SUSTAINABILITY HUB
Exploring tyre recycling, sustainable innovation and the future of the global tyre industry.
Every year, Australia generates more than the equivalent of 56 million end-of-life tyres. This would be a combination of tyres coming off cars, utes and SUVs, trucks that move goods and services, busses that move people, agricultural tyres, forklift and industrial equipment and mining tyres.
Tyres are one of the most challenging waste streams in the world. A modern passenger tyre contains raw materials, including synthetic rubber, natural rubber, steel, textile fibres, carbon black, and chemical processing agents. That complexity is precisely what makes tyres so effective on the road, and so difficult to process at the end of their life. Unlike glass, paper, or even most plastics, tyres cannot simply be melted down and reformed. They require specialist processing, significant capital investment, and a functioning market for the materials that result.
Tyre sustainability is about far more than recycling. It encompasses how tyres are designed, manufactured, used, recovered and ultimately transformed into new products or materials. As governments tighten environmental regulations and manufacturers invest billions into sustainable technologies, the tyre industry is entering one of the most significant periods of change in its history.
The TreadTorque Sustainability Hub follows those changes from both an Australian and global perspective. We cover local recycling initiatives, industry policy, processing technologies, manufacturer sustainability programs, circular economy innovation and the emerging solutions that will influence the next generation of tyres.
Australian Tyre Recycling
Learn how Australia’s tyre recycling system works, from collection and processing to crumb rubber, tyre-derived fuel, legislation and the challenges facing the local industry.
Explore Australian Tyre Recycling →
Global Sustainability
Explore the innovations shaping the future of the tyre industry, including sustainable materials, circular manufacturing, chemical recycling and environmental initiatives from the world’s leading tyre manufacturers.
Explore Global Tyre Sustainability →What happens to old tyres in Australia?
Every year, Australia generates more than the equivalent of 56 million end-of-life tyres (EPU). Once collected by a tyre retailer or fleet operator, tyres may be processed into crumb rubber, tyre-derived fuel (TDF), civil engineering products or other recycled materials. The exact outcome depends on local recycling infrastructure, market demand and government policy. Our Australian Tyre Recycling section explains how the system works and where improvements are still needed.
What is an EPU in tyre recycling?
EPU stands for Equivalent Passenger Unit. It is the standard measurement used by Tyre Stewardship Australia (TSA) to report the number of tyres entering Australia’s end-of-life tyre system.
Because tyres vary significantly in size and weight, counting individual tyres alone does not provide an accurate picture of the waste stream. Instead, different tyre categories are converted into EPUs using a weighting system based on their size. For example, a truck tyre represents multiple EPUs because it contains considerably more material than a standard passenger tyre.
Using EPUs provides a consistent way to measure tyre volumes across passenger vehicles, SUVs, light commercial vehicles, trucks, buses, agricultural machinery and earthmoving equipment. It allows industry, government and recyclers to accurately track tyre generation, recovery rates and recycling performance across Australia.
Why is tyre recycling important?
Tyres are engineered to be extremely durable, which also makes them difficult to dispose of responsibly. Recycling helps reduce landfill, prevent illegal dumping, recover valuable materials and support new applications such as road construction, playground surfaces and civil engineering projects. It also reduces demand for virgin raw materials and supports broader sustainability goals.
What is the future of tyre sustainability?
The tyre industry is investing heavily in renewable materials, recycled content, chemical recycling, circular manufacturing and lower-carbon production methods. Many of the world’s leading manufacturers have set ambitious sustainability targets for 2030 and beyond, while governments in Europe are introducing policies that encourage greater resource recovery and environmental responsibility.
