NEW LIFE: From a Throwaway Society to a Circular Economy
Around 584,000 tons of used tires are generated every year in Germany – tires are an innovative product with valuable materials. But usually, they have a lifespan of between one to six years, depending on how much they are driven.
That creates a mountain of used tires every year. In about a third of the cases, used tires are simply incinerated. However, this is not in line with the principle of achieving a functioning recycling economy, the aim of which is to use and process raw materials in a resource-conserving way. Accordingly, ideally, old tires are shredded and broken down into their parts to produce high-quality products, which can often be used much longer than tires. Just think of fall protection floors on playgrounds or artificial turf pitches for professional football. Thus, the original product is returned to the recyclable material cycle and has properties superior to other products when used in this way. The nine partner companies of the NEW LIFE initiative have set themselves the goal to use recycled material from end-of-life tires as a sustainable raw material for high-quality products with a long-term lifespan and to raise people’s awareness to consume consciously.