Prism and Sherwood Partner To Introduce TPEs to Extruded Rubber Sheets

Prism’s high-performance materials derived from recycled end-of-life tires, to be incorporated into Sherwood’s extruded rubber sheets

Founded on the belief that there is a better use for end-of-life tires, Prism Worldwide, a Kirkland Washington-based circular materials manufacturer and supplier has partnered with Sherwood Industries, a family-owned sheet extruder of thermoplastics, to introduce Prism’s sustainable thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) into extruded TPE sheets.

Prism said 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 the testing, 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. The companies refined the formula, enhanced product performance and conducted  multiple successful test runs that consistently produced 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,” Bob Russin, President, Sherwood Industries, said. “Prism’s method of compounding tire-derived recycled rubber into engineered TPE material designed for our process significantly enhances our ability to produce sustainable materials for our customers.”

Sherwood’s testing 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, Sherwood produced more than 7.5 million square feet of extruded rubber sheets across four production lines. Following positive customer feedback and successful trial runs, Sherwod said it is ready to commercialize and scale up production and has acquired a new extruder exclusively for producing 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,” Bob Abramowitz, CEO, Prism Worldwide, said. “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 that was formerly relegated to low-tech applications.  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 raised $40 million Series A funding that is being used to consolidate operations, invest in technology and equipment and expand its team.

© Scrap Tire News, March 2025