Liberty Tire Recycling Highlights Sustainability Gains, Lower Emissions and Climate Resilience in 2025 Reports
Liberty Tire Recycling has released its 2025 Sustainability Report alongside its first-ever public Climate Risk & Resilience Report aligned with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). Together, the two reports underline the company’s growing commitment to environmental responsibility, operational efficiency, workforce safety, and long-term business resilience while reinforcing its role as a major player in the circular economy.
The reports arrive at a time when industries across the globe are facing increasing pressure to reduce emissions, manage climate-related risks, and adopt more sustainable operating models. For Liberty Tire Recycling, sustainability has evolved beyond a corporate initiative into a foundational strategy that shapes its operations, partnerships, and future growth plans.
The company’s latest disclosures demonstrate measurable progress across several critical areas, including emissions reduction, energy efficiency, tire recycling utilization, employee safety, and community engagement. At the same time, the Climate Risk & Resilience Report establishes a framework for identifying and managing climate-related risks and opportunities that could impact the business over the long term.
According to Thomas Womble, CEO of Liberty Tire Recycling, the company continues to place sustainability at the center of its business model and operational philosophy.
“At Liberty, sustainability is core to our operations and how we show up for our partners and communities,” Womble stated. “We’re proud of the progress reflected in this report and grateful to our employees whose dedication makes it possible. We remain focused on continuing to drive progress through continued collaborative efforts with the manufacturers and retailers.”
The release of these reports reflects the growing importance of sustainability reporting within the industrial and recycling sectors. Investors, regulators, customers, and communities are increasingly seeking transparency regarding how organizations manage environmental impacts and prepare for climate-related challenges. By issuing a TCFD-aligned report, Liberty joins a growing number of companies adopting globally recognized frameworks for climate disclosure and risk management.
A major highlight of the sustainability report is Liberty’s continued advancement in reducing greenhouse gas emissions across its operations. In 2025, the company achieved a 6% reduction in location-based Scope 2 emissions and a 10% reduction in market-based emissions. These gains were driven through improvements in energy management, operational efficiencies, and better resource utilization across Liberty’s facilities.
The company also reported an 8% improvement in energy intensity, demonstrating progress in lowering the amount of energy required to support operational output. Energy intensity is increasingly viewed as an important indicator of operational efficiency because it measures how effectively organizations use energy resources relative to production levels.
These reductions are particularly significant within the recycling and industrial processing sector, where energy-intensive operations often present substantial environmental challenges. By improving efficiency and reducing emissions simultaneously, Liberty is positioning itself as a more sustainable and resilient organization while also potentially lowering operational costs.
Another major achievement highlighted in the report is the company’s continued focus on circularity and beneficial reuse. Liberty Tire Recycling maintained an 81% utilization rate through beneficial reuse across 219 million tires collected during the reporting period.
This metric reflects the company’s ability to divert used tires from landfills and channel them into productive applications. Tire recycling and reuse play an increasingly important role in sustainability efforts because improperly discarded tires can create severe environmental hazards, including landfill overcrowding, fire risks, and mosquito breeding grounds.
By collecting and processing hundreds of millions of tires, Liberty supports a circular economy approach in which waste materials are repurposed into useful products and applications. Recycled tire materials are commonly used in products such as rubberized asphalt, athletic surfaces, playground materials, landscaping products, molded rubber goods, and alternative fuels.
The company’s strong utilization rate demonstrates its ability to maximize the value extracted from end-of-life tires while minimizing waste. Circular economy strategies such as these are becoming increasingly important as governments and industries pursue more sustainable resource management systems.
Liberty’s sustainability efforts also received significant external recognition in 2025. The company earned an EcoVadis Bronze rating, placing it among the top third of companies assessed by the global sustainability ratings organization.
EcoVadis evaluations examine company performance across several categories, including environmental impact, labor and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement practices. Achieving a Bronze rating indicates that Liberty has established meaningful sustainability programs and operational standards that align with recognized global benchmarks.
In addition to the EcoVadis recognition, Liberty was honored through the Recircle Award for Circular Economy Innovation. The award highlights organizations making notable contributions to circularity and sustainable resource management within the tire and rubber industries.
These recognitions not only validate Liberty’s operational progress but also strengthen its reputation among customers, manufacturers, retail partners, and other stakeholders increasingly prioritizing environmental responsibility within supply chains.
