BACKGROUND, INITIATORS, FACTS
While the recycling of many products has become hip in large parts of society in recent decades, there is still a lot of catching up to do when it comes to recycling other products.
Trendy upcycling, but also everyday products such as paper or bottles - all these products are now naturally favoured by many decision-makers and consumers as recycled products.
The situation is different when it comes to recycling tyres. Every year, around 583,000 tonnes of used tyres are generated in Germany alone. If you imagine this quantity all at once, a huge mountain appears before your inner eye.
As with other products, the Circular Economy Act requires compliance with the priorities for tyres:
1. avoidance
The avoidance of tyre waste is partly brought about by the industry by developing tyres with less wear. In addition, the reduction of car traffic can contribute to the avoidance of waste tyres. All other measures create a trade-off with the demand for road safety. This is because the recommendation of the German
The German Road Safety Council recommends that tyres should not be worn down to the legal minimum tread depth of 1.6 millimetres, but that winter tyres should be changed at 4 millimetres and summer tyres at 3 millimetres.
2. reuse
Tyres can be reused in the form of retreading, which is de facto no longer relevant for car tyres in Germany. Another form of tyre reuse
is the export to third countries, which must be viewed critically, at least with regard to final utilisation.
3. material utilisation
The NEW LIFE initiative is committed to the recycling of used tyres. Its partners recycle end-of-life tyres (ELT) into rubber powder and granulate or process them into high-quality recycled products made from ELT, such as flooring, sealants or design objects. However, the markets and objectives of the circular economy for used rubber in Germany and Europe are jeopardised by over-regulation and incorrect methods of analysis. However, only that which poses a demonstrable actual threat is dangerous! However, there is a political deviation from this principle for products made from recycled tyres (products made from granulated tyre rubber). Due to their
This is essential for the special contribution to material recycling in the circular economy. Incorrect methods of analysis in regulation lead to unjustified bans. In order to determine and legally regulate risks to the environment or human health, the exposure pathways of skin contact and emissions into the air must be analysed qualitatively and quantitatively with
suitable analyses. The ingredients of a product are not decisive, but its bioavailability.
4. thermal utilisation
Another recycling option is thermal utilisation. Over 30 % of used tyres are still sent for thermal recycling, i.e. use as substitute fuel, in Germany every year. The abolition of the calorific value clause poses an acute threat to thermal utilisation.
5. landfilling
Used tyres are rightly subject to a complete landfill ban in Germany. This makes it all the more important for politicians to promote alternative recycling routes. The partners in the NEW LIFE initiative have set themselves the goal of maximising the proportion of ELT that is recycled. This is the best way of dealing with ELT for society as a whole. Together, the partners in the NEW LIFE initiative process more than half of the ELT generated in Germany and have impressive expertise in dealing with the material. In contrast to other material Utilisations will be Utilisation of ELT due to of different ingredients with false properties in and therefore used too rarely. Against the backdrop of intensive education and information for institutions, organisations, authorities and end consumers, the leading
companies that process ELT have joined forces to form the NEW LIFE initiative. The aim of the initiative's activities is not only to pool scientific information, but also to
further scientific research is promoted, product development from ELT is driven forward and at the same time the media, politicians and end consumers are intensively informed
become. The initiative was founded in 2019 by a total of eight companies under the umbrella of the German Rubber Industry Association (wdk).
"With the NEW LIFE initiative, we want to make a contribution to providing neutral and objective information on sensible applications for ELT," explains Rainer Pöppel, co-founder of the NEW LIFE initiative.
