Valebridge Media Services (VMS) has announced the shortlist of nominees for the 2023 edition of the Recircle Awards, the event organised to promote and recognise sustainable innovation, production processes, management and services in the tyre retreading and recycling sector.

The shortlist, chosen from a preliminary list of candidates nominated by the public, has once again been compiled by the Recircle Awards Nominations Committee, made up of 14 experts, including respected tyre industry journalists, industry association heads and independent consultants from around the world.

The shortlisted nominees for the 15 award categories open to public vote are as follows:

Best Tread Rubber Supplier

- Dobermann

- Marangoni

- Pre-Q Galgo

- Silvercap

- Vipal Rubber

Best Retreading Equipment Supplier

- Central Marketing

- Italmatic

- Matteuzzi

- TRM

- Vipal Machinery

Best Tyre Recycling Industry Supplier

- Eco Green Equipment

- Eldan Recycling

- Fornnax

- Rubberjet Valley

- Tallants Navarro

Best Tyre Derived Recycled Product

- Ceyes: City Green Panels

- Michelin: Tyres containing rCB

- Rubtec SpA: Rubtec Rubber Bumpers

- Shredded Tire: Miami Echo Construction Blocks

- XTyre Global: Evaporation Inhibitor Floating Panel

Employee of the Year

- Ankita Saikia (Tyromer)

- Bernardita Diaz (SustrendLab)

- Camilla Raffaelli (VM Rubber)

- Fabricio Nedeff (Vipal)

- Ron Elliott (Pre-Q Galgo)

Best Passenger Retreader

- Black Star

- Fedima

- Insa Turbo

- Malatesta Pneumatici

- Radburg

Best OTR Retreader

- Community Tire

- FM Pneus

- Marangoni SpA

- Reifen Wagner

- Renova Peru

Best Truck & Bus Retreader

- Continental

- Insa Turbo

- Marangoni SpA

- Unigoma

- Vaculug

Mechanical Tyre Recycling Award

- Duramos SAS

- E-Cova

- Genan

- Murfitts

- Rembre Tyres

Tyre Devulcanization Award

- DRI Rubber

- EFG Polymers

- GRP Ltd

- Rubber Matters

- Tyromer Inc.

Tyre Pyrolysis Award

- Contec SA

- Ecolomondo Corp

- Kal Tire Chile

- Pyrum Innovations

- Scandinavian Enviro Systems

Best Retreading Accessory and Consumables Supplier

- Italmatic

- Marangoni

- Tech Europe

- Vipal Rubber

- VM Rubber

Best EPR Scheme     

- Circol ELT

- SDAB

- Seginus

- Signus Ecovalor

- Valorpneu

Best Tyre Recycling Research Project

- Blackcycle: The Blackcycle Project

- GEC Compounds: Research into the creation of Genesis Evolution Compounds

- María Esther Fernandez: The Application of Textile Waste from End-of-Use Tyres in the Production of Fibre Cement

- Patricio Muñoz / SustrendLab: The Recovery and Re-use of tyre sawdust in the manufacture of solid tyres for forklifts

- SustrendLab: Research into the extraction of T-Phite from tyres

Best Company Director

- Alexey Gryshchenko (Yashina)

- Hernan Diez Vargas (ANRE)

- Jorge Crespo (Vaculug)

- Matthias Leppert (Marangoni)

- Thomas Sorensson (Scandinavian Enviro Systems)

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In line with previous editions of the Recircle Awards, the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award in the Tyre Recycling Sector will be decided by the Recircle Awards Nominations Committee and announced during the ceremony in Bologna in November. 

David Wilson, the Chairman of the Recircle Awards Nominations Committee and Publisher of Retreading Business y Tyre & Rubber Recycling, wanted to highlight the notable increase in nominations with the 2022 edition, “Since we launch the Recircle Awards, we have delighted with the reception it has received year after year. But this edition has once again, exceeded our expectations. We have received more than 1,100 individual nominations, which is 250 more than last year,” commented Wilson. “It is very satisfying to see the Recircle Awards continuing to establish itself further at an international level in each edition. We will continue to be committed to recognising the efforts of people, institutions and companies who promote the values of the circular economy in our sector. We wish good luck to all the nominees in the final vote,” concluded the Chairman of the Recircle Awards Nominations Committee.

Valebridge Media Services also announced that the voting window is now open for the 2023 edition of the Recircle Awards. The public can now vote for their candidates after registering themselves on the website of the 2023 Recircle Awards: https://recircleawards.com/categories-2023/. The voting system allows for only one vote per person per category. Registered voters from the 2022 edition are encouraged to use their credentials from the previous year to log in and vote. 

Voting in the 2023 Recircle Awards is open until 23:59 GMT on Friday, September the 8th, 2023, with the 2023 Recircle Awards being announced on Thursday the 16th of November 2023 in an awards ceremony which is due to take part within the framework of Futurmotive – Expo and Talks organised by the trade fair Autopromotec in Bologna, Italy.

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Infiniteria has appointed Proman as its Engineering, Procurement and Construction partner for a circular tyre recycling facility in Uddevalla, Sweden. This collaboration marks a decisive move towards establishing what the company describes as Europe’s leading circular tyre recycling business, with the Uddevalla site serving as the cornerstone for a future network of industrial-scale plants across the continent.

The company specialises in transforming end-of-life tyres into high-value recovered materials, aiming to accelerate the transition to a more resilient circular economy. The Uddevalla facility stands as Infiniteria’s flagship project and represents the initial phase of a broader European expansion strategy.

Committed offtake agreements are already in place with major customers including Preem, Nokian Tyres and Michelin, underscoring strong industrial demand for the recovered materials.

