All change for tyre recycling in Sweden as SDAB takes control in 2023
SDAB to End Agreement with Rag-Sells
Tyre recycling in Sweden has long been held, by tender, by waste management company Ragn-Sells. The company operated what was a monopoly in the tyre sector.
However, when Tyre and Rubber Recycling visited SDAB in 2019, CEO Fredrik Ardefors intimated that there may be changes in future as the tyre sector was not happy about the lack of diversification in recycling in Sweden. That change of direction is now coming to reality as SDAB takes more control of tyre recycling and edges out Ragn-Sells as from 1st January 2023.
On 1 January 2023, SDAB will change its model and will be responsible for the Swedish tyre recycling system under its own auspices. The organisation will terminate the long-standing series of contracts with Ragn-Sells.
Demands for responsible material recycling as part of the circular economy have increased. Those requirements come both from the tyre manufacturers and from society in general.
“The new model gives us a completely different opportunity to work actively to increase the benefit to society and at the same time reduce the impact on the environment”, says Fredrik Ardefors, CEO.
18 months ago, SDAB launched its White Paper on Sustainability, which is largely based on the idea of extending the life of a material in new ways and thereby reducing the load on the planet that new extraction of material entails.
In the spring of 2021, the next step was taken with the connection of tyre recycling to the impact on ecosystems.
The models, principles and knowledge about how recycled tyres can help reduce society’s overdrafts of natural resources presented in the White Paper are the starting point for the business’s future sustainability work, where safety in the use of the material remains the guiding light, regardless of function, health or environment , continued Ardefors. SDAB has worked with the planning for just over two years and has begun contracting with partners for handling and recycling of the approximately 90,000 tons of tyres that are used annually in Sweden.
During the autumn of 2021, the location of the new national recycling facility will be announced, where just over half of the volume will be processed.
Sweden was the first in the world with producer responsibility for tyres and now it is taking the next step by establishing a world-leading organisation for tyre recycling, including processes for sorting, recycling, IT support etc. Through active collaborations in the value chain, the use of recycled material will reduce the need for today’s exports and incineration, concluded Ardefors. SDAB will inform affected importers and workshops and others in good time before the change takes place.