Annual report 2023 - 30 years with the black gold

We work with balance. Since 1994. And now we are celebrating 30 years as a company!

Balance is another way of expressing that we work to align society’s need for resources with the planet’s renewable capacity. The goal is to create conditions for a long-term sustainable existence where people can meet their needs without it being at the expense of other living being, plants, or future generations. A key aspect of this work is to use the resources we already have for a longer period, preferably with as little modification as possible, but especially in areas where virgin extraction would have significant consequences; efforts in the form of raw materials, energy, and labor, investments, product development, etc. Behind each tyre model lies an enormous work to meet the high demands that both society at large and individuals place on the product. It involves wet grip, dry grip, wear resistance, elasticity, temperature insensitivity within various intervals, surface chemical bonding ability, electrical and thermal insulation, UV resistance, low rolling resistance, durability, etc. These properties are also in demand in other contexts; for instance, people want to be able to fall softly on a playground even in winter, store energy in a house foundation, 3D-print a tow hook cover, or whatever it may be. Only imagination and hard work set the limits for what the tyre can continue to live its life as. And not only that; through chemical processes such as pyrolysis and devulcanization, and the high energy value, both new raw materials and non-fossil energy can be extracted.

At the start in 1994, the practical focus was to ensure that tyres were not left in the wrong place, despite the ambition to ascend the waste hierarchy. As the tyre collection has developed further and knowledge of recycling processes and markets has increased, so have the opportunities to create new value. In 2023, the step was taken towards our own coordination of the business from collection to marketing and sales of recycled raw material. This laid the foundation for the next 30 years in the history of Swedish Tyre Recycling. A foundation that will enable increased benefits, a more positive environmental impact, and higher economic returns. Our ambition now, as before, is to be a role model in creating both models and strategies as well as concrete actions to support a more sustainable society.

Welcome to Swedish Tyre Recycling 30 years! Fredrik Ardefors, CEO

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