Wastefront announces $43 million investment partnership with VTTI

Norwegian tyre recycler Wastefront is cooperating with energy storage infrastructure provider VTTI in a partnership that will bring with it investment of up to $43 million and an agreement to reach a final investment decision for eight global sites within a five-year period.

The partnership between Wastefront and VTTI will take two initial forms: firstly, the $43 million investment in Wastefront for the construction of the first phase of Wastefront’s plant in Sunderland. Secondly, site selection surveys to be conducted to determine eight jointly owned VTTI-Wastefront plants at which Wastefront’s solution will be implemented, and which will be operated by VTTI.

Since its founding, Wastefront has developed a Blueprint to solve the disposal of an estimated 31 million metric tonnes of End-of-Life-Tyres (ELT) annually, representing a major environmental issue. Wastefront reports that its solution offers “circularity, and the possibility to chemically recycle ELTs into valuable products”.

The strategic partnership with VTTI marks the first time the Wastefront Blueprint is being licensed for global deployment. The Wastefront Blueprint will be implemented at Wastefront’s first plant in the Northeast of England, at the Port of Sunderland, which is starting construction this year and is foreseen to be fully operational in 2026.

Wastefront uses pyrolysis’ to break down a tyre’s materials at elevated temperatures. The recovered carbon black is then washed and milled to upgrade the chemical properties and used as a reinforcement for natural rubber in tyre production, mechanical rubber goods, or as a filler for plastics, under precise formulations defined with customers.

Vianney Vales, Wastefront CEO, commented: “Our mission to create a Green Global Industrial Platform to solve the end-of-life tyre problem, requires buy-in from major industrial companies. VTTI is a leading infrastructure company with a clear mission to grow in the energy transition and I am delighted to announce our partnership. This is the first time that our Wastefront Blueprint solution for circularity will be licensed on a global stage. VTTI has opted to go a step further and not just deploy our solution but also invest in Wastefront and in future plants. The investment will immediately enable us to scale our work at the Port of Sunderland, and to grow our market reach with the development of eight plants at VTTI sites worldwide.”

Guy Moeyens, VTTI CEO, adds: “We are pleased to enter into a strategic partnership with Wastefront on this exciting journey to jointly develop tyre recycling plants at our locations around the globe. We are looking forward to working together with Wastefront in making this important contribution to the circular economy. Wastefront is a complementary partner of VTTI that brings in a fully developed and technologically proven tyre recycling offering, an experienced team, an extensive network in feedstock markets and recognition from tyre manufacturers. Our combined efforts will be able to turn a current large and growing global waste problem into products like pyrolysis oil and recovered carbon black, which are highly sought after in the ongoing energy transition.”

Wastefront has previously signed agreements such as a 10-year offtake agreement for pyrolysis oil and certain non-liquid products with Vitol in 2020; and in 2022 with French engineering and technology company Technip Energies, as its partner for the FEED (Front End Engineering Design) and for the EPCM (Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management) of the Sunderland plant buildout. In May this year, Wastefront signed an agreement with one of Europe’s largest distributors of products for the rubber industry, Weber & Schaer, for their recovered carbon black.