Kajsa Ryttberg-Wallgren, CEO, Infiniteria, said, “Bringing Proman on board as our partner is a major step forward for Uddevalla. They have a proven track record in delivering complex industrial plants, and the discipline and capability they bring mark a decisive step towards starting operations. We are fully committed to Uddevalla as the long-term home of our flagship facility, to our customers and to building Europe’s leading circular tyre recycling business.”

Francisco Carlos, Managing Director, Proman Portugal, said, “We appreciate the confidence and trust placed in Proman by Infiniteria as we take on the role of Engineering, Procurement and Construction partner in the Uddevalla project. Proman brings strong global expertise and experience to the project, including project management, engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning of complex industrial facilities. We look forward to working with Infiniteria to progress the Uddevalla project towards successful completion.”

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Tyres Europe has released replacement tyre sales data for the first quarter of 2026, with the industry showing early signs of recovery according to an assessment by Secretary General Adam McCarthy. The figures from member companies reveal that consumer tyre segments, including passenger car, SUV and light commercial vehicle categories, rose by one percent compared to the first quarter of 2025. This modest growth follows a weak performance across the previous year.

McCarthy noted that the recovery was uneven across different tyre types. All Season tyres continued their strong momentum with a five percent increase, driven by consumer demand for year-round versatility, while summer tyres slipped by one percent as they lost further ground to all season alternatives. Winter tyres posted a sharp decline of 14 percent, which the Secretary General attributed to mild weather conditions across much of Europe. Members’ sales significantly outpaced imports, which were impacted by European produced tyres and possible regulatory action. Travel demand remained subdued during the quarter, with higher fuel prices linked to the Middle East conflict affecting the market from March.

Other segments reflected a mixed landscape. Truck and bus tyres edged up one percent, supported by improved freight activity and business sentiment before recent geopolitical developments and rising fuel costs created uncertainty. Agricultural tyres declined 11 percent amid continued caution in farm investment. In contrast, the moto and scooter tyre segment recorded a more positive six percent gain, according to the Tyres Europe report.

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Hankook Tire & Technology reported a sharp rise in first-quarter operating profit, supported by stronger sales of electric vehicle tyres and replacement tyres across key markets including Europe, Korea and China.

The South Korean tyre maker said consolidated revenue for the three months to March reached USD 3.63 billion, up 7 percent from a year earlier, while operating profit rose 42.9 per cent to USD 345.9 million.

Sales in the group’s tyre business increased 9.3 percent year-on-year to USD 1.75 billion. Operating profit in the division rose 31.1 percent to USD 298.6 million, representing an operating margin of 17.1 percent.

The company said demand for original equipment tyres supplied to electric vehicle and hybrid models, alongside higher replacement tyre sales, supported performance despite continued uncertainty linked to tariffs and elevated oil prices.

Hankook Tire said tyres measuring 18 inches and above accounted for 49.1 percent of total passenger car and light truck tyre sales in the quarter, up 2 percentage points from a year earlier. Electric vehicle tyres represented 29.6 percent of original equipment passenger car and light truck tyre sales, an increase of 6.6 percentage points year-on-year.

The company expanded original equipment tyre supply during the quarter for both internal combustion engine and electric vehicle models produced by Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Ford.

Hankook Tire said it currently supplies original equipment tyres to about 50 automotive brands across roughly 300 vehicle models, including Porsche.

The company also continued to expand its iON electric vehicle tyre range, which now covers about 300 specifications from 16-inch to 22-inch tyres.

Its thermal management subsidiary Hanon Systems reported first-quarter sales of USD 1.88 billion, up 5 percent year-on-year, while operating profit rose more than fourfold to USD 66.3 million.

Hankook Tire said it continued to expand production capacity at its Tennessee plant in the US and its Hungary facility in Europe as part of efforts to strengthen global supply capabilities.

The company said it aims to raise the proportion of high-inch tyres to 51 percent and electric vehicle tyres to more than 33 percent of passenger car and light truck original equipment tyre sales.

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Hankook Tire, the exclusive tyre supplier to the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, supported all competitors during the 2026 Hankook Berlin E-Prix. The double-header at Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit featured Hankook’s iON Race tyre, which was pushed to its limits by the venue’s rough concrete surface and a fast, 15-corner layout. Rounds 7 and 8 of Season 12 unfolded across two days on the 2.374-kilometre anticlockwise circuit, where tyre preservation and energy efficiency became critical success factors.

The abrasive concrete apron at Tempelhof forced drivers to carefully manage degradation, while the Turn 2 ATTACK MODE zone added a recurring strategic puzzle. Hankook’s iON Race rubber delivered steady grip and predictable handling as track conditions shifted between Saturday and Sunday. The double header demanded consistent tyre behaviour, with teams adjusting to changing rubber build up and surface temperatures over the two race days.

Nico Müller secured his first Formula E victory in Round 7, holding off Nick Cassidy and Oliver Rowland through disciplined energy management. In Round 8, Mitch Evans produced a remarkable comeback from last on the grid, passing Oliver Rowland and Pascal Wehrlein with a late decisive move to take the win. Both performances highlighted the tyre’s balance of durability and performance under racing stress.

Off track, the Berlin weekend drew large crowds to Hankook’s Fan Village, where interactive displays featured iON tyres on electric vehicles. The brand also partnered with DS Automobiles to debut the DS N°7 model. Following the Tempelhof races, the Formula E season now heads to Monaco for the next rounds on 16 and 17 May.

Manfred Sandbichler, Senior Director of Hankook Motorsport, said, "The Berlin double-header confirmed the resilience of the iON Race under some of the most demanding surface conditions in Formula E. Running two races at Tempelhof provided valuable insight into how the tyre responds to sustained abrasion across a full race weekend. The competitive racing and strategic variation across both days reflected the tyre’s ability to operate within a broad performance window, and these insights will support ongoing development alongside the championship."

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