Michelin announced the slotxo construction of its first tire recycling plant. The plant is located near the Chilean city of Antofagasta and is likely to be able to recycle around 30,000 tonnes of car tires annually.On this occasion, Michelin partnered with Sweden's Enviro, which has developed a patented technology to recover carbon black, oil, iron and gas from used tires. The long-term goal is to recycle each tire at the end of its useful life.

In theory, the first new tire recycling plant should be able to recycle tires 100% with this innovative process. Scrap rubber will be transported to the factory for cutting and recycling. According to the current plan, 90% of the recovered material is expected to be recycled in a wide variety of rubber products, among others, with the remaining 10% being recycled to generate heat and power at the plant.

This future tire recycling plant is part of Michelin's drive to use the most sustainable materials in tire production. The plant aims to begin processing car tires since 2023, recycling 30,000 tons of tires annually, or nearly 60% of the civil engineering tires discarded each year in the country. Other plants are expected to follow.