South Korea launches €30m tyre recycling R&D programme

South Korea’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment has launched a KRW48 billion (€30 million) research and development programme to advance tyre recycling technologies, aiming to boost the use of recovered carbon black (rCB) in new tyres. The initiative is part of a larger KRW73 billion national R&D push announced on 2 July to improve the circular use of waste tyres and discarded clothing through 2030. Currently, over 60% of South Korea’s end-of-life tyres (ELTs) are recycled into thermal products like solid recovered fuel, while only a small share is converted into rCB for new tyres due to durability constraints that limit rCB content to around 5% in new tyre compounds. The new programme will fund technologies to recover higher-quality rCB by pre-treating waste tyres before pyrolysis and developing tyre manufacturing processes capable of incorporating at least 15% rCB. The goal is to establish a circular utilisation system for waste tyres by producing higher-value recycled raw materials and commercialising products based on them. The project also aims to prepare Korean manufacturers for the EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which prioritises tyres and is set for adoption in the first half of 2027, with application from the second half of 2028. The four-year programme, running from 2026 to 2029, will be managed by the Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute on behalf of the ministry.