Global Market for the Tire and Rubber Remediation and Recycling Industry

Report Scope

Scrap tire management and remediation industry has been created in the last decade due to two main drivers. The first one is the continuous stricter regulation for environmental protection. The industry has been created virtually due to government regulations enacted to address the environmental concerns about illegally dumped or stockpiled tires which was a common tire disposal method in many developed and developing countries. The second major driver is from the companies which are trying to improve the viability of the industry by providing incentives to end-markets to use scrap tire derived products. Scrap tire management has made considerable progress in many countries in the last decade. In 2016, more scrap tires were consumed in markets than ever before, thus avoiding landfills and stockpiles. Two of the major markets for scrap tires in global markets which are materials recycling and energy recovery are expected to expand in the 2017 up to 2022 timeframe.

Scrap tires management companies are the main driver toward circular economy in many countries. The increase of material reuse and energy recovery throughout the last 10 years can to a large extent be attributed to the activities of these ELT management companies.

There are nevertheless significant challenges to overcome. Current recycling technologies which still produce a material of a quality that may meet the standards needed to allow for large scale applications – for example rubberized asphalt – face market barriers. The tire industry is committed to stimulating and supporting high quality recycling. The role of recycling will become crucial toward reaching circular economy objectives. Rubber granulates have numerous unique properties including shock absorption, noise reduction, resistance against changes of temperature and against chemical degradation. There are a lot of best practices on how to apply the material, for example in construction works. However, this step requires proper regulatory and market conditions.

The scope of this report is to summarize both commercial end-user and value recovery scrap tires industry practices for end-of-life management primarily as set out by regulations and industry standards, characterize the environmental implications of those practices and identify which practices have the highest potential market impacts.

Intended users of the study can be:

• Companies, institutions, legal bodies that can be interested and take advantage of the study’s outcomes
• Companies involved in developing, manufacturing, and supplying equipment and technology for scrap tires treatment and rubber applications products.
• Companies involved in scrap tires recycling technologies and services market
• Government agencies involved in scrap tires management, treatment and reuse
• Venture capital companies and financial institutions interested in new and attractive investments

Estimated values used are based on manufacturers’ total revenues. Projected and forecasted revenue values are in constant US dollars, unadjusted for inflation.

Analyst Credentials

The analyst responsible for preparing the report is Dr. Nikos Thomopoulos, a partner in Boston-based international technology and marketing consulting firm, 43rd Parallel LLC. Nikos has extensive experience in the field of chemical production and environmental technologies, as well as over 20 years of experience as a consultant engineer on environmental projects (study and construction), energy production and conservation projects, energy saving-related research and development (R&D) projects, rendering services in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and manufacturing companies.