Environment | Value natural resources
Recycling and reusing used tires

Bridgestone is working to improve product circularity.^*1 This involves utilizing or disposing of used tires^*2 collected at stores while complying with the laws and regulations of each country and region. In 2024, 99% of Bridgestone's 3,400 equity stores worldwide have a contract with a processing company with beneficial next-use stipulation. Bridgestone is working to create new value through tire recycling, including the effective use of collected used tires.

Bridgestone specifically promotes the following activities globally:

• Effective beneficial next use of used tires collected at stores (material recycling, energy recovery)
• Participation in regional and global initiatives
• Collection of discarded tires to clean up the environment in collaboration with NGOs

Examples include initiatives where used passenger car tires and truck and bus radial tires (TBRs) are beneficially recycled and recovered, and then used as construction materials, landscaping mulch, floor mats, and crafts.

End-of-life tire^*3 global recovery rates^*4

According to the Tire Industry Project (TIP) faciliated by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the world is on course to generate approximately one billion used tires each year. Bridgestone recognizes that reducing the environmental impact of used tires is an important issue for the entire tire industry.

Bridgestone has been involved in TIP since its launch in 2006. As one of the world’s leading tire and rubber companies, it is working together with other companies in the industry to create a sustainable world. TIP aims to develop an effective management system for end-of-life tires by encouraging related sectors and governments to establish systems for properly processing end-of-life tires and reducing their environmental impact. TIP has published a manual with examples of best practices based on a global survey of 45 countries covering 84% of the world’s vehicles.

The Japan Automobile Tyre Manufacturers Association (JATMA) and many others in the tire industry are working to reduce the number of used tires, recycling such tires to create a circular economy. Specific measures focus on monitoring the state of tire recycling and preventing illegal collection and dumping of used tires. According to a JATMA survey, the beneficial next use rate of used tires in Japan was 99.6% in 2024. Together with JATMA, Bridgestone is committed to continuing to improve this rate and reduce the environmental impact of used tires in Japan.

As a core member of the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association (USTMA), Bridgestone Americas is working with USTMA toward a shared vision for the United States tire manufacturing industry of achieving safe and sustainable mobility for the future.

That quest involves promoting environmentally and economically sound options for repurposing tires in various ways once their on-vehicle use is over, such as use as construction material or fuel, thereby maximizing the value of used tires and alleviating the environmental impact of tires through responsible end-of-life management.

Since its launch in 1990, USTMA has worked with various state agencies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the tire industry to reduce scrap tire stockpiles and implement regulations that foster sustainable used tire markets. The association also offers technical information on end-of-life tire management and hosts used tire conferences for regulators, recyclers, industry, and other stakeholders.

USTMA members operate 55 facilities in 16 states, are responsible for more than 291,000 jobs, and have an annual economic footprint of $170.6 billion.

USTMA | End-of-Life Tire Management

As a core member of the European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturing Association (ETRMA), Bridgestone EU, Middle East and Africa (BSEMEA) is working together with other ETRMA members to support the Roadmap: New Circular Economy Action Plan, newly issued by the European Parliament. The European tire industry believes in a future inclusive economy based on the efficient use of resources, ensuring full recovery of the waste stream (providing the highest possible value with minimal material functionality loss), and with no uncontrolled emissions, driven by an innovative and sustainable market economy.

To maximize its contribution to a circular economy, ETRMA and the tire industry are directly involved in managing end-of-life tires (ELT) in European countries that have adopted the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system.

EPR refers to the producer’s full or partial operational and/or financial responsibility for a product, extending to the post-consumer phase of a product’s lifecycle. In other words, under this system, the original manufacturer should ensure that waste from the products it has created is disposed of responsibly and in an environmentally sound manner. This has led to the setting up of not-for-profit companies financed by tire producers aiming to manage the collection and recovery of ELTs through the most economical solutions. A reporting obligation toward national regulatory authorities provides a good example of clear and reliable traceability.

For joint projects concerning end-of-life tires, see the “EVERTIRE INITIATIVE” section in “Action 2: Recycle resources & use effectively.”

In 2020, P.T. Bridgestone Tire Indonesia (Bridgestone Indonesia) entered into a two-year partnership with Soles4Souls Asia, a global nonprofit organization, on a project to create new shoes out of recycled tires.

Working with partner shoe brands to manufacture shoes in their factories, the goal was to turn 40,000 tires into about 400,000 pairs of shoes by the end of 2022, diverting end-of-life tires from landfills and putting them to good use. These shoes were distributed to people in need around the world and/or sold through various outlets, with a portion of sales set aside for donations.

The partnership has given these Bridgestone tires a new lease on life as soles for shoes, helping the drive toward a circular economy that eliminates waste through the continual use of resources. Bridgestone Indonesia has pledged $60,000 to assist Soles4Souls Asia in expanding the project and its global relief efforts.

For more information, see this news release.

This project addresses the issue of preventing pollution through two key activities and reinforces alliances with different stakeholders working in collaboration with the Costa Rica Plant. The first activity, called Llantaton, is an annual campaign that has been promoted by Bridgestone in Costa Rica since 2017. In July 2024, the campaign was held for a week in 23 locations nationwide. This public-private alliance involves stakeholders, including local governments, vendors, clients, the Minister of Health, social media, and the press. The second activity, Compliance Unit, is a program that Bridgestone Costa Rica has implemented since 2015. Through this program, Bridgestone Costa Rica has collected the equivalent of 121.2% of the total volume of tires sold in the country during 2024, as part of its commitment to pollution prevention. Central to the program is a vendor who collects all the disposed tires from different Bridgestone sales agencies. Clients are offered the opportunity to dispose of their old tires when buying new ones. Every Bridgestone sales point stores the tires received and notifies the vendor to pick them up and drive them to a proper treatment facility.

Bridgestone Costa Rica’s B-Happy Eco-Parks program uses used tires to create playgrounds in parks and education centers. So far, over 39 playgrounds have been made in Central America and the Caribbean since 2012.

Bridgestone Tire Solution Japan (BTSJ) operates the Bridgestone Tire Recycle Center Osaka. The center combines the ability to manufacture retreaded tires and repurpose used tires in a single location. The center also facilitates the collection, reuse, and repurposing of tires from Osaka Prefecture and parts of Kyoto, Hyogo, Shiga, and Wakayama prefectures. Bridgestone is maintaining its commitment to achieving sustainable used tire management.