Amy Brackin, Senior Vice President of Sustainability at Liberty Tire Recycling, emphasized that the company’s sustainability strategy has consistently demonstrated positive outcomes for both environmental performance and business growth.
“We have said from day one—putting sustainability at the core of our operations would produce better results for the environment and our business,” Brackin explained. “This year’s report continues to demonstrate that Liberty is a leader in both the tire recycling industry and the sustainability sector more broadly.”
Brackin’s comments reflect a broader shift occurring across many industries, where sustainability initiatives are increasingly viewed not only as environmental obligations but also as drivers of operational resilience, innovation, and long-term profitability.
Beyond environmental performance, Liberty’s 2025 Sustainability Report also highlights substantial progress in workforce safety and employee retention. The company achieved an 11% reduction in Lost Time Injury Rate (LTIR), indicating improvements in workplace safety programs and operational practices.
LTIR is an important industrial safety metric that measures workplace injuries severe enough to result in employees missing workdays. Lower LTIR figures generally reflect stronger safety cultures, better training programs, and improved operational procedures.
Safety performance is especially important in industries such as tire recycling, where employees may work with heavy machinery, industrial processing systems, transportation equipment, and large material volumes. Liberty’s reduction in injury rates demonstrates continued investment in employee well-being and operational risk management.
The company also reported a 9% relative reduction in employee turnover during 2025. Workforce retention has become a growing challenge across many industrial sectors due to labor shortages, changing workforce expectations, and increased competition for skilled employees.
Improved employee retention can provide several operational benefits, including reduced hiring and training costs, greater productivity, and improved organizational continuity. It can also strengthen workplace culture and employee engagement over time.
In addition to supporting employees internally, Liberty continued its investment in community engagement and charitable initiatives. During 2025, the company donated more than $216,000 to charitable causes and community programs.
Corporate philanthropy and community partnerships are increasingly recognized as important components of broader environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies. By supporting local communities and nonprofit initiatives, companies can strengthen stakeholder relationships while contributing to broader social impact goals.
One of the most significant developments outlined in Liberty’s latest disclosures is the publication of its first public Climate Risk & Resilience Report aligned with TCFD recommendations.
The Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures framework was developed to help organizations improve transparency regarding climate-related risks, governance structures, and resilience planning. TCFD-aligned reporting has become increasingly influential among investors, regulators, lenders, and corporate stakeholders worldwide.
Liberty’s report outlines how the company identifies, evaluates, and manages climate-related risks and opportunities across its operations and long-term strategic planning processes. The report also demonstrates how climate considerations are being integrated into decision-making and operational management.
Climate-related risks for industrial and recycling companies can include severe weather events, supply chain disruptions, energy market volatility, regulatory changes, and shifting customer expectations regarding sustainability performance.
By proactively assessing these risks, Liberty aims to improve operational resilience while positioning itself to adapt more effectively to future environmental and economic challenges.
The Climate Risk & Resilience Report also highlights the connection between sustainability initiatives and broader business performance. Improved energy efficiency, reduced emissions, operational resilience, and resource optimization can all contribute to stronger long-term financial and operational outcomes.
As sustainability reporting standards continue to evolve globally, companies across manufacturing, logistics, automotive, recycling, and industrial sectors are increasingly expected to provide more comprehensive environmental and climate disclosures. Liberty’s adoption of TCFD-aligned reporting places the company among organizations taking proactive steps toward greater transparency and accountability.
The tire recycling industry itself is undergoing substantial transformation as environmental regulations tighten and demand grows for sustainable material solutions. End-of-life tire management has become an important issue for governments and industries worldwide due to the environmental and public health risks associated with improper disposal.
At the same time, advancements in recycling technologies and material applications are creating new opportunities for recycled tire products across infrastructure, construction, sports, automotive, and industrial markets.
Liberty’s continued investment in sustainability, emissions reduction, circularity, and climate resilience positions the company to remain competitive as customer expectations and regulatory requirements continue evolving.
Looking ahead, the company’s leadership has indicated that collaboration with manufacturers, retailers, and other stakeholders will remain essential to driving future progress. Partnerships across the supply chain can help improve tire collection systems, expand recycling applications, reduce environmental impacts, and support the broader transition toward a circular economy.
With measurable operational improvements, industry recognition, stronger safety performance, and expanded climate disclosure efforts, Liberty Tire Recycling’s 2025 reports illustrate how sustainability initiatives are increasingly intertwined with operational performance and long-term strategic growth.
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