Recovered carbon black accelerates industry shift towards sustainable tyre production

Black is everywhere in modern manufacturing: from tyres and cable sheathing to inks, seals and floorings. That ubiquitous colour and much of the durability of those products comes from industrial carbon black , a fine powder produced by the incomplete combustion of heavy oil or natural gas that reinforces rubber, improves abrasion resistance and protects against UV. But its production is fossil‑fuel intensive: global output is roughly 15 million metric tonnes a year and, by industry accounting, each tonne of carbon black is associated with about 2.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions. The result is tens of millions of tonnes of greenhouse gases attributable to the sector annually.

Recovered carbon black (rCB) , the solid carbon residue refined from the pyrolysis of end‑of‑life tyres , has emerged as a practical route to cut that footprint while keeping materials in the manufacturing loop. In advanced thermochemical recycling plants, tyres are heated to 500–700°C in an oxygen‑free environment to yield pyrolysis oil and gas as well as a carbonaceous solid that, once refined, can substitute fossil‑derived carbon black. According to the original report, rCB can lower CO2 emissions by up to about 80% compared with conventional carbon black production, and depending on application can replace between 20% and 100% of fossil carbon black in formulations.

Industry adoption has moved beyond pilot projects. European tyre and component makers are already using rCB in commercial lines. The original report notes that since 2023 Schwalbe has used rCB from end‑of‑life bicycle tyres in around 70% of its range, cutting CO2 emissions by about 80% without compromising performance, and that Nokian Tyres introduced rCB into a commercial product line in 2022 and has secured long‑term supply arrangements to underpin wider use from 2026. Michelin incorporated rCB in a high‑performance racing tyre used at Le Mans in 2023, and Pirelli announced in July 2025 a mass‑produced P Zero for Range Rover containing more than 70% sustainable content that includes circular carbon black derived from pyrolysis oil.

Longer‑term supply and scale are being addressed through commercial offtakes and technology development. Continental has introduced rCB into its Super Elastic solid tyres at its Korbach plant in Germany and has entered longer‑term supply agreements with pyrolysis specialists to expand use in passenger car tyres, according to the company. Pyrum Innovations and other pyrolysis technology providers appear to be the main suppliers scaling rCB volumes to industry specifications. The company said in a statement that blending rCB into tyre compounds reduces fossil raw material use and CO2 emissions, and Continental has set a corporate target to use 100% sustainable materials in its tyre products by 2050.

Beyond passenger tyres, rCB is finding use in industrial rubber goods. Plastics and rubber supplier AnVa Polytech has been producing automotive rubber components using rCB sourced from pyrolysis specialists since 2016; by 2023 it reported more than 200 million components manufactured with a reduced carbon footprint. The firm has also developed a climate‑neutral rubber compound, marketed in 2025, made entirely from recycled carbon black, demonstrating that rCB can meet the production volumes and performance expectations of original equipment suppliers.

Technological progress matters because feedstock variability and impurity profiles from pyrolysis can affect compound properties. Industry data shows continuous, higher‑capacity tyre pyrolysis systems and improved downstream refining are closing the gap between rCB and furnace‑produced carbon black in technical performance and consistency. Several suppliers are now offering grades tailored for different rubber applications, from passenger tyres to heavy‑duty and specialty elastomers.

Despite gains, rCB is not a panacea. The collection, sorting and logistics for end‑of‑life tyres require coordination and investment; pyrolysis operations need energy and rigorous emissions controls; and downstream refining must meet the stringent quality and safety specifications of tyre and rubber manufacturers. Market penetration will therefore depend on concerted industrial supply chains, regulatory incentives and continued advances in process efficiency. According to the original report, when used at scale the technology shifts carbon from combustion to circular reuse , conserving resources and markedly reducing CO2 compared with the incumbent supply chain.

For industrial decarbonisation professionals, rCB represents a pragmatic lever: it substitutes a carbon‑intensive input with a recycled material that can be integrated into existing formulations, offers significant lifecycle emissions reductions, and ties waste management to materials sourcing. The next phase will test whether pyrolysis suppliers, compounders and tyre makers can scale synchronously to deliver consistent, certified grades of rCB, and whether procurement and regulatory frameworks provide the demand signals needed to close the loop at industrial scale.