From 8th to 11th November, Ecopneus is taking its commitment to the development of the circular economy of End-of-Life Tyres and the future scenarios of recycling to Ecomondo. From the development of the sectors of use of recycled rubber, to its potentialities in an urban environment, up to the new frontiers of industrial recovery of material.

From 8th to 11th November, Ecopneus will be at Ecomondo – the event of reference in Europe for the industrial and technological innovation of the circular economy. Ecopneus is taking its experience in the management of ELTs (End-of-Life Tyres) to this event. It also aims at assessing the opportunities for the development of the sector of ELT recycling and promoting the circular economy as a model of reference in the challenge of the ecological transition.

Ecopneus will be in the South Hall of Rimini Fiera, stand 32. It will be a space dedicated to the recycling of End-of-Life Tyres – a sector that is constantly growing in importance for the development of Italy’s circular economy. Indeed, thanks to the recycling of End-of-Life Tyres, precious recycled rubber is obtained. Placed in a virtuous recovery cycle, recycled rubber can be used – and make the difference – in many sectors: rubberised asphalts, sports installations, animals’ wellbeing, the building sector, industrial use, urban furniture, up to the latest opportunities for material recovery by the means of chemical recycling. This concretely contributes to the investments in the green economy chain.

Results, but also projects for the future. Indeed, in Rimini, Ecopneus will present the current situation as well as future scenarios during the convention entitled: “Present and future of the recycling of End-of-Life Tyres”. This convention will be held at the “Sala Acero”, pavilion A6, from 10:30 to 12:30 on 9th November. It will focus on the results and the new projects as well the future scenarios of recycling, such as the innovative road safety barriers that protect motorcyclist. These safety barriers have been developed by ANAS with ELT-derived rubber coming from the Ecopneus chain. Moreover, RUBWAY will be presented during this convention. RUBWAY is the virtual laboratory of knowledge, innovation and collaboration for the use of rubber from ELTs developed by Ecopneus in collaboration with MATREC within the scope of design and architecture.

The General Manager of Ecopneus, Federico Dossena commented: “We are truly proud of being at Ecomondo this year too. It is a very important appointment we share the same effort for a more sustainable future with. Ecopneus has always dedicated great attention and invested in research and innovation, collaborating with a network of specialised and prestigious partners that range from specialised companies to universities; from institutional bodies to research entities to strengthen the several sectors of application of recycled rubber and create new job opportunities. The great job we carry out in Research & Development aims at consolidating the scientific knowledge about the several possible usages of recycled rubber, both in the already mature markets and in others with great growth potential”

In 2021, Ecopneus overall collected over 200thousand tonnes of ELTs from over 20 thousand tyre dealers all over Italy. In this way, Ecopneus went beyond its legal target by 20%. Also in 2021, Ecopneus actively supported the market of recycled rubber applications, stimulating and incentivising the constant improvement of treatment processes and products. In 2021, Ecopneus allocated over 2 million euros to R&D projects to stimulate the development of the market of recycled rubber applications with reference to the quality of materials and expansion of its application sectors

Thanks to the Ecopneus activities of recovery and recycling, in 2021 alone, 310 thousand tonnes of CO2 equivalent were not released into the environment. This amount is equivalent to the emissions of 185 thousand automobiles that drive 10,000 km in a year. Moreover, there was a saving of 1.23 million m3 of water (this is the amount of water needed to fill 495 Olympic-sized swimming pools) and over 282 thousand tonnes of virgin raw materials (this compares to the weight of 575 High speed “Frecciarossa 1000” trains). These benefits are to be added to the savings linked to the reduction of imports of virgin raw materials amounting to about 79 million euros.