US-based Bolder Industries, a specialist in converting end-of-life tires into sustainable industrial products, and Continental Carbon Company have entered a co-marketing agreement to commercialize breakthrough sustainable products for the global rubber and plastics industry.
Following five years of research and development with BolderBlack, Bolder’s flagship carbon black alternative, and over 300 product validations in rubber and plastics applications, Bolder and CCC have agreed to jointly supply the rubber and plastics industry with a commercially available sustainable blend of CCC’s carbon black grades and BolderBlack Inside virgin grades, including N550, N650, N660, N762, and N774.
BolderBlack is produced from 100% post-consumer or post-industrial tires and rubber scrap and is the world’s most sustainable replacement for traditional carbon black, a key material used globally in rubber tire production.
Bolder has recently released a study that demonstrates that its blend of N762 at 20% recycled material does not have any physical properties variation beyond industry accepted measurement tolerance. A 3% blend of recycled material used across the 27 billion-pound (12.2 billion-kilogram) global carbon black market would result in a reduction of 3,000,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions, nine billion gallons of water saved, a reduction of one billion kilowatt-hours of electricity used, and the diversion of 120 million tires from landfills.
“We have always believed in partnering with the traditional carbon black manufacturers to support the end customer. We can now provide a unique solution to tire companies, industrial rubber goods and plastics manufacturers at a large scale,” remarked Tony Wibbeler, founder and CEO of Bolder Industries.
CCC president Dennis Hetu added, “We have been impressed by the quality, consistency and manufacturing prowess of Bolder Industries and strongly believe this is an important step toward a more profitable and sustainable future for the rubber and plastics industry. This strategic partnership allows us to offer soft-grade blends into a marketplace that desperately needs to provide a closed-loop solution.”
Bolder and CCC have also announced a collective project to create an ASTM-grade sustainable black at Bolder’s Bledsoe Innovation Center to impact rubber and plastics sustainability further, and invite collaborators to join in this global opportunity.
