Ahead of this year's Recovered Carbon Black Asia 2025, we spoke with Jeff Shiue, General Manager at Eco Infinic, to get a sneak peek of what we can expect from his presentation on 'Integration of rCB into Wetsuit Foam' Here's what he had to say…





Q1. Your talk at the Recovered Carbon Black Asia 2025 will dive into Integration of rCB into Wetsuit Foam. Why do you think it's important for others in the industry to hear this message?

We believe that many other companies in the rubber industry can learn from Sheico Groups experience in replacing 100% of its vCB usage with rCB without sacrificing product quality. The switch not only reduced Sheico's production costs, but also increased the value of its products to environmentally conscious brands and end consumers.

Q2. Can you give us an update on what's happening in your local market? What are the latest trends over there?

The Thai economy was heavily reliant on tourism before COVID, and the damage during the pandemic was devastating. The tourism industry recovered steadily over the last 3 years, but it still has not reached pre-COVID levels. This makes other parts of the Thai economy more important, such as manufacturing and digital services. However, the manufacturing industry is facing large uncertainties with looming tariffs to the US and export competition from China.

Q3. Which challenges and opportunities do you see for the recovered carbon black industry in your local market?

Many rubber goods companies are starting to become aware of the benefits that rCB can bring. However, the rate of adoption is still relatively slow. Most of the customers of these rubber goods companies are not yet demanding more eco-friendly raw materials, so the largest incentives to adopt rCB are in cost reduction. At the same time, due to the rapid expansion of Eco Infinic, waste tire supplies in Thailand are becoming more limited. Companies have to compete for ELT with higher price offerings.

Q4. Looking ahead, what do you think will be some exciting developments in recovered carbon black or tire pyrolysis soon?

We see the emergence of large scale rCB manufacturers who are able to expand across different continents as a game changer in the industry, as global tire companies will be able to secure a steady supply of rCB with stable quality at competitive prices.

Q5. What hurdles does the tire pyrolysis value chain need to tackle in the next few years?

The global tire pyrolysis value chain will have to work on product standardization into distinctive tiers, especially for the rCB products. This would allow for wider product adoption with minimal risk of supply disruptions.

Q6. Are there any specific collaborations within or with the value chain that you're looking for?

We are especially interested in R&D collaboration with academia or unique technology suppliers who may be able to help us further improve our product quality and consistency, as well as any large rCB users who are interested in forming strategic partnerships.