Bolder Industries is positioning itself at the forefront of circular economy innovation with its next-generation Antwerp facility, promising to recycle 6.6 million tyres annually while slashing greenhouse gas emissions by over 80 percent. While the company has proven its technology in the US with BolderBlack and BolderOil, scaling operations to Europe will test both supply chain resilience and market adoption. Beyond environmental claims, the facility’s success will hinge on replicating consistent product quality at commercial volumes, navigating regulatory frameworks and maintaining customer confidence amid global demand for sustainable industrial materials.

Bolder Industries recently secured a EUR 32 million grant from the EU Innovation Fund and an additional EUR 2 million from the Flanders region to support its Antwerp facility, which will recycle over six million tyres annually.

Scheduled to begin operations by 2027, the plant will utilise wind power and on-site heat to produce sustainable materials like BolderBlack and BolderOil, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Construction is set to commence in 2026, marking a major step towards sustainable manufacturing in Europe.

The plant will serve as a cornerstone for Europe’s circular economy ambitions and strengthen the company’s position in the growing global market for sustainable industrial materials.

Speaking exclusively to Tyre Trends, Chief Executive Officer Tony Wibbeler shared a thorough insight into the company’s strategy and technology, reflecting the company’s readiness to scale proven solutions to commercial volumes.

“Bolder is beyond an ambitious idea. Since 2019, we have demonstrated years of commercial success with BolderBlack and BolderOil, which are now supplied across thousands of applications in tyres, rubber, plastics and coatings. Our US operations have proven our technology at scale and the Antwerp facility is not a pilot project; it is backed by the European Commission’s Innovation Fund through CINEA as part of the NextGen Thermal Tire Re-use (N2TR) project with full capacity targeted for spring 2027,” explained Wibbeler.

“We’ve built traceability and certification frameworks like ISCC Plus, ensuring customers receive validated, circular and consistent materials. We’re not proving the concept, we’re scaling a proven solution to meet accelerating global demand,” he added.

BolderBlack, the company’s flagship product, is already integrated into more than 3,000 global applications including tyres, manufactured rubber goods, inks, coatings and plastics. BolderOil complements this by serving high-value markets such as petrochemicals, solvents, carbon black feedstocks and sustainable fuels.

“We do not focus on what others are doing. Our steadfast focus is on delivering consistent, high-quality solutions to customers who demand reliability. Our technology has consistently delivered high-quality products for over five years, making us one of the few companies with a proven commercial-scale history,” Wibbeler noted.

The company sources its feedstock exclusively from post-consumer and post-industrial end-of-life tyres and scrap rubber obtained through partnerships in the US and Europe. “Because we are not tied to oil markets, our products are shielded from oil volatility and tariffs. That

stability enables predictable pricing, typically at a discount to virgin carbon black,” contended Wibbeler.

QUALITY STANDARDS

Meeting stringent tyre maker quality standards is a continuous process. Aside from traditional certifications like ISO 9001, the company has learned a tremendous amount from its customers. “While audits can be daunting, we embrace their experiences and utilise their suggestions to improve our manufacturing processes continually,” noted Wibbeler.

The Port of Antwerp facility is designed to recycle approximately 6.6 million tyres annually at full operation. The process achieves an over 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and reduces water use by more than 90 percent compared to conventional carbon black production. This represents a major step forward from traditional tyre disposal methods such as landfilling and incineration, which are resource-intensive and environmentally harmful.

Strategically located on a 55,152-square-metre site within the NextGen District, the Antwerp facility will house four proprietary reactors and a state-of-the-art finishing line. The plant will be powered predominantly by renewable energy including wind power and recovered heat, underscoring the company’s commitment to environmental stewardship.

Complementing the Antwerp operation, Bolder’s US expansion in Terre Haute, Indiana, will recycle a comparable volume of tyres, producing 18,000 metric tonnes of BolderBlack and 21,000 metric tonnes of BolderOil.

“Together, these two facilities create a robust transatlantic supply network that guarantees customers consistent and reliable volumes,” Wibbeler highlighted.

CIRCULAR HUB

The Antwerp facility also contributes to regional economic growth, creating at least 50 new jobs in Flanders and reinforcing Antwerp’s standing as a circular economy hub. Cleaner production, strategic port access and integration within Europe’s largest petrochemical cluster further enhance the plant’s operational advantages.

The company’s resilience stems from multiple business safeguards. These include geographic diversification, alignment with ISCC Plus and European Union frameworks and securing commercial offtake agreements before capacity expansions.

The company recently secured a significant equity investment from Tiger Infrastructure Partners, a private equity firm with expertise in scaling infrastructure projects across the US and Europe, to support growth.

“Our customer base spans the largest tyre manufacturers globally and smaller players alike. This segmentation strategy places BolderBlack into thousands of products, from performance tyres to wetsuits, exemplifying our market reach,” Wibbeler affirmed.

While BolderBlack is already in mainstream production for some manufacturers, others remain in pilot phases. Multi-year offtake contracts ensure operational stability for existing and future capacities.

Regarding the pyrolysis oil produced in the recycling process, the company emphasises a commitment to true circularity. “Our primary markets for BolderOil are carbon black oil feedstock and petrochemicals, supporting circularity goals in tyre and rubber goods industries. We anticipate entering sustainable fuels markets in Europe, though nothing has been finalised currently,” stated the executive.

Addressing concerns around pyrolysis potentially delaying landfill issues, Wibbeler said, “That critique is both misinformed and shortsighted. Pyrolysis is just one step in our broader process. Our traceable tyre-to-tyre reuse model effectively solves the problem rather than delaying it.”

