Innovation

Laska, with its technologies and the circular economy approach they adopt, obtains two different products from waste tires: carbon black and renewable fuel. By using the circular economy approach they have adopted with the transformation they make and the products obtained, they not only save waste tires from being an environmental problem and an economic loss but also provide solutions to two problems in a broader context.

The first of these problems is the waste tire problem, which concerns both institutions and individuals. An average of 1.5 billion waste tires are produced worldwide every year. This number increases every year with a growth rate of 1%. The fact that waste tires are not used effectively causes some environmental problems that concern us all. The first of these is carbon dioxide emissions. Tires burned to obtain heat energy in cement factories cause tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Burning just 1 ton of waste tire releases 450 kilograms of toxic gas. The second problem is the harmful tire pollutants left behind after the tire burn process. These pollutants, which can be carried over long distances in the air, pollute not only the air but also water and soil. This pollution means that we are in direct contact with pollutants from waste tires almost everywhere. Along with these, waste tires facilitate the emergence and rapid spread of some diseases. While some of the waste tires are incinerated, an important part is kept idle. In addition to covering large areas, these tires are ideal habitats for disease-carrying mosquitoes, bacteria, insects, and some reptiles. Mosquitoes, whose number is increasing rapidly in areas where waste tires are present, cause the transmission and spread of serious diseases such as malaria and dengue. In other words, a waste tire can be a breeding ground for tens of thousands of disease-carrying mosquitoes. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 800,000 people die every year due to diseases carried by mosquitoes.

The second problem they solve by recycling waste tires is related to the products and primarily concerns the customer/user. The two products, which are used as raw materials in the main industrial areas, basically respond to the customer's need for sustainable and environmentally friendly raw materials. More than 13 million tons of carbon black are produced in the world each year. More than 99% of this product is obtained by burning fossil fuels. Millions of tons of fossil fuels are used each year to produce this amount of carbon black. At this point, the problem that has been solved is to prevent costly and dirty production on the carbon black side. In addition, the CO2 emission caused by burning fossil fuels in traditional carbon black production enlarges the carbon footprints of all companies in the supply chain. By obtaining carbon black from waste tires rather than fossil fuels, the cost, the dirty production caused by fossil fuel use, and the growth of carbon footprints of companies using carbon black are prevented. Renewable fuel, which is our second output, can be used instead of fossil fuels in main industrial areas such as energy, transportation, and chemistry, and it eliminates the cost of fossil fuels and environmental threats such as global warming and climate change.

Inspiration

Laska CEO Onur GÜDÜ established Laska company to draw attention to environmental pollution and to eliminate environmental pollution. Environmental pollution is the most important factor that inspires Onur GÜDÜ. Laska is an initiative that was founded with an impact-oriented entrepreneurship approach, and at the same time, it is a business model that constantly feeds off the social and environmental impact it creates. The high-tech, environmentally friendly products obtained by recycling waste tires contribute to the solution of global warming, pollution of natural resources, and the economic problems triggered by these. Aleyna AYDIN (Head of Business Development at Laska) said:

"The waste tire problem is a major waste problem. At this point, we are very happy to be a part of the solution in waste management with the solution we have brought to the waste tire problem. Recycling waste tires to the economy with environmentally friendly and sustainable methods and thus making the planet more livable is one of the main motivations for us in terms of social impact. . While saving waste tires from being an environmental problem and an economic loss, the sustainable solution brought by the technology we have is the most important factor that increases our determination to work."

Overall impact

Laska is a high-tech company that transforms end-of-life tires with its innovative, environmentally friendly, and sustainable production approaches. At least 1.5 billion waste tires appear in the world every year. The ineffective use of these tires, some of which are burned and some of which are thrown into the nature, causes serious environmental problems. Carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change, global warming, and pollution of natural resources are some of these problems. At Laska, with the high technology they have and the circular economy approach they adopt, two different products are obtained by recycling waste tires: carbon black and renewable fuel. In production, we evaluate waste tires and obtain products obtained from fossil fuels with traditional production methods. In this way, the dirty and costly consequences of fossil fuel use are avoided. While eliminating the negative effects of waste tires on the environment, it adds to the economy. So, converting waste tires changes their fate and the fate of our planet .You can access the Laska Social Impact Report from the link below.

- https://imece.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Laska-TR.pdf

At this point, we can discuss its environmental and economic impact through the following case studies.

How many tire wastes are generated annually in the world and Turkey?

1.5 billion waste tires are produced in the world every year. This number, which varies between 25-30 million in Turkey, is increasing every year with a growth rate of 1% in the world. Even airplanes today have 6-22 tires. Therefore, there is a raw material, waste tire, which will not change for many years, on the contrary, its amount will increase with the increasing population.

Case Study

Burning 1 ton of ETL equals 647 kilograms of CO2 production!

Every year, approximately 300,000 tons of 25-30 million waste tires are produced in Turkey.

From this point of view, we can approximately calculate the CO2 emissions caused by incineration over the annual amount of waste tires in Turkey.

300000.647=194100000 kg=194.100 tons of CO2

Considering this amount of CO2 emissions, the carbon tax of 30 Euros per ton is determined for the emissions that are directly the responsibility of the factory within the scope of the European Green Agreement;

300000.30=9000000 and 9 million Euros in taxation.

This amount means a serious loss of income for the cement industry in exports to the EU.

Business benefit

With this innovation developed by Laska, the market share expanded and sales increased and the interest in this innovation grew. New distribution channels were formed and Laska's name was heard in many places. New sales channels were created for the products. increased, the employment rate increased.

Social and environmental benefit

Bringing expired tires back to the economy as raw materials with high added value with its innovative, environmentally friendly, and sustainable production approach, Laska not only supports local governments in waste management but also reduces the carbon footprint of its customers with its clean products. By using the circular economy approach it has adopted with its transformation and new products, the company saves waste tires from being an environmental problem and an economic loss. On the other hand, it offers clean products to its customers with products that are the output of environmentally friendly and sustainable production understanding obtained by recycling waste tires. With this method, they aim to minimize the damage to the environment by directing their customers to use clean products. Unlike traditional production methods, they avoid the cost and environmental problems caused by fossil fuels by obtaining their products not from fossil fuels but waste tires. In this way, they contribute to the solution of irreversible environmental problems such as climate change, global warming, pollution of natural resources, and economic problems caused by traditional production methods, with their innovative production approach and high technology.

Interview

Aleyna AYDIN, Head of Business Development at Laska