Environmental impact
Recycling only makes sense if it delivers real results. On this page, we share the data and science behind Genan’s environmental performance – from carbon footprint and life cycle impact to how our products support circularity and resource efficiency.
Climate and environmental documentation
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the most modern and advanced scientific tool to describe environmental and climate-related impacts of a given choice for a product from cradle to grave. Whereas the waste hierarchy indicates some general recommendations, the LCA will provide detailed and very solid scientific documentation, quantifying the environmental and climate-related impacts of a certain choice.
LCA studies are widely used by politicians and environmentalists in order to provide the best possible information for environmental and tax legislation. Consequently, such detailed LCA studies must be in line with strict international standards in order to avoid “greenwashing” and manipulation by commercial or political interests.
Therefore, a set of ISO standards, ISO 14040 and ISO 14044, has been drawn up, securing a high level of scientific credibility. Applied in the EU are furthermore the principles of the ILCD (the International Reference Life Cycle Data System), with which an LCA study should comply.
Moreover, an LCA study should always be subject to a peer review by independent researchers.
Genan has invested considerably in providing such scientific LCA documentation – liaising with renowned, international institutes, FORCE in Denmark and IFEU in Germany, to prepare and compile these studies.
Environmental impact
Since 2009, four major LCA-studies have been finalised, comparing different options for disposal of end-of-life tyres. Three of these studies (one American, two European) compare the Genan concept of material recycling with co-incineration in cement kilns. The fourth study compares the Genan concept of material recycling with the use of end-of-life tyres as filling material, the so-called civil engineering applications. An executive summary of the most recent study from 2020 is available for download below.
All four studies show that compared with other options, the material recycling route offers significant benefits in all environmental and climate-related impact categories. Greenhouse gas savings are considerable, as the climate is spared 700 kg of CO₂-emissions per tonne of end-of-life tyres recycled instead of incinerated.
Environmental impact
The cradle-to-cradle approach is about avoiding waste by designing materials that can go back into production again – not just once, but repeatedly. At Genan, all recycled rubber comes from tyres, and the ambition is clear: to make rubber so consistent and high in quality that it can replace virgin rubber in new tyre compounds, one-to-one.
In reality, the vulcanisation process used in tyre manufacturing changes the rubber permanently. That means recycled rubber won’t fully match the properties of virgin rubber, but progress is being made.
Today, Genan’s fine micronised rubber powders are already used by the tyre industry to replace part of the virgin compound. Working closely with manufacturers, we’re helping move closer to a closed-loop system – turning clean, high-quality Genan rubber into a true circular solution.
Environmental impact
Genan transforms end-of-life tyres into high-quality Raw Materials from Recycling (RMR) including rubber, textile and steel. When these materials are used in place of virgin alternatives, the carbon footprint of your product is significantly reduced.
That’s the core of the circular economy: Using what we already have, instead of producing new. Materials that have served one purpose are given a second life – which means less extraction, less processing, and lower emissions.
To help you quantify your climate impact, Genan provides scientifically validated data from Life Cycle Assessments. Whether you’re preparing reports for customers, certifications or public tenders, we can deliver precise carbon figures linked to your actual use of Genan products.
Our cradle-to-gate carbon footprint report documents emissions across the full chain – from tyre collection to the point where recycled products leave our facilities. It is prepared by FORCE Technology, one of Europe’s most respected LCA institutes, and has been peer-reviewed and verified by Veritas HSE.
Ask your Genan contact for access. We’re here to help you document your environmental performance with clarity and confidence.
At Genan, we give used tyres a new life, creating unique and sustainable products – only imagination sets the limit! Have an idea or a request? Let’s make it happen.
