Bolder Industries receives grant for European project

Boulder, Colorado-based Bolder Industries and its affiliate company, Bolder Industries Belgium, have been selected to receive a 32 million euros ($34.8 million) European Union Innovation Fund Grant to help finance a planned Bolder facility in Antwerp, Belgium.

Bolder says it considers the European Commission grant “a significant endorsement of its cutting-edge approach to sustainable materials.” The Flanders regional government in Belgium has committed an additional $2.18 million to support the construction of the facility.

The grant was awarded from a pool of over 337 applicants, with 85 selected projects.

“The Antwerp facility is projected to achieve up to an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to traditional virgin carbon black production, showcasing [Bolder’s] commitment to transformative sustainability," the company says.

The American company says the Antwerp plant will be modeled after its facility in Missouri and will host four reactors and a finishing line. The plant also will use wind power and heat generated at the location for its energy needs.

The Antwerp facility has been designed to process more than 4 million end-of-life tires annually. Outputs from the plant will include the BolderBlack carbon black substitute and BolderOil, which the firm says provides “sustainable attributes to renewable fuels, traditional carbon black production, process oils and solvents.”

BolderBlack, according to the company, can be found in more than 3,000 commercial products including passenger tires, wetsuits, belts, hoses, automotive plastic parts and coatings.

“This is more than a grant—It’s an investment in the future of sustainable manufacturing,” says Tony Wibbeler, founder and CEO of Bolder Industries. “Support from the European Commission and the Flanders region validates the innovation at the heart of our technology and the critical need for sustainable solutions across the globe. This allows us to create a blueprint for a greener, more circular future.”

Wim Van den Broeck, Bolder Industries’ director of project development, adds, “As Bolder’s first facility of this scale in Europe, the Antwerp plant is a foundational step in the company’s broader European growth strategy.”

Although an earlier announcement anticipated the Antwerp facility would be operational this year, Van den Broeck now says construction of the facility will begin in 2026, with full operational capacity anticipated by 2027.

Bolder Industries credits Belgium-based Moore Grants & Incentives for helping it secure the EU grant.