The Tire and Rubber Association of Canada’s 2023 Rubber Recycling Symposium intends to shed some light on both the exciting developments and the challenging issues in sustainable tire production and end-of-life (ELT) tire management and market development. 

Even the global pandemic couldn’t stop the march of technology as tiremakers continue to challenge the status quo by producing tires with lower environmental impact and introducing novel raw materials such as devulcanized rubber, guayule and dandelion rubbers, soybean oil, plastic bottles, and increasing sustainability of the sourced raw materials such as carbon black. 

And while manufacturing continues to do more with less, the product itself faces pressures and challenges from governments and environmental groups. We are heading toward new paradigms such as addressing the chemical makeup of tires and continuous environmental scrutiny of essential tire production chemicals. 

On the recycling front, the European Commission is proposing a ban on the use of rubber granules as infill material in synthetic sports surfaces which would severely affect these existing markets and could echo across regulatory jurisdictions worldwide. At the same time, support, and adoption for other sound tire recycling solutions such as tire derived aggregate and rubber modified asphalt move at the speed of, well, poured asphalt. 

So where is the balance that satisfies regulators and environmentalists yet assures tires are manufactured in sustainable manner and remain safe, durable products; and how can end-of-life tires shed the “waste” designation and become recognized as a value-added resource? Our symposium will discuss these and more questions in tire sustainability, and once again demonstrate that the tire and rubber industries and recycling systems lead the way when it comes to understanding and being responsive to environmental imperatives. 

Please join TRAC, Divert NS our host sponsor, and other sponsors and exhibitors in historic Halifax, Nova Scotia, as we look forward to hosting you at our 2023 Rubber Recycling Symposium!