Wastefront breaks ground on UK’s 1st tire-to-fuel facility

Photo: Wastefront

Wastefront  announced Feb. 28 that it has officially begun construction on its groundbreaking £100 million (USD$129 million) tire-to-fuel facility at the Port of Sunderland in the U.K.

The project marks a significant step in the U.K.’s push for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production, while delivering a major economic boost to the North East, and will create more than 100 local jobs.

International Airlines Group was the first European airline group to aim for 10 percent SAF usage by 2030 and, in January this year, the company announced an investment in Wastefront.

The facility’s first commercial phase will be starting up at the end of 2026, with the second phase launching a year later.

Once fully operational, the plant will process 10 million end-of-life tires annually—making it the largest facility of its kind in Europe—converting them into tire-derived oil (TDO) for refining into SAF and other sustainable fuels.

With around 55 million tires reaching the end of their life per year in the U.K., Wastefront’s fully circular process will address a pressing waste issue.

The Sunderland facility, the U.K.’s first fully circular tire-to-fuel plant, utilizes an advanced heating process without oxygen called pyrolysis technology to convert end-of-life tires into TDO, which will be refined into SAF.

Wastefront’s system is self-sustaining, recycling the gases generated during pyrolysis to power its operations.

By 2030, Wastefront aims to operate four large-scale plants, collectively producing 128,000 metric tons of oil annually—enough to yield approximately 90,000 tons of SAF.

According to Wastefront, it will initially produce a 30 percent SAF yield from TDO through coprocessing at third-party refineries.

By 2030, however, when all four tire-to-fuel plants are operational, Wastefront’s dedicated process will achieve a 70 percent conversion rate of oil into SAF.

The reduction of carbon emissions from aviation is critical for the industry, Wastefront noted.

The U.K.’s SAF mandate introduced Jan. 1 requires at least 10 percent of all jet fuel used in U.K. flights to come from sustainable feedstocks by 2030, rising to 22 percent by 2040.

Domestic U.K. SAF production, however, remains significantly short of the target of 1.2 million tons needed by 2030.

The project strengthens the North East’s position in the U.K.’s growing net-zero economy. 

According to the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, the U.K.’s net-zero sector grew by 9 percent in 2023, compared to just 0.1 percent for the broader economy.

Wastefront’s investment highlights the region’s leadership in sustainable innovation, positioning Sunderland at the forefront of the transition to more sustainable fuels.

“Wastefront is delivering an innovative project to focus on two key issues—tire waste and aviation emissions,” said Wastefront CEO Vianney Valès. “Our circular process not only prevents millions of tires from being discarded in landfills but also provides a scalable, cost-effective pathway for SAF production. This process will also reduce lifecycle emissions by more than 80 percent compared to fossil fuels. The Sunderland facility is just the beginning—we aim to expand rapidly to meet the growing demand for sustainable fuels.”

Jonathon Counsell, IAG’s Group sustainability officer, commented, said, “Last year IAG powered 1.9 percent of our operations using SAF and we are pleased to support Wastefront’s pioneering work to turn waste tires into much-needed, domestically produced renewable fuel. To enable aviation to meet the U.K.’s new mandate and growing SAF demand, there needs to be even greater policy support so manufacturers and innovators like Wastefront can scale new technologies.”

With an estimated 4 billion tires currently sitting in landfills or stockpiles—a number projected to reach 5 billion by 2030—Wastefront said it recognizes the global scale of tire waste and the rising demand for sustainable fuels, and is actively exploring opportunities in the U.S., Middle East and Northern Europe.