Schwalbe targets 2023 for commercial scale rCB tires

Reichshof, Germany – Bicycle tire manufacturer Schwalbe has set out a series of sustainability targets, including the commercial production of tires containing recovered carbon black (rCB) as early as next year.

In its first corporate social responsibility (CSR) report, Schwalbe parent company Ralf Bohle GmbH said it will introduce the first ever “mass-produced tire” made with rCB from waste tires by 2023.

Schwalbe announced earlier this year that it had entered a partnership with German end-of-life tire (ELT) pyrolysis company Pyrum involving the production and use of rCB material.

The German group's CSR report went on to say that Schwalbe intended to recycle 14 million tires and 15 million inner tubes by 2026.

Furthermore, the manufacturer aims to offset “all unavoidable aviation emissions” from 2022 onwards by financing certified international development and climate protection projects.

The company has also set itself a target of using 100% renewable energy at its headquarters in Reichshof as of 2025.

“We are reaching a milestone with the publication of the first CSR report because we are transparently disclosing, in accordance with GRI standards,” said Felix Jahn, CSR manager.

“We want to make a real positive contribution and are not satisfied with [only] reducing negative impacts,” he concluded.