EFG Polymers aims to raise the bar on sustainability with its completely recycled thermoset rubber materials.
EFG Looks at 100% Recyclability
EFG Polymers, a resource recovery company, has announced that it has achieved over 100 per cent sustainability by re-engineering rubber waste and producing new valuable elastomers with no emissions, waste, or by-products. Reusing thermoset rubber waste and returning the resources to new rubber products reduces the collective dependence on virgin resources and can assist the vital rubber industry in improving its sustainability.
Elroy Fimrite, President and CEO of EFG Polymers said the materials contained in waste rubber retain most of their chemical and physical properties. “We must recover these polymeric resources, preserve their properties, and reduce our dependence on virgin materials, much of which comes from non-renewable resources,” he said.
All industries are under pressure from consumers, governments and other stakeholders to improve their sustainability, and the rubber industry is no exception. The tyre industry giants, Michelin and Bridgestone have stated firm goals; Michelin is accelerating its drive toward 100 per cent sustainability, pledging recently that by 2050 all of its tyres will be made “entirely from renewable, bio-sourced or otherwise sustainable” materials. Bridgestone, the largest tyre manufacturer in the world stated “Bridgestone Tyres aims to use 100 per cent sustainable materials by 2050.”
EFG Polymers applauds these objectives, while also recognising the challenges many companies face. Over the past few decades, gifted engineers have designed tyres to be as indestructible as possible, helping protect users that rely on safe automotive performance. However, this means that tyre-makers must balance myriad performance requirements with best manufacturing practices and acceptable economics.
EFG Polymers is committed to eventually ending the landfilling of rubber waste and eliminating the usage of tyre-derived fuel. The mission is to recover and reuse all rubber product resources over and over again, creating meaningful sustainability.
EFG Polymers produces SBE (Styrene Butadiene Elastomers) that are over 85 per cent recovered materials from post-consumer and post-industrial thermoset rubber. EFG recovers the polymeric resources and restores elastomeric properties, engineering a variety of new materials with excellent properties, consistency, and economic advantages. Their new class of elastomers provides these benefits — along with improved sustainability — to multiple market applications, including new tyre manufacturing.
