What Kargro Recycling does

Kargro Recycling is a Netherlands-based end-of-life truck tyre (ELT) recycling company that converts used commercial vehicle tyres into four secondary raw material streams: rubber powders (0.0–0.8 mm grades), rubber granulates (0.8–7.0 mm grades), reclaimed steel, and recycled textile fibres, with shreds as an intermediate product. The company's core technology is an ambient mechanical shredding and granulation process — no chemical treatment — that separates tyre components at ambient temperature, executed on two up-to-date recycling lines at its single facility in Nederweert, Limburg, with a stated annual capacity of 35,000 tons. The firm claims to be the world's first tyre recycling company, founded in 1982, and sells its outputs globally to industrial buyers including steel foundries, friction material manufacturers, tyre compound producers, asphalt and roofing producers, and construction material manufacturers across more than 30 countries.

The company operates a B2B direct sales model with a small in-house sales team (Technical Sales Manager, Sales Support, Operations Manager, Logistic Manager) and ships product in 1,000 kg, 500 kg, and 25 kg PE bag formats. Pricing is contact-based with no public list prices. Kargro Recycling is part of the Kargro Group, a Dutch conglomerate of four operating companies covering commercial vehicle tyre processing, passenger car tyre management, ELT material recovery, and retreaded truck tyre production, which provides internal feedstock supply. The company holds ISO 9001 certification (Bureau Veritas) and is a member of ZARE (a network of 18 certified ELT disposal companies) and Recycling Europe (formerly EuRIC). Ownership appears family-controlled with no disclosed external equity investment, funding rounds, or institutional investors, consistent with a self-financed, bootstrapped industrial operator.

Name

Kargro Recycling

Legal name

Kargro Recycling

Website

https://kargrorecycling.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Kargro Recycling is a Netherlands-based industrial recycler that processes 35,000 tons of end-of-life truck tyres annually into rubber powders, rubber granulates, reclaimed steel, and recycled textile fibres for sale to industrial buyers across more than 30 countries. Founded in 1982, it operates as part of the Kargro Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recycled Raw Materials

NAICS

Rubber Product Manufacturing (3262), Other Rubber Product Manufacturing (32629)

SIC

Fabricated Rubber Products, Nec (3060)

akta.pro primary industry

Tire Recycling & Processing (Shredding, TDF, Pyrolysis Feedstock) (IMANAMAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rubber Recycling (Crumb Rubber, Devulcanization) (IMANAMAE), Tire Recycling, Disposal & Sustainability Services (TLAKADAI)

Keywords

• Tire recycling services
• Recycled rubber granulates
• Recycled rubber powders
• Secondary raw materials
• End-of-life tire processing

Headquarters

HQ city

Nederweert

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Secondary Raw Material Sales: Kargro Recycling generates revenue by selling high-grade secondary raw materials produced from end-of-life truck tyres, including rubber powders, rubber granulates, reclaimed steel, and textile fibers to industrial manufacturers worldwide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kargro Recycling operates two truck-tire recycling lines in Nederweert, the Netherlands, mechanically shredding and granulating end-of-life truck tires at ambient temperature into high-grade secondary raw materials. Its sellable outputs are rubber powders (sizes 0.0–0.5 mm, 0.0–0.8 mm, 0.4–0.8 mm), rubber granulates (sizes 0.8–2.0 mm, 2.0–5.0 mm, 2.0–6.0 mm, 2.0–7.0 mm), reclaimed steel for steel mills, recycled textile fibers for insulation and construction, and intermediate tire shreds, supplied to industrial customers worldwide in big bags or 25 kg PE bags.

