Within sight of the Bundestag, the Alliance for the Future of Tires (AZuR) made a powerful statement this morning for the circular tire economy – for practical sustainability, for our environment, and for our future. Under the motto "I am a circular runner," a rally began at 11:00 a.m. at the corner of Ebertstraße and Straße des 17. Juni – directly at the Brandenburg Gate, a symbol of German history and future.
AZuR network coordinator Christina Guth, who personally manages the campaign stand, emphasizes: "We want to show politicians and the public the enormous potential of the tire recycling economy – for climate protection, resource conservation, and sustainable business in Germany and Europe."
Together with its network partners ZARE, NEW LIFE and RUNDERNEUERT, Allianz Zukunft Reifen will vividly demonstrate to visitors how new value is created from used tires: through repair, retreading, reprofiling and mechanical or chemical recycling.
What many people don't know: In Germany, around 47 million old tires are generated every year – that's equivalent to 504.000 tons of rubber. If they were laid side by side, they would cover a distance of over 31.000 kilometers, almost a circumnavigation of the world. An enormous raw material potential that, so far, remains too often untapped.
AZuR and its more than 90 partners from industry, science, and trade are working to change this. Today, around 47,6 percent of the annually generated used tires (and their raw materials) in Germany are already being recycled by AZuR partners – significantly more than the global circular economy rate of just 7,2 percent.
The tire recycling industry avoids over 250.000 tons of waste per year in Germany alone, contributes to reducing CO2-Emissions by tens of thousands of tons, conserves limited natural resources, saves energy and reduces Germany's dependence on raw material imports.
At the same time, the medium-sized companies in the tire recycling industry with short regional supply chains contribute to increasing the regional economic power and creating and securing jobs in Berlin and the federal states.
Today's Berlin campaign aims to demonstrate that the circular tire economy is more than a technical solution—it's an example of sustainability, innovation, and responsibility in action. "We are circular economy leaders—and we are demonstrating that sustainable management has long been a reality in Germany," emphasizes AZuR network coordinator Anna-Maria Guth. "Our goal is clear: to keep 100 percent of tires in the circular economy."
