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Summary

Creating more sustainable tires starts with smarter material choices, but achieving circularity requires much more than increasing recycled content. This article explores how recycled steel, responsible sourcing, material innovation and industry collaboration can help reduce Scope 3 emissions. 

 

It also examines the role of transparency, certification and closed-loop solutions in advancing a more circular tire value chain.

Reducing the impact of tire manufacturing starts with more sustainable material choices. Sourcing raw materials responsibly helps lower Scope 3 upstream emissions generated across the value chain, including suppliers and transportation.

Smarter materials lead to more sustainable solutions

One of the key solutions is maximizing the use of recycled steel, which reduces the need for raw material extraction, energy consumption and waste treatment requirements.

An increase in the use of recycled steel relieves the demand for raw material extraction, particularly iron ore for new steel production. Additionally, compared with steel produced from virgin raw materials, recycled steel reduces:

  • Air pollution by 86%
  • Water usage by 40%
  • Water pollution by 76%
-86%

air pollution

-40%

water usage

-76%

water pollution

Recycling 1 kg of steel scrap at the end of a product’s life could reduce approximately 1.5 kilograms of CO2 emissions and the equivalent of half a day of household energy consumption. Electric Arc Furnaces use less energy than blast furnaces and thus reduce emissions. The use of renewable energy can make this technology even more sustainable.

In addition, contamination from coatings, paints, copper wiring and other materials creates challenges to give steel a second life. Design for recycling and improved recycling technologies are required to reduce contamination and improve circularity outcomes.

Overcoming these challenges will require more than recycling alone. It calls for continued innovation in material design, processing technologies and value chain collaboration. Leveraging its materials science expertise and strong supplier partnerships, Bekaert is working to improve processability, increase material recovery and prepare for a future in which circularity becomes an increasingly important requirement for tire reinforcement materials.

ISCC PLUS for steel reinforcement

As recycled content becomes increasingly important, transparency and credibility become equally critical. Customers and stakeholders are looking for robust frameworks that go beyond intentions and provide verifiable proof of performance.

The recent expansion of the ISCC PLUS certification scheme to include steel reinforcement is a meaningful step forward. It enables independent verification and traceability of recycled content in steel wire and cord through a harmonized system already applied to other key tire materials.

By pioneering ISCC PLUS certification for steel reinforcement, Bekaert contributed to establishing a common language for recycled content across the tire value chain. This creates a solid foundation for scaling the use of high recycled content materials over time while acknowledging today's limitations and continuing to push innovation where it matters most.

However, certain limitations restrict the benefits associated with high recycled content steel. Although approximately 87% to 90% of steel is recycled, global steel production outweighs scrap availability by almost a factor of three. Even by 2050, available scrap is expected to cover only 50% of steel demand.

This highlights the importance of not only maximizing recycled content, but also improving how materials are recovered, retained and recirculated throughout the value chain. Creating higher-value pathways for end-of-life materials will be essential to further reduce dependence on virgin resources and support the transition to a more circular economy.

This is why Bekaert is also exploring closed-loop approaches that enable steel recovered from end-of-life tires to remain in productive use, unlocking new circular pathways for tire reinforcement materials.

Related links

Elyta®
Sustainability in tire reinforcement
Tire reinforcement