Tire manufacturers are transforming waste into revenue streams by rethinking excess materials as fresh business opportunities.
ePro’s strategic partnerships lead, Tobias Van Gool, helps manufacturers see waste as untapped potential rather than a liability.
The company employs AI to identify innovative uses for tire waste, such as playground surfacing and construction materials.
Creating second life options for waste converts waste streams into revenue streams.
Tire manufacturers are maximizing profits by minimizing waste through creative solutions that transform excess materials into new revenue streams.
Tobias Van Gool leads strategic partnerships at ePro, turning industrial waste into commercial opportunity. We spoke to Van Gool about how tire manufacturers can rethink waste, transforming a burden into a business advantage.
Opportunity knocks: “Creating second life options for waste converts waste streams into revenue streams,” he says. By reframing waste as opportunity—not just something to be disposed of—ePro helps manufacturers turn scrap into valuable commercial inputs.
Shifting the mindset—from managing waste to monetizing it—requires a different kind of partnership. Where manufacturers typically see excess as liability, Van Gool sees untapped potential.
Simple equals effective: As with all aspects of business, more vendors mean complexity and more risk. From missed pickups to communication lapses, splitting up waste removal can hamper logistics. “When you increase the number of suppliers,” says Van Gool, “you also increase the chances of things going wrong.”
ePro changes that. “The difference in ePro is that when dealing with tire manufacturers, we take everything. Usually companies only remove one material, forcing manufacturers to deal with many, many suppliers.” A full-spectrum partner eliminates that noise and creates space for smarter reuse, long-term planning, and a more streamlined process.
AI is a strategic ally. Especially when uncovering solutions and breakthrough technologies by revealing powerful new applications for overlooked waste streams.
Creativity through AI: “AI is a strategic ally,” says Van Gool. “Especially when uncovering solutions and breakthrough technologies by revealing powerful new applications for overlooked waste streams.” AI helps spot neglected possibilities, from rubber granules in playground surfacing to second-life materials in construction and roadworks. “It gives you the quickest access to new opportunities,” Van Gool explains.
Leveraging AI for exploration rather than automation, Van Gool uncovers creative paths to profitability. “It gives me constant new angles to explore, new openings to uncover untapped opportunities.”
Burning profit: On paper, 79% of tire waste is recycled—but that number hides the truth. “The 79% is being burned,” says Van Gool. “It’s not a very ecological process.”
That leaves 21% as unrealized value—and a major opportunity. “The challenge is to uncover how to ecologically turn that 21% into a revenue stream that can then be applied to optimize the 79%.” For manufacturers, that means rethinking waste not as an output, but as a resource waiting for a better use.
