Tyre recycler Prism Worldwide, which uses end-of-life tyres in its thermoplastics elastomers (TPEs), and Sherwood Industries, a family-owned sheet extruder of thermoplastics, have announced a partnership to introduce Prism’s TPEs into extruded TPE sheets.
Extruded TPE rubber sheets are widely used across multiple industries, including automotive, where they serve as materials for bin mats, mud flaps, and wheel well protectors. They are also used in household products, appliances, toys, and other everyday items such as tread grips, sporting goods, and tool drawer liners.
Since initiating their collaboration in April 2024, the US companies have conducted a series of test production runs and successfully developed extruded TPE sheets for pilot customers.
For this phase, Sherwood incorporated Prism’s Ancora polymer, a TPE made with a high percentage of recycled materials derived from end-of-life tyres, into its manufacturing formula.
The official partnership is the result of multiple successful test runs that have consistently produced reliable, high-quality, and highly sustainable sheet stock, the companies say.
“The demand for more sustainable materials led us to seek partners who could help drive our transition,” said Bob Russin, President, Sherwood Industries. “Prism’s method of compounding old consumer tyres into superior quality, engineered TPE material designed for our process has proven to significantly enhance our ability to produce sustainable materials for our customers.”
Testing conducted by Sherwood determined that sheets made with Prism’s TPE match the durability and performance properties of virgin materials while containing a high percentage of recycled content.
In 2024, Sherwood produced more than 7.5 million sq ft of extruded rubber sheets across four production lines. Following positive customer feedback and successful trial runs, the company is now prepared for immediate commercialisation and scaling. In anticipation of increased demand, Sherwood has acquired a new extruder exclusively for producing sustainable rubber sheets containing Prism’s TPEs.
“The significant emerging and unmet demand for more sustainable rubber products has been met with few solutions to meet that demand,” said Bob Abramowitz, CEO, Prism Worldwide.
“The vast array of applications for Sherwood’s extruded rubber sheet material allows us to work together to introduce a reliably high-quality TPE to a broad range of industries. Our process of engineering sustainable polymers using end-of-life rubber tyres provides a high-tech answer for a material that was formerly relegated to low-tech applications, such as being glued into mats or being shredded for use on playgrounds and ball fields. In the process, we’re also helping companies to meet their sustainability goals.”
Sherwood’s extruded rubber and urethane foam products are ISO 9001:2015 certified.