Paving the tyre recycling road to sustainability

Previously constrained by the limitations of its domestic dealings, Turkish-used tyre recycling company BRP Petro Kimya has now formed international ties and expanded its business, all thanks to support from the Enterprise Europe Network.

Taking the right step

It all began when, concerned about sustainability and resilience, BRP Petro Kimya approached Network partner Çorum Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Çorum CCI) in Turkey. The company’s business involved collecting used tyres from Turkish recycling companies and recycling them for reuse. However, BRP Petro Kimya was being sold only poor-quality tyres at very high prices, and the quality was such that they often could not be recycled and used again, resulting in unsustainable practices both for the company and the environment. 

The Network to the rescue

The company’s journey to success began with the invaluable support provided by the Çorum CCI and another Network partner in Turkey, the Samsun Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Samsun CCI). The two Network partners formed an action plan for the company, conducted a sustainability study and carried out market research on recycling companies from which BRP Petro Kimya could buy tyres. 

They concluded that the company should import tyres directly from tyre mounting stations abroad, instead of buying them from domestic recycling companies. The focus was placed on countries with strong purchasing power and a high proportion of cars per person, as well as a relatively large number of rubber recycling companies. Then the tyres could be purchased at a lower cost. Obtaining used tyres from the first phase of the recycling process would enhance the company’s resilience and sustainability. 

Next, BRP Petro Kimya was given a list of businesses in Germany and Spain that could potentially provide it with the used tyres needed. This led to the company’s first international partnership with scrap metal and plastic seller Five Bro Tech Company in Bilbao, Spain. The Spanish company now collects used tyres from tyre shops in Bilbao and its surrounding regions and sends them to BRP Petro Kimya, which recycles them and makes them fit for the road again. 

But the road did not end there for BRP Petro Kimya. "After the partnership with Spain, I wanted to explore more markets, so I conducted my own research with the knowledge I had gained from the Çorum and Samsun CCIs," said BRP Petro Kimya representative Hacer Kepçe. "Considering the United Kingdom, I asked the Samsun Chamber if they could prepare a list of potential partners for that country. They sent me a list that very same day." 

Hacer believes that the resulting partnership with UK-based recycling commodity broker Smart Resources is perhaps the best step that they have taken for their company. "All of this wouldn’t be possible without their help," said Hacer about the two Network partners.

A bright future on the horizon

Before BRP Petro Kimya first contacted the Çorum CCI in 2022, it was a relatively successful company with 12 employees and a turnover ranging between EUR 500 000 and EUR 1 million, but without having any international business connections. Now, less than 2 years later, thanks to Network support, it has established partnerships in Spain, the United Kingdom and China. Furthermore, the company has added two more people to its full-time staff and boasts a turnover of around EUR 1.5 million. 

Çorum CCI representative Filiz Sezin Yilmaz and Samsun CCI representative Cagri Isitan discussed the company’s achievements in 2024, made possible with Network advice and guidance: "The company was not only able to sustain its profitability, markets, partners and staff, but also evolved from an SME that was only active in the local Turkish market to an international business through collaborations with international partners. The company is now able to explore new markets, import, export, conduct market research, contact potential partners, and so on. All these activities have led to an increase in turnover, markets, partners and full-time staff." As Hacer aptly declared: "The Network really helps!"