After years of dedicated efforts, China's annual output of reclaimed rubber has reached 1.45 million tons, making it the world's top producer in this sector. While this achievement is celebrated, it comes with a growing concern: the improper use of waste rubber in China has led to resource wastage and environmental pollution, undermining the potential of a sustainable recycling economy.
According to the China Rubber Industry Association, the utilization of waste rubber has been steadily increasing. By 2005, the country had already produced 1.45 million tons of reclaimed rubber from waste materials, with a resource utilization rate exceeding 60%. Despite this progress, there remains a significant gap compared to developed nations like the U.S. and Japan, where waste rubber is not only retreaded but also used for producing rubber powder for construction and thermal energy recovery. In China, however, reclaiming rubber remains the primary method of waste rubber utilization.
One of the main issues is the low re-use rate of waste rubber. Industry experts point out that China’s tire retreading technology is still underdeveloped, leading many tires to be processed into reclaimed rubber or rubber powder instead of being retreaded. Some are even discarded or used in unregulated ways, such as in earth refining, causing both resource loss and environmental damage.
The comprehensive utilization of waste rubber is considered an important indicator of a nation’s economic and environmental progress. It includes thermal energy recovery, original use, and recycling. In China, this process is closely tied to the promotion of environmental protection and circular economy principles. However, given the current economic level, reclaimed rubber will continue to dominate the industry for the foreseeable future.
To improve efficiency, China should accelerate the development of rubber powder technology, promote its moderate use, and focus on deep processing. The goal is to raise the overall utilization rate of waste rubber to over 80% by 2010.
In recent years, China has become the world’s largest consumer of rubber, accounting for more than 20% of global consumption. Yet, domestic rubber resources make up only about 10% of the world’s total. Each year, the country imports over 1.2 million tons of natural rubber and 600,000 tons of synthetic rubber. Therefore, enhancing the comprehensive utilization of waste rubber has become a critical task for the industry as it moves toward a more sustainable and circular economy.
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