Michelin and Murfitts Industries have announced a joint initiative to build a tyre recycling plant at Michelin’s Stoke-on-Trent factory, aimed at recovering energy and materials from end-of-life tyres. The proposed facility, using Murfitts’ pyrolysis technology, is expected to cut CO2 emissions from the factory by 1,500 tonnes per year.
Under the new plan, Murfitts will establish a dedicated tyre reprocessing facility on Michelin’s Campbell Road site. The facility will process around 12,500 tonnes of tyres annually—equivalent to approximately 1.35 million passenger tyres. The resulting energy and steam will be used directly by Michelin’s retreading operations, replacing fossil fuels and supporting circular manufacturing.
The project also aims to recover key materials: recovered carbon black (rCB) and tyre pyrolysis oil (TPO). These can be reused in new tyre production and other industrial applications, reducing dependency on virgin raw materials.
Murfitts has filed a planning application and committed approximately £14 million to the Stoke facility, which is expected to be operational by the end of 2026. Around 16 to 18 full-time jobs are anticipated to be created once the plant is live.
The pyrolysis process involves breaking down tyres in an oxygen-free environment. This enables the recovery of valuable compounds with minimal emissions. The site’s output will be sufficient to reprocess a pair of tyres for every car currently registered in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.
Michelin’s participation in the project reflects its broader commitment to sustainability in the tyre and rubber industry. The company views the initiative as a step toward reducing environmental impact while improving competitiveness.
Murfitts, which processes around 20 million tyres a year across the UK, has been refining its pyrolysis techniques to maximise material recovery. According to founder Mark Murfitt, the new facility will allow the reintroduction of recycled materials directly into the tyre manufacturing supply chain.
This project represents a tangible move toward a circular economy model for tyres. By integrating pyrolysis at the manufacturing site, Michelin and Murfitts demonstrate how legacy factories can adopt sustainable processes without outsourcing waste. As pyrolysis technology matures, such initiatives could become standard practice for reducing emissions and raw material use across the tyre sector.
Tagged with: Michelin, Murfitts Industries, pyrolysis, recovered carbon black, TPO, tyre recycling, Stoke-on-Trent, circular economy, tyre reprocessing
Editorial Standards & Disclaimer
Tyre News Media is an independent industry publication. Our reporting is based on information available at the time of publication, including company announcements, regulatory filings, official data, research and other sources considered reliable.
Articles may include independent analysis and editorial interpretation. Where appropriate, company statements and third-party claims are attributed to their source. Analysis, estimates and forward-looking observations should not be read as statements of established fact.
Tyre News Media takes reasonable steps to ensure accuracy but welcomes corrections, clarifications and responses from organisations or individuals covered in our reporting. If you believe information is inaccurate or requires clarification, please contact info@tyrenews.co.uk. Material errors will be corrected as appropriate.
Commercial relationships, advertising and sponsorship do not determine Tyre News Media's editorial coverage or conclusions.
.png)
_0%20(1).png)
.jpeg)
