Cost Of Progress

Four rubber industry chief executives shared a sharp message at the Global Polymer Summit in Louisville, Kentucky: collaboration and sustainability only succeed when cost, scale and customer acceptance line up.

The panel brought together leaders from across the value chain, including John Loudermilk, president and CEO of carbon black producer Birla Carbon, and Tony Wibbeler, founder and CEO of Bolder Industries, alongside executives from Lion Elastomers and Mesnac.

Sustainability Has to Pay for Itself

The central theme was that green commitments alone do not move markets. Lower-carbon and circular materials — including recovered carbon black made from end-of-life tires — gain traction only when they compete on cost and can be delivered at the scale and quality customers expect. Collaboration sounds good on stage, the executives said, but it fails in practice when those fundamentals are missing.

The discussion also touched on artificial intelligence, with leaders weighing how AI and automation can cut costs and improve consistency across production — another lever that turns sustainability from an obligation into an operating advantage.

Learn More About Cost-Competitive Carbon Black Recovery

• Recovered Carbon Black Production
• Advanced Tire Pyrolysis Technology
• Feasibility Studies
• Financing and Funding

Partner With The KleanTeam to Make Circular Materials Pay

Safe. Clean. Profitable. One Proven Partner.

The message from industry leadership is exactly the problem Klean Industries solves: recovered carbon black and pyrolysis oil that compete on cost, built at commercial scale with open-book accountability. Klean pairs feasibility studies, turn-key delivery and financing so circular sourcing is a cost decision you can make — not a premium you have to justify.

Klean’s Key Advantages:

• ✅ 3 recovered carbon black (rCB) plants built in India over the past 2 years.
• ✅ Signed LOI to deliver five more rCB plants in India.
• ✅ KBR added Klean’s proprietary TyreNova tire-pyrolysis technology to its IP portfolio.
• ✅ KleanLoop blockchain provides end-to-end feedstock and product traceability.
• ✅ Thirty-plus years engineering commercial tire and plastic pyrolysis plants.

Ready to make recovered carbon black cost-competitive in your supply chain?

Speak with a Recovered Carbon Black Expert at Klean Industries » GO.