Schwalbe Converts 70% Of Its Range To Circular Tires
One year after the launch of the Green Marathon, the world’s first tire made partly from used tires, Schwalbe is converting large parts of its tire range. From now on, 70% of all Schwalbe tires will be made with recycled carbon black (rCB). The rCB is a direct product of the Schwalbe recycling system and replaces 100% fossil-based carbon black. In this way, 80% CO₂eq is saved. The rCB comes directly from Pyrum Innovations AG, the company where the actual recycling process takes place in Saarland.
Felix Jahn, Head of CSR at Schwalbe: “This is another milestone on our path of ecological responsibility. Through intensive research and development work, we have succeeded in switching to the use of rCB without having to compromise on the quality and performance of the tires. This is always our top priority when using recycled materials.”
Thanks to the widespread use of rCB, Schwalbe’s high-end tires for road bikes, gravel bikes, mountain bikes as well as city and cargo bikes are now also becoming circular tires. Only tires with the ADDIX Ultra Soft rubber compound and Active Line tires do not yet use
rCB. This is not yet possible without compromising on quality. That’s why the work for Schwalbe does not stop now. For the remaining tires in the Schwalbe range, where rCB use is not yet possible, intensive research is continuing.
End consumers are not directly aware of the use of rCB, as neither the design and application nor the price of the tires change as a result. Nevertheless, the circular economy and therefore the environment benefit from their purchase decision. The Schwalbe Recycling System had already recycled 940,000 tires by the end of April. Used tires can be returned to more than 1,800 participating specialist dealers in Germany. Schwalbe is currently working intensively on expanding the recycling process to other
countries.
