What happens next with used tires?

Used tires have so far been a burden for manufacturers rather than an opportunity. Their collection and recycling have been cumbersome, and even though technology has long enabled it, tires have not been effectively redirected into a new cycle in Estonia. Instead, they have been stored in urban areas, buried, or their management has simply been avoided. With the support of our partners, ETR introduces an innovative chemical recycling process to the market, which enables the valuable materials found in used tires to be redirected into a new cycle.

How do we do it?

A fully transparent solution

ETR's goal is to establish a fully transparent tire management chain that meets the modern expectations of consumers. We leverage innovative technological solutions in our work to make the entire recycling process visible from start to finish: from the collection moment to redirecting the new material into circulation. To achieve this, we collaborate only with trustworthy partners who have a long history and reliable background. Together with partners who, like us, are dedicated to the principles of the circular economy and shared goals, we have managed to build a process where old tires have real value.

ETR, partners, and our roles

Tire collection

ETR is a new producer responsibility organization whose role is to develop and manage a tire collection network to redirect used tires back into circulation in accordance with principles of sustainability.

Pre-processing

Ragn-Sells is a Swedish family-owned company with a 141-year history, focused on circular and recycling solutions. Ragn-Sells is involved in preparing tires for pyrolysis, removing metals from tires, and granulating rubber.

Final processing

Enefit is an Estonian state-owned energy and chemical group, responsible for the final treatment of tires in Auvere and their conversion into raw materials that can be used in various industrial sectors.

Innovative processing solution

ETR's and partners' recycling solution involves converting used tires into reusable raw materials through pyrolysis. The process takes place at the Enefit-owned Auvere plant, where a chemical process transforms the typically unusable rubber of old tires into new materials that can be used in industries such as chemicals and oil, as well as for producing new physical products. The entire process is precisely controlled and ensures that significantly fewer CO2 emissions are released into the air as a result of recycling, compared to producing raw materials from scratch. The outcome of the process is a situation where recycled materials can be used to manufacture items like sports equipment, plastic cards, packaging, or chemical components used in sectors including agriculture and chemistry.