Neste, Borealis, and Covestro are partnering to recycle old tires into high-quality plastics for use in the automotive industry. The goal of the project is to promote circularity in the plastics and automotive industries.

Source: Neste

Used tires are chemically recycled into base chemicals, then processed into pure polycarbonates. These can be used in various car parts from headlamp components to radiator grilles.

Circularity requires cooperation, and this cooperation with our partners Neste and Borealis is testament to the possibilities at our disposal. We are creating options to turn discarded materials from cars into new car parts again. With that, we are supporting our automotive customers and addressing an increasingly prominent question discussed across the value chain: How to match high-performance materials with recycled content? Projects like this can be the answer.

Guido Naberfeld, Senior Vice President, Head of Sales and Market Development Mobility at Covestro

In the project, Neste chemically recycles old tires into a high-quality raw material for polymer and chemical manufacturing, supplying it to Borealis. Borealis then processes this raw material into base chemicals phenol and acetone, which are provided to Covestro. Covestro uses these materials to produce polycarbonates. The recycled content is tracked all the way to the final products using ISCC Plus certification through a mass balancing approach.

We are demonstrating the importance of value chain cooperation to give new value to waste. We are proud that Borealis, in collaboration with Neste, is able to play a role in this project, providing more sustainable solutions for polymer applications for Covestro and its customers.

Thomas Van De Velde, Senior Vice President Base Chemicals at Borealis

Initial products from the collaboration are already available, with each partner having produced the first batch of their respective contribution. The partners may also consider polyurethanes as a potential end product, which could be used in car interior parts. The companies call for consideration of the scalability of such developments when setting ambitious targets for future EU regulations, such as the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation.

This project can serve as a blueprint when it comes to establishing circularity in the field of plastics in cars. It shows how low-quality waste materials can be turned into very high-quality plastics. This is good news for the polymers and automotive industries as well as for the environment.

Jeroen Verhoeven, Vice President Value Chain Development for polymers and chemicals at Neste

The collaboration will be presented at the PIAE in Mannheim, Germany on June 19-20, 2024. An infographic detailing the value chain can be downloaded from the press release attachments.