Circular Rubber Platform
Rubber is an extremely versatile material, used in almost all the products we see around us: from shoes to flip-flops and from aeroplanes to electric bicycles. However, the fossil carbon content of rubber is high due to petroleum-based feedstocks and the difficulty of recycling rubber products at the end of their life.
The Circular Rubber Platform is a global knowledge network on rubber circularity that inspires product developers, engineers and academics with:
– Renewable raw materials,
– Raw materials recovered from rubber or other sources
– and high-quality rubber recycling.
It was founded in October 2023 by Jan Boomsma and Enrico Koggel, both rubber product engineers, who wanted to develop technical rubber products with a lower carbon footprint. With no in-depth knowledge of compounding, they began extensive research into rubber recycling, alternative renewable raw materials and the use of recovered raw materials in new products. After 3 months they realised that this was a huge task and that they needed to create a community to increase the impact of the platform. It now has members from 41 companies, 3 universities and 88 individuals (April 2024).
The Circular Rubber Platform is a member-based community, meaning that individuals, companies and universities can join to collaborate, receive regular updates on new materials and technologies, and network with this diverse, global network of specialists. With regular Member Meet-Ups, it inspires members with what is already possible and motivates companies to rethink their material usage and rubber scrap or waste.
Companies joined the platform to showcase their contribution to a circular rubber economy, receive advice on rubber circularity and participate in consortia. Universities have joined to collaborate on research projects and to better connect with industry.