The Arntz Optibelt Group, a global leader in the supply of efficient rubber drive belts, is a new AZuR partner
Höxter, 7 February 2025
By becoming a new partner to AZuR (Alliance for the Future of Tyres), the Arntz Optibelt Group acknowledges its social and ecological responsibility within the context of its global corporate operations. The leading manufacturer of high-performance drive belts is a reliable partner for the automotive industry, mechanical engineering, agricultural engineering, the household appliance industry and the medical sector. For network coordinator Christina Guth, Optibelt’s decision to become an AZurR partner shows “that our commitment is seen and supported, across all sectors, by world leaders concerned about sustainability.”
The family-run company founded in 1872 in Höxter, Westphalia, has developed into a global company that focuses on quality, innovation and sustainability. A central factor in the success of the Arntz Optibelt Group lies in its commitment to uncompromising standards of quality. Every manufacturing process reflects the precision and care with which products are made, enabling them to function reliably even under the most challenging conditions. The Arntz Optibelt Group invests in research and development on an ongoing basis to improve the efficiency and sustainability of its products. An example of this can be seen in the development of resource-saving manufacturing processes and durable materials. In this way, the company contributes not only to the competitiveness of its customers but also to a sustainable future.
Wide-ranging solutions for a variety of industries and potential applications
The Arntz Optibelt Group offers customised drive solutions for a wide range of industries, including:
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Mechanical engineering: High-performance belts for precise and powerful drives in industrial applications.
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Agricultural engineering: Robust solutions for heavy agricultural machinery that work reliably under even the toughest conditions.
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Household appliance industry: Belts for washing machines, dryers and other appliances that ensure durability and smooth operation.
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Elastomer solutions: Elastomer sheeting for sealing and damping technology, as well as X-ray protection sheeting for medical and technical applications and for the food industry.
In addition, the Arntz Optibelt Group is active in numerous other sectors, including garden technology, the food industry, logistics and many other areas, and also offers individually tailored drive solutions there.
First contact at the 2024 Environment Week in Bellevue Palace Park
The first contact between AZuR and Optibelt was forged at the Environment Week 2024. In Berlin, AZuR showcased the sustainable transformation of mobility using retreaded tyres. The Arntz Optibelt Group presented the results of a project funded by the German Federal Environmental Foundation in Bellevue Palace Park: Energy-efficient V-belts save the electricity of a million-strong city. The practical use of the three new V-belts resulting from the project can save 1.6 terawatt hours of electricity each year. This represents the annual electricity consumption of one million households in Germany.
“During our discussions, we quickly discovered similarities and the advantages of cooperation for a circular economy. The climate-positive recycling of industrial rubber waste can be promoted through the AZuR partnership, as can the development of more sustainable rubber compounds with rubber granules from recycling used tyres,” says Regina Arning, Managing Director of the Arntz Optibelt Group.
About the Alliance for the Future of Tyres (AZuR)
Since 2020, AZuR has been promoting a sustainable circular tyre economy across Europe. The aim is to reuse or recycle up to 100 per cent of used tyres, in order to minimise waste, reduce CO2 emissions, conserve natural resources and protect people and the environment.
More than 85 AZuR partners from industry, trade, and academia cover all sectors of the sustainable circular tyre economy – from sustainable new tyre manufacturing and certified used tyre collection to the repair and retreading of passenger and commercial vehicle tyres, and including the mechanical and chemical recovery and recycling of the raw materials of used tyres.
In interdisciplinary teamwork, new approaches and solutions for an ecologically and economically sensible circular tyre economy are developed, with AZuR network universities playing a crucial role. These universities provide scientifically founded studies and research to contribute valuable insights into closing the life cycle of materials.
At TyreXpo Asia 2023 in Singapore, AZuR was awarded the Recircle Award in the Circular Economy category. In November 2023, AZuR received the “European Transport Award for Sustainability 2024” for its study on the positive life cycle assessment of retreading. At the end of October 2024, AZuR was nominated as a finalist for the German Sustainability Award 2025. Further information about AZuR can
be found here
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