Schwalbe has started a pilot project to create an innovative bicycle tire recycling technology in conjunction with Pyrum Innovations AG and the Technische Hochschule Köln - University of Applied Sciences.

The project partners are doing research to develop a sustainable recycling system for used bicycle tires as part of a Central Innovation Program for SMEs (small and medium-sized firms), known in German as ZIM and financed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi).

The goal is to prevent tires from being incinerated or disposed of in landfills. Instead, the raw materials are hoped to be retained for recycling in a closed-loop economy system. Schwalbe intends to utilise the valuable secondary raw materials obtained during the tire recycling process to manufacture new products.

At the same time, the family business is putting in place a large infrastructure to support the recycling loop.

Schwalbe has been working towards improved sustainability and recycling for many years, introducing its recycling scheme for inner tubes to the UK in 2020. All of Schwalbe’s bicycle tubes are now 100 percent recyclable, which may not be commonly known.

The recycled material it receives from used goods is utilized in the manufacturing of new tubes without sacrificing quality. Schwalbe won the German Sustainability Award 2021 in the category ‘Pioneers’ for a closed-loop product life cycle and concerted recycling process design. The pilot project contributes to these efforts by designing a long-term recycling system that can also accommodate used bicycle tires.

Various innovative technologies are now available on the market that can convert a wide range of feedstocks, such as rubber, plastic, and forestry waste, into fuels like hydrogen or other high-value fuels that may be used to power automobiles or heat houses.