Product overview

Kargro Recycling is the world's first tyre recycling company, founded in 1982, specializing in the production of high-grade secondary raw materials from end-of-life truck tyres. The company operates two up-to-date recycling lines in Nederweert, the Netherlands, processing 35,000 tons of truck tyres annually with over 30 years of experience. The product portfolio comprises five core offerings: Powders (rubber powders in three sizes for friction, asphalt, roofing applications), Granulate (rubber granulates in four sizes for tires, flooring, athletic tracks, playgrounds), Steel (reclaimed iron for steel mills), Textile (recycled fibers for insulation, building materials, automotive), and Shreds (intermediate product). The ambient production process mechanically shreds and granulates tires into these high-value secondary raw materials used worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Powders (Rubber Powders) High-quality ambient rubber powders produced from end-of-life truck tires, available in three granule sizes: 0.0-0.5 mm (Rumal 0005), 0.0-0.8 mm (Rumal 0008), and 0.4-0.8 mm (Rumal 0408). Used in friction materials, asphalt, roofing, backings, and rubber moulding applications.
• Granulate (Rubber Granulates) High-quality ambient rubber granulates produced via mechanical shredding and granulation of end-of-life truck tires, available in four granule sizes: 0.8-2.0 mm (Rumal 0820), 2.0-5.0 mm (Rumal 2050), 2.0-6.0 mm (Rumal 2060), and 2.0-7.0 mm (Rumal 2070). Used in tires, infill, rubber compounds, flooring, isolation, athletic tracks, E-layer, underlayment, rubber tiles, and playgrounds.
• Steel Reclaimed iron extracted from end-of-life truck tires using advanced separation technology, yielding extremely pure steel suited for remelting in steel foundries to manufacture new, high-quality steel products.
• Textile Textile fibers separated from end-of-life truck and passenger car tires. Truck textile applications include insulation materials, building materials, and new textile products. Passenger car textile applications include functional textiles for sportswear, insulation products, automotive interiors, consumer products, and composite materials.
• Shreds Processed tire shreds produced from end-of-life truck tires as an intermediate product before further separation into steel, rubber granulate, and rubber powder.

Quantifiable outcome

• 35,000 tons of truck tyres processed annually
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Recycling Europe (formerly EuRIC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2025European recycling industry association that changed its name from EuRIC to Recycling Europe as of September 30, 2025. Kargro Recycling is a partner within the European recycling sector, supporting the importance of a united voice towards policymakers, industry, and society for recycling as a strategic pillar in the circular economy.
• RecyBEM | Tire and EnvironmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025RecyBEM is the tire and environment organization that leads the UPTYRE project. Kargro Recycling participates in this project, processing unused summer tires into granulate to serve as reference material for research into devulcanization - recycling techniques that break down sulfur bonds in rubber.
• ZAREcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015ZARE is a network of 18 certified companies dedicated to professional and environmentally responsible disposal of used tires. Kargro is a key partner in promoting quality, transparency, and sustainability in the tire industry. The organization celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2025.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Emanuel Tire: US-based tire recycler producing crumb rubber, steel, and fiber from end-of-life passenger and truck tires — comparable product portfolio serving rubber, steel, and textile downstream markets.
• Genan: Genan is one of Europe's largest end-of-life tire recyclers, processing truck, passenger, and OTR tires into rubber granulate, powder, and steel using mechanical processing — directly comparable to Kargro's core activity.
• TDH Recycling (Theo Derksen): Netherlands-based end-of-life tire recycler producing rubber granulate, steel, and textile fractions — a direct Dutch competitor using similar mechanical processing routes.
• ELASTO: Dutch producer of recycled rubber granulates and products from end-of-life tires, serving sports surfaces, construction, and industrial markets — directly comparable in product mix and geography.
• Lehigh Technologies (Michelin): Lehigh Technologies (now owned by Michelin) produces micronized rubber powders from end-of-life tires for tire, asphalt, and industrial applications — a direct overlap with Kargro's rubber powder product line.
• Rubber Recycling Ltd: UK-based end-of-life tire processor producing rubber granulates and powders for sports, construction, and industrial uses — directly comparable product mix in a different geography.

Others

• RecyBEM: Dutch tire and environment organization coordinating industry-wide ELT collection and research initiatives — a strategic partner and ecosystem coordinator rather than a processing competitor.

Emerging players

• Pyrum Innovations: German pyrolysis-based tire recycler producing oil, rCB, and recovered steel — represents the alternative thermal recovery route competing with Kargro's ambient mechanical process.
• Ecolomondo: Canadian tire recycler using pyrolysis to recover oil, carbon black, and steel from ELTs — competes for the same end-of-life tire feedstock but uses a different (thermal) processing route.
• Black Bear Carbon: Netherlands-based producer of recovered carbon black (rCB) from end-of-life tires using a thermal process — competes for the same feedstock and adjacent downstream rubber/industrial customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kargro Recycling