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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Giti Tire has secured a Guinness World Records title for the highest speed achieved by electric vehicle tyres, following a run in which its specially engineered GitiSport e.GTR2 Pro tyres reached 503.17 kmph (312.65 mph). The record was set on 1 November 2026 on a specially secured section of the Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road (E11) in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra Region, surpassing the previous benchmark of 496.22 kmph set at ATP Papenburg in Germany in September 2025.

The achievement was marked on 6 November 2026 at a ‘Celebration of Speed’ event at Burj Khalifa in Dubai, where Dr Enki Tan, Executive Chairman of Giti Tire Group, received the official Guinness World Records certificate. German professional racing driver Marc Basseng drove the YANGWANG U9 Xtreme during the record-setting attempt.

The GitiSport e.GTR2 Pro resulted from more than three years of collaborative development, engineering innovation and rigorous testing. Designed to withstand the extreme forces of an electric hypercar producing over 3,000 PS, the bespoke tyre features high-strength aramid fibre reinforcement and a specialised racing profile. Giti’s engineers worked closely with YANGWANG and Basseng throughout the programme, refining performance according to vehicle dynamics, aerodynamic changes and driving feedback, and further optimised the tyres for the Abu Dhabi highway conditions with critical technical support.

For Giti Tire, the title reflects the strength of its international research and development network, technical expertise and ability to collaborate with leading manufacturers on demanding projects. With 75 years of tyre manufacturing experience and a presence in more than 130 countries, the company continues advancing engineering capabilities across passenger car, commercial vehicle and high-performance tyres. Its expertise is recognised through extensive Original Equipment partnerships, and lessons from extreme-speed projects contribute to wider development priorities including braking, handling, comfort, efficiency and durability.

Basseng said, “When you're pushing the limits of speed, confidence is everything. Having worked closely with Giti's engineers throughout this journey, I've developed tremendous trust in their expertise, dedication and attention to detail. Knowing that every detail had been carefully tested, checked and prepared gave me the confidence to focus entirely on driving and push beyond what we had previously achieved.”

Dr Tan said, “This will be marked as a true Milestone in Automotive history, going beyond 500kmph in an electric vehicle is an industry game changer. Giti and YANGWANG have together pushed beyond the limits of technology to attain the ‘Highest Speed Achieved by Electric Vehicle Tires’. This achievement is a testament to innovation, dedication and the relentless pursuit of excellence demonstrated by our global research and development teams. We engineer tyres that perform under the most extreme conditions. Beyond setting records, this partnership reinforces our commitment to advancing tyre technology, delivering innovative solutions for the evolving automotive industry and inspiring greater confidence in the Giti brand among vehicle manufacturers and motorists worldwide.”

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Tyres Europe has issued a statement clarifying that recycled content targets under the End-of-Life Vehicles Regulation (ELVR), adopted on 8 July 2026, should apply only to materials expressly covered by the regulation, particularly plastics in vehicles. The organisation argues these targets must not be interpreted as extending to tyres or any material used in their construction. Tyres are bonded composites of rubber compounds, structural textiles and steel cords, and the statement examines each material individually.

On rubber, Article 6(3) of the ELVR explicitly excludes rubber materials used in tyres from plastic recycled content targets. For textiles, Tyres Europe considers those from tyres or other vehicle components to fall outside the scope of plastic recycled content targets, noting that plastics and textiles are regulated under separate legislation with their own definitions even when made from the same base polymer. Steel reinforcement in tyres is explicitly excluded from the delegated act on recycled steel foreseen under Article 6(7).

The organisation warns that bringing tyre materials into the ELVR would create regulatory overlap. Tyres are already a priority product group in the ESPR 2025-2030 working plan, with Ecodesign criteria work ongoing and a Delegated Act foreseen by the end of 2027. Tyres Europe maintains that ESPR is the appropriate tool for assessing recycled content, recyclability, information requirements and other sustainability criteria for all tyre materials. The full statement is available on the Tyres Europe website.

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Vredestein, a brand of Apollo Tyres Ltd, has been ranked joint second among the best all-season tyre manufacturers in Auto Bild’s 2026 manufacturer rankings. The German automotive publication’s recognition follows several ‘Exemplary’ ratings earned by Vredestein all-season products in independent tests. Auto Bild’s annual manufacturer rankings assess brands across three categories: summer, winter and all-season tyres.

The brand’s all-season heritage dates to 1993, when it launched the Quatrac as the segment was still emerging. In 2019, Vredestein expanded the range with the Quatrac Pro, designed specifically for high-performance vehicles. The Quatrac Pro 2, introduced earlier this year, succeeded the original Pro as the high-performance flagship of the all-season lineup. It carries an ‘A’ rating for wet grip and is offered in sizes for 17- to 24-inch rims.

In Auto Bild’s recent all-season tyre test, the Quatrac Pro 2 achieved the best overall snow performance and the second-shortest wet braking distance, securing second place overall. In a separate Auto Bild Allrad assessment, the tyre was praised for strong snow capability, the shortest wet braking distance and solid results across other wet criteria, earning second place in a highly competitive test. The latest honour adds to other independent recognition, including a ‘Very good’ rating and a price-performance recommendation for the Quatrac in Auto Moto und Sport’s recent test of ten all-season tyres.

Yves Pouliquen, Vice President, Commercial (Europe, Middle East & Africa), Apollo Tyres Ltd, said, “When Vredestein began developing all-season tyres in 1993, the aim was to give drivers confidence in one set of tyres throughout the year. With the Quatrac Pro 2, we have extended that approach to drivers who also expect the precise handling of an ultra-high-performance tyre. We are proud to see our work on this product and our wider all-season portfolio recognised in Auto Bild’s annual ranking.”

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Sri Trang Group has reiterated its dedication to developing the natural rubber sector while protecting the environment and assisting nearby communities. The company recently held the second edition of its 2026 ‘One Sri Trang, One Environment’ initiative at Rubberland Products Company Limited's Mukdahan Branch. Worayan Bunnarat, Governor of Mukdahan, headed a delegation of senior provincial officials from the Provincial Industry, Labour and Public Health Offices. Community leaders and partner networks also participated to learn about the factory's responsible management approach.

Welcoming the delegation were Chalermpop Khanjan, Executive Director of Sri Trang Agro-Industry Public Company Limited, and Mustopa Longsaman, Factory Manager of the Mukdahan branch. A symbolic tree-watering ceremony opened proceedings, underscoring a collective commitment to environmental stewardship. Attendees then explored an exhibition displaying natural rubber innovations spanning the supply chain, from traceability systems to programmes enhancing local quality of life. A standout initiative converts discarded plastic bottles into eco-friendly brooms, creating income for residents. The exhibition also recognised collaborative efforts, backed by provincial authorities, that enabled the branch's TO BE NUMBER ONE Club to attain national distinction as a ‘Silver-Level Model Workplace, Year 1’.

Visitors witnessed production processes directly, with particular attention to odour prevention and control at the source. Measures include a fully enclosed raw material storage building, ozone-based air treatment and a biofilter system for reducing odours. The Mukdahan facility has further refined its environmental monitoring through E-Nose intelligent electronic nose technology, which identifies odours and evaluates their dispersion in real time while allowing continuous data sharing with local communities. Alongside this, the V-Pass Smart Receive digital system screens raw material transport vehicles from the outset, helping avert rubber serum leakage along transportation routes.

Sri Trang Group is confident the event will reinforce trust between the factory and neighbouring communities through transparent disclosure of its operational practices. The Group continues to pursue the facility's progression towards ‘green factory’ status and remains committed to stable, sustainable growth in partnership with rubber farmers, local communities and the environment.

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