Bridgestone Americas Inc. (Bridgestone), the US-based subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, a global leader in tyres and rubber, has announced an exclusive partnership with Carbon Capture and Transformation (CCT) company, LanzaTech NZ, Inc. (LanzaTech) to address end-of-life tyre (ELT) waste.
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The two companies will co-develop the first dedicated ELT recycling process leveraging LanzaTech’s proprietary CCT technology, creating a pathway toward tire material circularity and the decarbonization of new tyre production.
We are excited to join forces with LanzaTech to co-create a more sustainable pathway for end-of-life tyres, said Paolo Ferrari, President, and CEO of Bridgestone Americas.
According to the Tire Industry Project operating under the umbrella of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), more than one billion tyres globally reach the end of their useful service life each year.
LanzaTech and Bridgestone are working together to find solutions to some of our world’s greatest challenges, said Dr Jennifer Holmgren, CEO of LanzaTech.
Explore closed-loop process
Bridgestone and LanzaTech will work to address this issue by converting ELT into new materials, including exploring processes to create sustainable synthetic rubber that does not rely on petrochemicals.
The steps we take today are determining the health of our planet for future generations. We are determined to meet the moment with sustainable innovation that transforms the way tyres are made and promotes end-to-end material circularity, Paolo Ferrari said.
Bridgestone and LanzaTech seek to develop a new business model that will create a post-consumer waste management strategy for ELT, while also driving increased adoption of sustainably sourced chemicals for commercial applications.
We have already proven that we can convert unrecyclable, unsorted municipal solid waste to ethanol and then make products we use in our daily lives. With our partnership with Bridgestone, we are developing a circular pathway to use tires to make tyres. This partnership exemplifies what we call a Post Pollution Future, Dr Jennifer Holmgren said.
Utilize gas fermentation technology
Applying LanzaTech’s carbon capture and gas fermentation process to ELT yields sustainably produced chemicals such as ethanol.
This in turn can be used as a feedstock that can be converted to materials such as polyethylene tet PET for packaging, polyester yarn, and surfactants used in consumer home goods like laundry detergent.
Headquartered in Skokie, Illinois (IL), LanzaTech transforms waste carbon into materials such as sustainable fuels, fabrics, packaging, and other products.
Using a variety of waste feedstocks, LanzaTech’s technology platform highlights a future where consumers are not dependent on virgin fossil feedstocks for everything in their daily lives.
LanzaTech’s goal is to challenge and change the way the world uses carbon, enabling a new circular carbon economy where carbon is reused rather than wasted, skies and oceans are kept clean, and pollution becomes a thing of the past.
Aligned with E8 commitment
Bridgestone is aiming to achieve carbon neutrality and make tyres from 100 percent renewable materials by 2050.
The company is actively researching a range of solutions to support the recycling of materials from ELT and promote the replacement of non-renewable materials such as oil, silica, and virgin carbon black in new tyres.
Our partnership with LanzaTech is a clear commitment by Bridgestone to advancing sustainable tyre technologies and solutions that preserve the environment for future generations and contribute to the realization of a carbon-neutral mobility society, said Nizar Trigui, Chief Technology Officer and Group President, Solutions Businesses, Bridgestone Americas.
Bridgestone’s partnership with LanzaTech aligns with the Bridgestone E8 Commitment that serves as the axis to drive management while earning the trust of future generations.
The Bridgestone E8 Commitment consists of 8 Bridgestone-like values starting with the letter “E” (Energy, Ecology, Efficiency, Extension, Economy, Emotion, Ease, and Empowerment) that Bridgestone will commit to creating together with employees, society, partners, and customers to realize a sustainable society.
This partnership aligns with “Ecology: Committed to advancing sustainable tyre technologies and solutions that preserve the environment for future generations” and “Energy: Committed to the realization of a carbon-neutral mobility society.”
