Sustainability

Recover the material, keep the carbon

Landfilling and incinerating end-of-life tyres damages the environment and squanders valuable resources. The same tyres can be turned into products that substitute virgin materials – the difference between releasing a tyre's carbon at the stack and putting it back into a new product.

1.05 t CO₂e
saved per tonne of tyres recycled by pyrolysis – while incinerating the same tonne adds 0.23 t. A swing of 1.28 tonnes.
EU Joint Research Centre (2023), as presented by Weibold (2024)
79–84%
lower CO₂ emissions for recovered carbon black than for virgin carbon black – about 1.4–2.0 t CO₂ avoided per tonne of rCB.
IVL life-cycle assessment, cited by Weibold (2025)
4.3×
more fossil resource avoided by substituting oil and carbon black than by burning tyres for energy.
EU Joint Research Centre (2023)

Chemical recycling wins because its products substitute virgin materials, while energy recovery only substitutes fuel. Tyre pyrolysis has been recognised as environmentally sound management under the Basel Convention since 2011. XPYRO's own energy, material and emissions balance is measured at the pilot plant; the figures above are literature context, not project results.

Per tonne of product: rCB replacing virgin carbon black avoids 1.4–2.0 t CO₂ · tyre-derived jet fuel replacing fossil jet avoids ~3 t CO₂e (developer estimate; jet fuel remains an exploratory route for XPYRO).

Our approach

  • Develop long-term solutions that combine innovation with economic viability to address pressing environmental challenges.
  • Convert waste tyres into high-value products with a low environmental footprint and cost, supporting the shift to a circular economy.
  • Run the process on its own gas, recover the waste heat as steam, and site modular plants where the tyres are collected.
  • Qualify the products so they can be sold against specifications and certified – documented, traceable material is what the premium markets reward.

The Norwegian potential

Large-scale tyre recycling in Norway would unlock the value in roughly 65,000–67,000 tonnes of end-of-life tyres a year. In the project scenario that produces:

24,790 t
recovered carbon black per year
26,800 t
pyrolysis oil per year
38,600–42,600 t
CO₂ avoided per year by replacing virgin carbon black and petroleum bitumen
3,470 t
CO₂ avoided per year from long-distance transport by processing tyres in Norway

Over ten years, with 2% annual growth in tyre collection, total CO₂ savings could reach 660,000–743,000 tonnes, supporting Norway's climate targets. Scenario figures; measured yields from the pilot programme will refine them.

What has changed by 2026

Capacity and regulation are catching up

62 kt → 694 kt

Confirmed European tyre-pyrolysis projects scale up within this decade.

> 500 kt/yr

Global rCB output expected by ~2027–29, up from ~180 kt; demand still far larger.

Mid-2025
RED III in force

Biogenic TPO counts as advanced biofuel; a new recycled-carbon-fuel (RCF) category.

2025–26
End-of-waste pathways

New routes in England and France let pyrolysis products leave waste status.

Feb 2026
Tyre industry view

Continental: rCB is a new class of filler, not a like-for-like substitute for virgin carbon black.

May 2026
ISCC EU update

The fossil fraction of end-of-life tyres recognised as potential RCF feedstock.

Premium markets now reward documented, traceable, qualified products – which is exactly what XPYRO's qualification programme is producing.

Sources: Weibold (Tire Technology Expo 2025; BIR 2024 via ERJ; RED III and TPO regulatory updates 2025–26); Recycling Magazine (May 2026); Continental press release (Feb 2026).

Supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 13

Climate action

Significant CO₂ reduction in material production and transport.

SDG 12

Responsible consumption and production

Reuse of waste materials and circular-economy principles.

SDG 9

Industry, innovation and infrastructure

New recycling capacity and innovation in waste management.

SDG 11

Sustainable cities and communities

Better waste management at local and national level.