Ever since tires were invented, humans have been looking for good ways of recycling them with little to no avail. But in recent years a technology company, which has been acquired by French tire giant Michelin, has figured out how to reincarnate end-of-life tires into a specialty material called micronized rubber powder (MRP), which can be used to make new tires. The tire industry is still highly wasteful and energy-intensive, but the invention of MRP could help transform the industry into a closed-loop system. Thus far, MRP has been used in more than 500 million new tires.