials for tyre manufacturing. The programme collects used tyres in Germany from retail outlets, motorsport activities and the Pirelli plant in Breuberg, then processes them by pyrolysis. Pyrum’s pyrolysis yields recovered carbon black (rCB) and pyrolysis oil; the rCB is fed back into Pirelli’s European tyre factories, while the oil is sent to BASF for the production of basic chemicals such as butadiene and styrene. BASF supplies these intermediates to Synthos, which produces ISCC‑PLUS‑certified synthetic rubber that returns to Pirelli for high‑performance tyres. The closed‑loop system is fully traceable and certified, aiming to increase the share of recycled content, reduce reliance on virgin fossil feedstocks, and demonstrate a circular‑economy model for the mobility sector.

The project does not yet disclose the exact proportion of recycled material that will appear in future Pirelli tyres or the timetable for commercial roll‑out, but it underscores the need for shared industrial ecosystems to achieve product circularity beyond the capabilities of a single company.