The colossal amount of waste generated in the tire manufacturing and rubber industries substantially contributes to the overarching problem of sustainable waste management. According to the Goldstein Market Intelligence Report, over 1.6 billion new tires are manufactured, and around 1 billion tires are discarded as waste every year. However, the recycling industry processes only 100 million tires each year. Conventionally, waste management companies eliminate excess waste through incineration, dumping, or exporting the accumulated waste. Such practices increase environmental footprint and impede the course of sustainable development. Given the stringent compliance towards environmental legislation, it has become imperative for industries to maintain transparency in the waste management supply chain.

DRI Rubber (with its headquarters in Waalwijk, the Netherlands) is an ISOcertified, fully REACH-compliant company, that delivers high-quality and eco-friendly rubber materials as an alternative to prime rubber compounds. To solve the problem of rubber waste stream management and downcycling of waste generated from the tire industry, DRI Rubber reprocesses and upcycles rubber waste streams to bring economic value to clients’ businesses. Since its humble beginnings as a family-owned business in 1948, DRI Rubber has been firmly focused on environmental-friendly products and services. DRI Rubber has evolved into a global leader in reprocessing rubber compounds and is a leading producer of fiber-reinforced rubber compounds

DRI Rubber (with its headquarters in Waalwijk, the Netherlands) is an ISOcertified, fully REACH-compliant company, that delivers high-quality and eco-friendly rubber materials as an alternative to prime rubber compounds. To solve the problem of rubber waste stream management and downcycling of waste generated from the tire industry, DRI Rubber reprocesses and upcycles rubber waste streams to bring economic value to clients’ businesses. Since its humble beginnings as a family-owned business in 1948, DRI Rubber has been firmly focused on environmental-friendly products and services.

DRI Rubber has evolved into a global leader in reprocessing rubber compounds and is a leading producer of fiber-reinforced rubber compounds

Following a zero-waste policy, the company accelerated the entire process of toll manufacturing and outsourcing, providing clients with efficient methods to save raw materials, time and capital. DRI Rubber’s expertise in generating high-quality recycled materials on a consistent and large scale, assures their suppliers about the company’s sustainable service in the future.

DRI Rubber has developed innovative reprocessing solutions to upcycle unvulcanized rubber waste into high-performance materials for various applications. The company processes and handles 50.000 metric tons of rubber materials per annum at their sites located in the USA and Europe. DRI Rubber’s operations consist of mechanical separation, size reduction, and mixing processes. Over the years, the company has introduced industry-changing solutions such as the FRC® (fiber reinforced compound) Preform, which cater to the needs of various other sectors. Multiple industries such as agriculture, automotive, rail and marine, and many more use DRI Rubber’s out-of-the-box alternatives for high-cost materials to manufacture their products. Recently, the company has started a division for rubber matting which will be manufactured using 100 percent upcycled materials. “The rubber matting division upcycles 30 percent of rejected tires, or ELT, which will be a welcome alternative to products manufactured from prime materials,” mentions Robert de Ruijter, CEO and owner of DRI Rubber.

With such expertise and innovative technologies, DRI Rubber has helped many clients overhaul their waste stream management process. The company is a major lifetime service partner of global tire players such as Goodyear, Continental, and Michelin. DRI Rubber also helps in upcycling rubber waste streams in a closed-loop system, enabling clients to reintroduce the materials into their rubber applications

As a way forward in the rubber and tire industry, DRI Rubber wants to increase its production footprint in the USA and Europe to serve international tire plants and customers even better. They aim to invest in long-term collaborations with partners who also put great value in eco-friendly and sustainable development.