November 7, 2025
Iván Izquierdo, the new CEO of Tiresoul has been interviewed by the communication team to give an inside view of this new addition to RMD.
Q: What is Tiresoul's objective as part of RMD?
A: "Tiresoul seeks to give a new purpose to NFU, thus contributing to reduce the environmental footprint and promoting sustainability within the footwear industry. This is achieved by introducing this waste into the fashion industry and giving an avant-garde touch to the design and with the backdrop of promoting sustainability in this sector"
Q: What presence does Tiresoul have nationally and internationally?
A: "With Tiresoul, we are opening new horizons in sustainable footwear fashion design. The fact that we are the only European manufacturer of this product puts us in a privileged position for export. In March we attended the Milan Footwear Fair (MICAM) where we seek not only to expand our presence but also to spread the importance of sustainable practices in fashion. Promoting the visibility of our product and exploring new opportunities".
Q: How did this idea come about?
A: "The only precedent we found was during the post-war years, during the years of autarchy, the economic system based on subsistence and international isolation, when poverty and need sharpened ingenuity and the rubber from tires was already being used to manufacture shoe soles. Now, the motivation is different and has to do with the company's firm commitment to innovation, contributing to the sustainability of a traditionally highly polluting sector"
Q: What are the advantages of this material compared to others?
A: "Vulcanized rubber is prepared to withstand 40,000 km in cars weighing about two tons at speeds of up to 140 km/hour. If it can withstand that in a car, its use as shoe soles can be practically unlimited. The useful life of a tire on a vehicle is only the prologue of its history because once it comes to an end, it is reborn with a new utility, in this case as a recycled rubber sole"
Q: You told us that you are pioneers in this product at European level, what makes you so?
A: "Tiresoul has developed a unique technology to reuse tires in a completely innovative way without resorting to chemical, thermal or shredding processes. This pioneering process focuses on extracting the tread from tires to obtain rubber strips, which are then supplied to the footwear industry. From each strip, 6 to 8 soles can be extracted, or in other words, 3 to 4 pairs of any type of footwear can be manufactured. This innovative approach offers a second life to discarded tires, while the footwear gets the outstanding qualities of this reused material: resistant, durable and sustainable."
Q: What happens to the leftover material?
A: “That material left over from the treads goes back into the industrial chain for recycling in a process that not only reduces the amount of waste that ends up in landfills, but also provides an opportunity for innovative and sustainable applications of recycled rubber.”
