Tire Recycling

When a tire has finished its time on the road, it’s not the end; it’s the start of a new beginning.

Rethinking End of Life for Tires

More than 200 million tires are discarded annually in the U.S., many of which go to less-desired outcomes such as landfills.

With growing vehicle demand, this challenge is only expected to increase, making tire recycling more important than ever.

We see tremendous opportunity in end-of-life tires (ELT) and work to use ELTs to their fullest potential. By recycling tires, we can divert them from landfills and help build a more circular tire lifecycle.

Retail Recycling in Action

Bridgestone’s U.S. retail stores recycle 100% of the spent tires removed from vehicles. Starting in 2017—as part of the Bridgestone Retail Operations network—Firestone Complete Auto Care, Tires Plus and Wheel Works locations in the U.S. recover more than 10 million ELTs annually. With the help of recycling partners, we are able to use the scrap tires for material in rubberized asphalt, construction resources, and tire-derived fuel—diverting the waste from landfills. Our company-owned retail stores also accept and recycle used oil and automotive batteries.

REIMAGINING END-OF-LIFE TIRES THROUGH COLLABORATION

Bridgestone and Penske have long been focused on extending the life of tires through retreading, and we have expanded our work together to give ELTs a second life through recycling. In 2024, together with a major tire dealer and rubber circularity company, we launched an effort to identify opportunities to increase recycling from tire dealer locations that were mainly sending collected tires to landfill. By helping implement these opportunities, we are ensuring these ELTs are recycled and transformed into valuable resources such as sports surfaces, flooring and other rubber products.

By focusing on new locations, new end-markets and more tire categories, we aim to grow our impact even further. We’re applying the learnings from this pilot and continuing to look for ways to expand this work across the U.S. and move more ELTs into their best uses.

Innovation Beyond the Finish Line

Every INDYCAR season, tens of thousands of tires hit the track, creating countless possibilities for smarter tire maintenance and responsible disposal. We embed sustainability efforts wherever we can in our racing work, from battery electric vehicle (BEV) tire shipping to INDYCAR tire recycling. Through these efforts, we know the race to reinvent the tire extends far beyond the finish line.

Since 2023, we’ve teamed up with Penske Truck Leasing and Indianapolis Motor Speedway to transport race tires for the Indianapolis 500 in May using all-electric Freightliner eCascadia trucks—cutting emissions while keeping performance moving. At the end of each season, every ELT from INDYCAR is sent to a facility where crumb rubber is recovered and repurposed for new applications including sport surfaces, flooring and other rubber products, extending the life and value of used tire material.

Motorsports is well-positioned for continued sustainability focused innovation, and we’ll keep evolving our tires and teams to deliver outstanding performance from the track to the street.

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