JP Ver.

Kiyosu, Japan, August 3, 2026: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. has been collecting rubber waste for recycling at the company’s own production lines for several years, and has now begun collecting this waste at a Group company as well to accelerate the recycling of rubber used in automobiles.

While the recycling of resources from metal and plastic parts continues to progress, rubber recycling involves a higher level of difficulty. Because of this, rubber is generally disposed of by incineration (thermal use). To increase the recycling of rubber, Toyoda Gosei has sought to establish a system in which rubber is recovered from end-of-life vehicles and recycled through the use of the company’s own original technology¹ and collaboration with other companies.

The company has been taking a stepwise approach to achieve this goal, continuously evolving its recycling technology since the 1990s. In FY2021, it established a recycling line at its Morimachi Plant. It then acquired International Sustainability and Carbon Certification PLUS (ISCC PLUS) in FY2023,² and doubled its recycling capacity in FY2024. By raising the quality of recycled material through process improvements, the company has increased the proportion of recycled material that can be used in automotive parts from less than 5% to 20%.

This expansion of rubber waste collection to a Toyoda Gosei Group company plant in East Japan (Toyoda Gosei East Japan Co., Ltd.’s Miyagi Kurihara Plant) marks the first time waste materials from outside Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. are being used in recycling. Mechanisms for this have been put in place, including efficient logistics (transport route, packing and other aspects), methods for trading waste materials, and quality requirements for the waste materials accepted. In this way, Toyoda Gosei has laid the foundation for the collection of rubber waste from multiple locations and enterprises at the company’s Morimachi Plant to expand rubber recycling in the future.

Going forward, Toyoda Gosei plans to spread the collection of rubber waste to other Group companies and outside companies to accelerate its efforts toward establishing a circular system.

Steps in expanding rubber recycling

Reference: Challenges in the automotive industry