Bolder Industries is actively engaged in industry forums and circular economy initiatives, promoting sustainable materials and tyre recycling advancements, highlighting its leadership role beyond operational activity. The company has achieved multiple certifications and complies rigorously with environmental and quality standards and maintains a Silver EcoVadis rating, reflecting corporate responsibility.

The growing global recycled materials market further positions it to capture market share as industries elevate environmental compliance and sustainability.

Wibbeler concluded with an ambitious outlook, stating, “The industry faces many challenges ahead. Our aim for the next decade is to expand globally, deepen partnerships and deploy a range of technologies to deliver scalable, traceable circular solutions. That’s the role we are committed to playing.” 

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Kumho Petrochemical Group is steering its business towards research-driven, higher-value outputs as oversupply and soft demand continue to weigh on the worldwide petrochemical sector. The Seoul-based group outlined plans to boost spending on speciality chemicals, sustainable materials and novel production methods, a push intended to lift profits while building a foundation for future expansion.

Underlying the move is a deliberate evolution in the group's identity, from a bulk materials vendor to a provider of technology-backed solutions that address shifting customer requirements and stricter environmental rules. A central element of that effort involves widening the speciality lineup, exemplified by added capacity for solution styrene butadiene rubber, a synthetic rubber that enhances durability, rolling resistance and tread wear in high-performance electric vehicle tyres.

Environmental initiatives form another pillar. Facilities built by the company can trap approximately 76,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, while separately developed technology turns recycled acrylonitrile butadiene styrene sourced from scrapped household appliances into automotive-grade interior components that satisfy performance standards and generate fewer emissions than conventional methods. The group has also joined forces with POSCO Future M and BEI on anode-free lithium-metal battery development.

Parallel technology-focused programmes are underway at affiliated units. Kumho P&B Chemicals is formulating water-based epoxy resins that curb volatile organic compound releases while incorporating more bio-based inputs to reduce carbon intensity. Kumho Mitsui Chemicals is advancing bio-based polyurethane systems and electric vehicle materials, alongside debottlenecking work to add 100,000 tonnes of annual methylene diphenyl diisocyanate capacity. Kumho Polychem, meanwhile, is targeting ethylene propylene diene monomer through low-temperature polymerisation paired with energy-efficiency improvements.

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Birla Carbon has confirmed a price increase of up to 15 percent for its Speciality Materials products across Asia, scheduled to take effect on 1 October 2026. The company pointed to significant and sustained rises in feedstock costs, driven partly by ongoing geopolitical instability and disruptions in global feedstock markets, as the reason behind the adjustment.

Although Birla Carbon pursued operational efficiencies, supply chain optimisation and disciplined cost management to soften the impact, the scale and persistence of the cost escalation left a price adjustment unavoidable. The company's sales teams will engage customers directly to explain the details and help them navigate the transition.

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ACE Laboratories, an independent ISO/IEC 17025-accredited polymer testing laboratory, has partnered with Abdallah Consulting, LLC, a prominent tyre pyrolysis advisory firm, to introduce VericarbSM. This independent certification programme verifies that materials marketed as recovered carbon black (rCB) meet established criteria for rCB.

Recovered carbon black, derived from end-of-life tyres via pyrolysis, serves as a sustainable substitute for virgin carbon black in rubber and polymer applications. However, the emerging market has lacked the standardisation and independent verification that established supply chains provide. VericarbSM addresses this gap through independent material characterisation and rubber performance data, offering stakeholders a consistent basis for evaluating rCB products.

For producers, certification accelerates market entry and improves buyer approval rates. Consumers gain more capable suppliers and reduced evaluation time, while investors benefit from clearer volume sizing and fewer costly test failures. The programme is jointly administered by both organisations.

Erick Sharp, CEO, ACE Laboratories, said, “The rCB market has enormous potential, but growth has been held back by uncertainty about material quality and consistency. VericarbSM gives producers a way to prove their product and gives buyers the independent data they need to say yes.”

Dave Abdallah, Founder, Abdallah Consulting, said, “One key reason for the delayed growth of recovered carbon black is lack of product performance information in the customer’s language. ASTM standards are critical; in fact, most testing done in the process follows ASTM methods. But customers relate to a product better when its performance is shown in applications relevant to them. VericarbSM solves the language issue by showing verified rCB in terms of rubber performance while simultaneously adding credibility via third-party analysis and reporting.”

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Zeon Corporation established Zeon Chemicals Kurashiki Co., Ltd. on 23 July 2026 to take over the acrylic rubber operations of fellow group firm Tohpe Corporation. The new entity, headquartered in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, is wholly owned by Zeon with paid-in capital of JPY 10 million and is led by representative Koji Minami.

On 21 August, Tohpe and the new subsidiary signed an absorption-type company split agreement, prompting Zeon to begin the procedures required under the Companies Act. Operations at the new company, focused on manufacturing and selling acrylic rubber and related activities, are scheduled to commence on 30 October 2026.

Acrylic rubber, known for its heat resistance, is used in automotive components including oil seals and hoses. The Zeon Group already maintains four production sites across Japan, United States and Thailand, forming a global supply network for the material.

The restructuring follows Zeon’s 11 May 2026 announcement that it would transfer Tohpe shares to NATOCO Co., Ltd. of Miyoshi City, Aichi Prefecture, as part of Tohpe’s paints business divestiture. Tohpe’s acrylic rubber operations, which complement Zeon’s Elastomers Business, will now be positioned as a key specialty rubber manufacturing site, with closer operational coordination intended to strengthen Group competitiveness and corporate value.

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