Wastefront has officially commenced construction on its £100m (US$127m) tire-to-fuel facility at the Port of Sunderland in the UK. The project marks a significant step in the UK’s push for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production, while delivering a major economic boost to the Northeast, and will create more than 100 local jobs. International Airlines Group (IAG) was the first European airline group to aim for 10% SAF use by 2030 and in January this year, announced an investment in Wastefront.
The facility’s first commercial phase will be starting up at the end of 2026, with the second phase launching a year later. Once fully operational, the plant will process 10 million end-of-life tires annually – making it the largest facility of its kind in Europe – converting them into tire-derived oil for refining into SAF and other sustainable fuels. With around 55 million tires reaching the end of their life per year in the UK, Wastefront’s fully circular process will address a pressing waste issue.
The Sunderland facility, the UK’s first fully circular tire-to-fuel plant, uses pyrolysis technology to convert end-of-life tires into tire-derived oil, which will be refined into SAF. Wastefront’s system is self-sustaining, recycling the gases generated during pyrolysis to power its operations. By 2030, Wastefront aims to operate four large-scale plants, collectively producing 128,000 metric tons of oil annually – enough to yield approximately 90,000 metric tons of SAF1.
The UK’s SAF mandate –introduced on January 1, 2025 – requires at least 10% of all jet fuel used in UK flights to come from sustainable feedstocks by 2030, rising to 22% by 2040. However, domestic SAF production remains significantly short of the target of 1.2 million tons needed by 2030.
“Wastefront is delivering an innovative project to focus on two key issues: tire waste and aviation emissions,” said Vianney Valès, CEO of Wastefront. “Our circular process not only prevents millions of tires from being discarded in landfills but also provides a scalable, cost-effective pathway for SAF production. This process will also reduce lifecycle emissions by more than 80% compared to fossil fuels. The Sunderland facility is just the beginning – we aim to expand rapidly to meet the growing demand for sustainable fuels.”
“Last year IAG powered 1.9% of our operations using SAF and we are pleased to support Wastefront’s pioneering work to turn waste tires into much-needed, domestically produced renewable fuel,” added Jonathon Counsell, IAG’s group sustainability officer. “To enable aviation to meet the UK’s new mandate and growing SAF demand, there needs to be even greater policy support so manufacturers and innovators like Wastefront can scale new technologies.”
With an estimated four billion tires currently sitting in landfills or stockpiles – a number projected to reach five billion by 2030 – Wastefront recognizes the global scale of tire waste and the rising demand for sustainable fuels, and is actively exploring opportunities in the USA, the Middle East, and Northern Europe. This expansion aligns with the tire pyrolysis market’s projected growth from US$110m in 2024 to US$340m by 2033, at a CAGR of 12.87%.
