Q&A: Julius Blien on how Tyrewolf is giving WRC tyres a second life
Tyrewolf CEO Julius Blien explains how Hankook Competition tyres used in the FIA World Rally Championship are upcycled — and why the WRC can help drive better recycling.
Tyrewolf, based in Pfullendorf, Germany, has built its business around finding a second life for old tyres. For CEO Julius Blien, the connection with WRC is not just about collecting used rally tyres – it is also about the championship’s ability to make recycling more visible and to show how motorsport can become a platform for more sustainable thinking.
From tyre upcycling to wider conversations around future-facing solutions, he sees WRC as a place where performance and progress can sit side by side.
Q: Julius, how did the collaboration with WRC first begin?
A: It started in a very funny and simple way. A man from Pfullendorf who worked for Hankook Competition was driving their promotion truck, and that truck was parked close to our Tyrewolf factory. We started talking about tyre recycling, and he said he was going to WRC rallies. For me, it was interesting straight away that rally tyres could come to Tyrewolf, and that was really how the relationship started.
Hankook Competition truck parked outside Tyrewolf’s factory
© TYREWOLF / Julius Blien
Q: Roughly how many tyres from WRC has Tyrewolf handled so far?
A: I would need to check the system exactly, but I think it is around 10 containers. In one container there are about 600 tyres, so I think it is around 6,000 tyres in total.
Q: Once those tyres arrive at Tyrewolf, what happens to them?
The tyre does not just disappear – it becomes useful again in different forms.
A: We recycle – or really upcycle – the whole tyre. First, we cut it down into smaller and smaller pieces until it becomes rubber granules. Then we separate the tyre into three parts: rubber, steel and textile fibre. From the WRC tyres, we get about 65 per cent rubber, around 14 per cent steel, and the rest is textile fibre. The steel goes to steel companies, the rubber can go to sports fields and playgrounds, and the fibre can also go into cement plants. So the tyre does not just disappear – it becomes useful again in different forms.
Outside Tyrewolf’s facility in Pfullendorf, Germany
© TYREWOLF / Julius Blien
A Hankook Winter i*Cept tyre arrives at Tyrewolf for recycling and reuse
© TYREWOLF / Julius Blien
A mountain of used tyres ready for sorting and recycling at Tyrewolf
© TYREWOLF / Julius Blien
Used Hankook tyres gathered at Tyrewolf for recycling and repurposing
© TYREWOLF / Julius Blien
Q: What kind of scale is Tyrewolf operating at across a full year?
A: We process around 16,000 tonnes of tyres a year. In tyre numbers, that is around 1.7 million a year. When I started, it was more like 800,000 to one million, so the company has grown a lot.
Q: Why does motorsport interest you, and why does the WRC connection make sense to you?
I also think WRC makes sense because rally can help show that motorsport is thinking about the future as well
A: Motorsport is very interesting for me. I love motorsport, I love old cars and I love engines. That is the personal side. But I also think WRC makes sense because rally can help show that motorsport is thinking about the future as well – eco fuels, recycling tyres and looking at how things can be done in a better way. For me, that is why it feels like a good relationship.
