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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The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has confirmed that its flagship ADVAN brand tyres powered the JR2 Class victor at 2026 WRC FORUM8 Rally Japan, the seventh round of the FIA World Rally Championship. The race took place from 28 to 31 May on courses spanning Japan’s Aichi and Gifu prefectures.

The ADVAN A051T tarmac rally tyres delivered the grip, control and wear resistance essential for navigating the event’s technically demanding stages under high surface temperatures. The JR2 Class is designated for national and regional rally vehicles with engine displacements above 1600 cc and up to 2500 cc. The winning car was a TOYOTA 86 fielded by K-ONE RACING TEAM, driven by Yuta Yamamoto and Shizuka Takehara.

Their well-coordinated, precision driving, combined with the ADVAN A051T tyres’ performance, allowed them to clock the fastest time on every stage except SS10, where a Notional Time was applied. The pair finished over 17 minutes ahead of the second-place car. Yamamoto has now claimed first place in the JR2 Class at Rally Japan for five consecutive years, with ADVAN tyres contributing each time.

Beyond Rally Japan, Yamamoto also competes in the Japanese Rally Championship, where he has secured the JN-3 class series title for three straight years, again supported by ADVAN rally tyres. Rally Japan is the country’s round of the WRC, which ranks alongside Formula 1 and the FIA World Endurance Championship as a premier global motorsport series. The competition is run entirely on tarmac roads, and this year’s WRC calendar features 14 rounds across different nations worldwide.

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Tyres Europe has responded to the European Commission’s recent policy package on the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), offering qualified support for measures that reduce red tape. Industry representatives have pointed to proposed exemptions for retreaded and test tyres as a positive step, arguing these products do not present the same supply chain traceability risks as standard new tyres. The move is seen as a way to prevent unnecessary administrative costs for businesses.

A significant point of clarity within the Commission’s documents involves the dual legal status of tyre makers. Under the new framework, manufacturers are considered operators when importing natural rubber but become first downstream operators when selling finished goods. Tyres Europe has endorsed this distinction, stating it prevents the needless circulation of due diligence statement numbers after the raw material has already been cleared at the border. The association believes the same rationale should apply to imported finished tyres, which have already satisfied verification requirements upon entry.

Nevertheless, serious practical hurdles remain, particularly concerning the EUDR’s digital infrastructure. The tyre sector routinely mixes domestically produced and imported tyres within the same warehouses for extended periods, forcing companies to repeatedly consolidate large volumes of due diligence references for customer shipments. Although the Commission has acknowledged the necessity of grouping tools, the current design of the Information System may undermine these simplified procedures. Industry leaders warn that without technically sound solutions, system resilience could be compromised.

Tyres Europe has formally requested that the EUDR’s existing implementation deadline stay unchanged. Instead of delaying the rules, the group urges policymakers to resolve unresolved operational issues through narrowly tailored fixes. The ultimate goal is to prevent duplicate transmission obligations wherever prior due diligence can be clearly demonstrated, ensuring that supply chains remain functional without sacrificing regulatory oversight.

Adam McCarthy, Secretary General, Tyres Europe, said, “The tyre industry supports the objectives of the EUDR and is ready to implement it. After years of preparation, companies now need implementation certainty. The priority now should be to ensure that the remaining operational issues are addressed through targeted refinements and further implementation guidance, rather than through any reopening of the Regulation itself.”

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The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. has been named a ‘Supplier Engagement Leader’, the top ranking in the 2025 Supplier Engagement Assessment by CDP, a global environmental nonprofit focused on a sustainable economy. This marks the second consecutive year the company has received the highest rating.

The CDP assessment examines how businesses effectively collaborate with suppliers on climate change issues, based on five criteria from its climate questionnaire: governance and strategy, emissions targets, Scope 3 emissions, risk management and supplier cooperation. Yokohama Rubber aims to achieve net zero CO₂ emissions from its own operations by 2050 and has disclosed Scope 3 emissions since 2013.

To address supply chain climate impact, the company created the Yokohama Green Procurement Guidelines with suppliers to promote eco-friendly raw materials. It also holds annual CSR briefings for suppliers on carbon neutrality. Under its ‘Caring for the Future’ sustainability slogan, Yokohama Rubber continues to generate shared value by tackling social issues through business activities.

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HF Group’s Freudenburg site in Germany has once again been awarded the EcoVadis Gold Medal, a distinction granted only to the top five percent of companies assessed by EcoVadis in the 12 months prior to the medal issue date.

The recognition reflects the quality of the company’s sustainability management system and demonstrates a firm commitment to promoting transparency throughout the value chain, acknowledging its continued dedication to responsible business practices and continuous improvement.

Simultaneously, the group is now preparing for a group-wide EcoVadis assessment, aiming to achieve its first consolidated group result by the close of 2026. This initiative represents another important milestone in strengthening HF Group’s sustainability journey on a global level, reinforcing its long-term environmental and social governance objectives across all operations.

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