L4T Group extends tyre recycling remit to USA

Ireland-based end-of-life-tyre recycling company Life for Tyres Group (L4T Group) is establishing its first processing facility in the USA. Government agency Louisiana Economic Development shares that L4T Group will set up shop at the Port of South Louisiana, investing US$46 million to build a plant on a 10-acre (4-hectare) site.

The proposed L4T Louisiana LLC recycling and manufacturing plant will convert end-of-life tyres into high-quality sustainable commodities such as advanced biofuel feedstock, recovered carbon black and scrap steel. L4T expects that the project will lead to 46 direct new jobs and Louisiana Economic Development estimates the creation of a further 151 indirect jobs.

Competitive incentives package

“We are very excited about expanding our operations in the US in the state of Louisiana and being part of its energy transition,” says Tilen Milicevic, chief executive officer of L4T. “A strong industrial ecosystem, the availability of qualified personnel and suppliers, excellent connectivity, abundance of feedstock and proximity of our final clients are just a few of the many reasons why L4T Group, following a thorough market study, decided for Louisiana to be home to our first investment in the US We are looking forward to a long and fruitful partnership with the Port of South Louisiana and to being good corporate citizens for the state of Louisiana.”

To secure the project, the state of Louisiana offered L4T Group a “competitive incentives package” that includes the workforce development solutions of LED FastStart as well as a performance-based grant of $1 million to reimburse company expenditures for site improvements. Louisiana Economic Development also anticipates that the company will participate in Louisiana’s Industrial Tax Exemption and Quality Jobs programs.

8 facilities by 2026

L4T’s facility in the USA is part of a broader global expansion plan. The company invested 33 million euros to establish a plant in Puertollano, Spain capable of processing 27,000 tonnes of waste tyres annually. This facility opened in April 2023, and L4T intends to operate at least eight facilities worldwide by 2026. The company has already begun preliminary work on a second plant in Spain, which will be located in Guardo, as well as a facility in Yaguachi Nuevo, Ecuador. L4T is also looking at sites in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.