Prism Worldwide Partners with Sherwood Industries to Introduce Sustainable Thermoplastic Elastomers to Extruded Rubber Industry
Prism Worldwide and Sherwood Industries have partnered to revolutionize the extruded rubber industry by introducing sustainable thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs). Designed as a high-performance and eco-friendly alternative to traditional rubber compounds, these advanced elastomers offer superior flexibility, durability, and recyclability. As industries shift toward greener materials and circular economy solutions, this innovation aligns with global efforts to reduce plastic waste and carbon emissions. This market report explores the benefits of sustainable TPEs, industry adoption trends, and how this partnership shapes the future of elastomer manufacturing.
Prism’s high-performance materials derived from recycled end-of-life tires will be incorporated into Sherwood’s extruded rubber sheets for use in industries ranging from automotive to household goods.
Prism Worldwide, a leader in innovative material solutions that is dedicated to advancing end-of-life tire recycling technology, and Sherwood Industries, a family-owned sheet extruder of thermoplastics, today announced a partnership to introduce Prism’s sustainable thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) into extruded TPE sheets. Extruded TPE rubber sheets are widely used across multiple industries, including automotive, where they serve as materials for bin mats, mud flaps, and wheel well protectors. They are also used in household products, appliances, toys, and other everyday items such as tread grips, sporting goods, and tool drawer liners.
Since initiating their collaboration in April 2024, the companies have conducted a series of test production runs and successfully developed extruded TPE sheets for pilot customers. For this phase, Sherwood incorporated Prism’s high-performance Ancora™ polymer, a thermoplastic elastomer made with a high percentage of recycled materials derived from end-of-life tires, into its manufacturing formula. Through rigorous evaluation, both companies refined the formula and enhanced product performance. The official partnership results from multiple successful test runs consistently producing reliable, high-quality, and highly sustainable sheet stock.
“The demand for more sustainable materials led us to seek partners who could help drive our transition,” said Bob Russin, President of Sherwood Industries. “Prism’s method of compounding old consumer tires into superior quality engineered TPE material designed for our process has proven to significantly enhance our ability to produce sustainable materials for our customers.”
Testing conducted by Sherwood determined that sheets made with Prism’s TPE match the durability and performance properties of virgin materials while containing a high percentage of recycled content. In 2024 alone, Sherwood produced over 7.5 million square feet of extruded rubber sheets across four production lines. The company is now prepared for immediate commercialization and scaling after positive customer feedback and successful trial runs. In anticipation of increased demand, Sherwood has acquired a new extruder exclusively to produce sustainable rubber sheets containing Prism’s TPEs.
“The significant emerging and unmet demand for more sustainable rubber products has been met with few solutions to meet that demand,” said Prism Worldwide CEO Bob Abramowitz. “The vast array of applications for Sherwood’s extruded rubber sheet material allows us to work together to introduce a reliably high-quality TPE to a broad range of industries. Our process of engineering sustainable polymers using end-of-life rubber tires provides a high-tech answer for a material formerly relegated to low-tech applications, such as being glued into mats or shredded for use on playgrounds and ball fields. In the process, we’re also helping companies to meet their sustainability goals.”
Sherwood’s extruded rubber and urethane foam products are ISO 9001:2015 certified, ensuring the company meets global standards for quality management.
Prism recently announced a $40 million Series A funding round, which will be used to consolidate operations, invest in technology and equipment, and expand its team.
About Prism Worldwide
Prism was founded on the principle that end-of-life (ELT) tires should be better used. We recognize that to solve this long-standing issue, we need solutions that provide performance-oriented products. This requires that we address the problem differently.
Developed and patented in the United States, Prism’s technology and products are American-made and American-sourced. Prism provides a cost-effective solution that helps end users increase profitability by using sustainable materials.
We are bringing new patented technology to the market by producing polymer intermediates derived from ground tire rubber. These performance solutions for TPE, TPV, TPO markets (Ancora), and rubber-modified plastics polymer markets (Ennova) are sustainable and circular, creating higher-value uses for end-of-life tires and offering a route to Making Tires More Circular.
In November 2022, Prism acquired CRC Polymer Systems (CRC), a custom compounding company supplying compounds, resins, and colors to the plastics industry. For more information, please visit https://prismww.com/.
About Sherwood Industries
Founded in 1975, Sherwood Industries Inc. is a family-owned and operated business that manufactures and ships extruded rubber and foam products to countries worldwide. Sherwood’s flagship extruded product is its Santoprene TPV sheet, which is used in audio products, automotive parts, building and construction materials, household appliances, electrical and energy products, and medical applications. The company’s Niles, Illinois, manufacturing facility features a profile extrusion line and a recycled rubber line to complement its foam products and sheet extrusion.
Sherwood produces millions of pounds of sheet goods yearly and continues to provide high-quality sheet and profile products to markets worldwide. For more information about Sherwood Industries, please visit https://sherwoodind.com/.
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