Schwalbe and Pyrum Innovations AG are working together on a long-term basis. Both companies have concluded a framework agreement for the long-term purchase of Pyrum's recovered Carbon Black (rCB) over a period of ten years. Schwalbe will use the rCB, which is obtained from the jointly developed tyre recycling process, for the production of new Schwalbe products. The contract also includes the supply of old Schwalbe bicycle tyres to Pyrum as part of the Schwalbe recycling system. The rCB product obtained from old tyres using the thermolysis process is an increasingly sought-after raw material in the tyre industry for the production of sustainable new tyres.
Tyre recycling as a success story
Felix Jahn, Head of CSR at Schwalbe (Corporate Social Responsibility), says: "Bicycle tyre recycling, which we introduced together with Pyrum Innovations AG less than three years ago, has developed into an absolute success story in this time. We want to continue our partnership with Pyrum in the long term. We are already reusing Pyrum's rCB in 70 percent of all Schwalbe tyres, thus closing the loop. We are now continuing this work consistently in order to further increase this proportion."
More than one million tyres already recycled
Pascal Klein, CEO of Pyrum Innovations AG: "It's great to see how the tyre industry is changing. Long-term purchase agreements over ten years used to be unthinkable. With strong partners like Schwalbe, we can lay the foundations for more sustainable and efficient tyre production. Together with over 1,800 specialist dealers in Germany, we have already succeeded in recycling well over one million bicycle tyres and returning them to the cycle."
The companies have been working together on recycling research since 2020. In 2023, the first bicycle tyre with a closed production cycle was presented with the "Green Marathon". Schwalbe plans to use Pyrum-rCB in the manufacture of its entire product range in the future and is conducting intensive research to achieve this goal.
