Reclaimed Rubber Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Whole Tire Reclaim, Butyl Reclaim Rubber, EPDM Reclaim Rubber, And Others), By End-use, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2022 - 2030

Report Overview

The global reclaimed rubber market size was valued at USD 1.04 billion in 2021 and is anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.9% from 2022 to 2030. In recent years, global demand for reclaimed rubber has been driven by favorable regulations implemented by governments across the globe to promote sustainable materials as a substitute for conventional virgin rubber and the rising demand for reclaimed rubber from end-use sectors like automotive & aircraft tires, footwear, belts & hoses, retreading, and molded rubber goods manufacturing.

The market has witnessed collaborations between end-users and chemical manufacturers to develop new products from used tires. For instance, as of December 2021, Ralf Bohle GmbH, a bicycle tire manufacturer, Pyrum Innovations AG, and TH Köln University entered into a collaborative partnership to develop new bicycle tires from old tires. Initiatives like these are expected to help companies  source raw materials and manufacture reclaimed rubber at economical costs.

According to the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers (OICA), the U.S. was the leading producer of commercial vehicles in the world in 2020. Despite the outbreak of the pandemic, the country witnessed a rise in demand for pickup trucks in 2020. Ford Motor’s F-Series truck retained its dominance followed by pickups from Fiat Chrysler and General Motors.

Tire retreading is commonly observed in heavy-duty commercial vehicles since replacing tires is expensive and tire retreading provides a feasible and economical option for commercial vehicle owners. The growing automotive industry in the U.S. is expected to drive the demand for reclaimed rubber in the tire retreading industry.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) along with the government of Mexico, implemented the U.S.-Mexico Border 2020 Program, incorporating goals to reduce and prevent land contamination via strengthening waste management. The project is aimed at reducing dumped waste, including tire scraps with other materials. Such initiatives are expected to promote tire recycling and positively affect the growth of the market.

Product Insights

Whole tire reclaimed rubber is manufactured from tread peelings and end-of-life tires. The product exhibits better elongation and tensile strength, good abrasion resistance, tear resistance, long shelf life, and energy efficiency while mixing. These above-mentioned properties make it suitable for use in the production of tire sidewalls, tire piles , and tire treads & retreads.

Butyl reclaim rubber is manufactured from used butyl tubes through desulfurization. It is a synthetic rubber, a copolymer of isobutylene with isoprene, and exhibits impermeability to air. This allows it to be used in applications requiring airtight rubber. Butyl reclaimed rubber has a faster vulcanization rate and higher polarity as compared to virgin butyl rubber, which provides it higher compatibility with other types of rubber and better aging resistance.

EPDM rubber is a terpolymer of propylene, ethylene, propylene, and a diene component. It has ethylene content in the range of 45% to 85% and higher ethylene content offers better mixing and extrusion. EPDM reclaim rubber is manufactured from manufactured EPDM factory reject profiles used in insulators for dust protection, weather channels, aluminum profiles, UPVC profiles, and door packing.

End-use Insights

Aircraft tires are made from conductive elastomer, which consists of natural rubber, and are subjected to extreme conditions. They are reinforced with strong and flexible materials such as Kevlar to absorb more of the shock of landing and support the natural rubber. Natural rubber exhibits excellent abrasion resistance, tear resistance, and excellent green strength & tack, which allows it to stick to other materials.

Aircraft tires have conducting strips built into the tire grooves, which discharge any static electricity charges that may have built up. Natural rubber in the tires acts as an insulator because of its ability to limit the transfer of electricity. The growing international logistics business and passenger travel post the relaxation of travel restrictions on a regional and country basis has revamped the demand for aircraft tires. Many aviation companies do not purchase tires but have set up contracts with tire manufacturing companies to replace tires upon requirement. Retreading is a common practice in aircraft tires since the tires are expensive.

Tire companies such as Dunlop Tires provide tire retreading services to aviation companies under the inspection of airworthiness authorities such as the EASA and FAA. Thus, the growing aviation industry along with the high cost of aircraft tire replacement is expected to positively impact the market.

Regional Insights

Asian countries such as China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, India, and Japan are expected to emerge as primary growth markets for reclaimed rubber due to extensive rubber tire production in these countries. Furthermore, in recent years, China and India have witnessed a rapid growth in automotive production due to increasing disposable income across the middle-class population and technology transfer to the sector from the Western markets, expecting to drive the demand for rubber tires and influence the reclaimed rubber market positively.

In January 2020, American tire manufacturer, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and Rubber-Cal, a supplier of rubber flooring and mats, entered into a partnership to develop a new line of rubber flooring and mats. The ReUz rubber flooring rolls and ReUz rubber tiles are made from discarded Goodyear tires, which consume less energy for production and can be colored easily, allowing for the attractive textured floor for use in fitness facilities. The growing awareness among consumers regarding physical fitness is expected to push the demand for rubber flooring mats, thus directly impacting the growth of the market.

The market in Europe is expected to witness growth during the forecast period owing to a number of initiatives such as the BlackCycle project undertaken in the region. The BlackCycle project, which is funded by Horizon 2020 of the European Union and was launched in May 2020, aims at developing and optimizing a full value chain of reclaimed rubber from the end-of-life feedstocks like tire waste to secondary raw materials (SRM) for the development of a new range of tires for trucks and passenger cars to be sold commercially in the European and global markets.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

The industry is characterized by the presence of several small-scale industrial producers with obsolete production technologies and limited capacity, especially in developing nations, which has lent a significant advantage to new industry participants with better processing technologies. Some of the  key players in the global reclaimed rubber market include:

• GRP Ltd

• J. Allcock & Sons Ltd

• Rolex Reclaim Pvt. Ltd.

• Fishfa Rubbers Ltd.

• HUXAR

• Tianyu (Shandong) Rubber & Plastic Products Co., Ltd.

• Swani Rubber Industries

• Minar Reclaimation Private Limited

• SRI Impex Pvt. Ltd.

• SNR Reclamations Pvt. Ltd.

• High Tech Reclaim Pvt. Ltd.

• Balaji Rubber Industries (P) Ltd.

• Star Polymers Inc.

Reclaimed Rubber Market Report Scope

Segments Covered in the Report

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2022 to 2030. Grand View Research has segmented the global reclaimed rubber market report based on product, end-use, and region:

• Product Outlook (Volume, Kilotons; Revenue, USD Million, 2019 - 2030)

  • Whole Tire Reclaim Rubber

  • Butyl Reclaim Rubber

  • EPDM Reclaimed Rubber

  • Others

• End-use Outlook (Volume, Kilo Tons; Revenue, USD Million, 2019 - 2030)

  • Automotive & Aircraft Tires

  • Retreading

  • Belts & Hoses

  • Footwear

  • Molded Rubber Goods

  • Others

• Regional Outlook (Volume, KiloTons; Revenue, USD Million, 2019 - 2030)

  • North America

    • The U.S.

    • Canada

    • Mexico

  • Europe

    • Germany

    • UK

    • France

    • Italy

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • India

    • Japan

  • Central & South America

    • Brazil

  • Middle East & Africa

    • GCC Countries