Before the conference, we caught up with Anil Nandakumar, Marketing Head – Asia at Birla Carbon, to discuss the key themes of his upcoming presentation.
Q1. Your talk at Recovered Carbon Black Asia 2026 will dive into “Translating Sustainability into Scalable Commercial Value.” Why is it important for others in the industry to hear this message? Sustainability is no longer a standalone objective; it is increasingly becoming a business imperative. The challenge for our industry is not proving the environmental benefits of circular solutions, but demonstrating the lasting commercial value they create for customers and the broader value chain. We are at a critical inflection point where the focus must shift from lab-scale samples to true commercial-scale volumes for SCM and SCBs. This paper is a call to action for all major industry players to move beyond experimentation and accelerate adoption at commercial scale, unlocking significant sustainability and business benefits across the value chain. The companies that will succeed are those that can translate sustainability attributes into measurable benefits such as reduced carbon footprint, supply chain resilience, regulatory readiness, and stronger customer preference. The industry needs to move beyond discussing sustainability as a cost or compliance exercise and start positioning it as a driver of growth, innovation, and competitive advantage. That is what will ultimately enable circular materials to scale globally.
Q2. Can you give us an update on what's happening in your local market? What are the latest trends? Across Asia, we continue to see strong momentum around sustainability and circular economy initiatives, particularly within the automotive, tire, and industrial sectors. Customers are becoming more focused on understanding the environmental footprint of materials while maintaining performance, quality, and supply security. Several trends stand out:
Growing interest in circular and recycled material solutions.
Increased focus on lifecycle carbon reduction across supply chains.
Expansion of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and recycling-related regulations in several markets.
Greater collaboration between tire manufacturers, recyclers, material suppliers, and brand owners.
Rising attention on traceability, certification, and data transparency.
Importantly, the conversation is shifting from "Why should we use circular materials?" to "How can we scale them reliably and economically?" That is a significant step forward for the industry.
Q3. Which challenges and opportunities do you see for the recovered carbon black industry in your local market? The opportunity is substantial because recovered carbon black sits at the intersection of circularity, resource efficiency, and industrial decarbonization. As demand for sustainable materials grows, SCM can play an increasingly important role in helping manufacturers achieve their sustainability goals. However, several challenges remain:
Consistency of product quality and performance.
Scaling production while maintaining reliability.
Developing common standards and specifications.
Building customer confidence through application validation.
Establishing economically viable collection and recycling systems for end-of-life tires.
The opportunity lies in demonstrating that circular materials can perform consistently at industrial scale. Once that confidence is established, adoption can accelerate significantly across multiple applications.
Q4. Looking ahead, what do you think will be some exciting developments in recovered carbon black or tire pyrolysis soon? I believe the next phase of development will focus on upgrading the entire value chain rather than optimizing individual products in isolation. Some exciting developments include:
Improved pyrolysis technologies delivering more consistent output streams.
Advanced upgrading processes that enhance SCM performance.
Greater utilization of tire pyrolysis oil (TPO) as a circular feedstock in manufacturing SCBs
Stronger integration between tire manufacturers and recycling ecosystems.
Growing use of certification and traceability frameworks to validate circular content.
We are moving from a recycling industry toward a circular materials industry, and that evolution will unlock significant new opportunities.
Q5. What hurdles does the SCM/tire pyrolysis value chain need to tackle in the next few years? The industry's biggest hurdle is scaling quickly while maintaining credibility. To achieve that, the value chain needs to address:
Product consistency across suppliers and regions.
Commercial scalability and investment attractiveness.
Harmonized industry standards and testing methodologies.
Efficient collection and sorting of end-of-life tires.
Improved transparency and traceability.
Stronger regulatory alignment across markets.
Greater collaboration between all stakeholders rather than isolated development efforts.
The next few years will be critical because the market is moving from pilot projects and niche applications toward larger-scale industrial adoption. The winners will be those who can deliver consistency, reliability, and trust.
Q6. Are there any specific collaborations within or with the value chain that you're looking for? The circular economy cannot be built by any single participant. Success requires collaboration across the entire ecosystem. I am particularly interested in collaborations that bring together:
Tire manufacturers and Carbon Black Manufacturers driving sustainable solutions at scale.
Pyrolysis operators and material scientists.
Material suppliers and end-use customers.
Technology providers and industrial scale-up partners like us.
Certification bodies and sustainability organizations.
Policymakers and industry stakeholders.
The most impactful collaborations will be those that help accelerate market acceptance, improve material quality and consistency, and create transparent pathways for scaling circular materials. Ultimately, the goal is not simply to recycle more tires, but to create a truly circular value chain where materials retain value across multiple lifecycles.
