Rubber, Chemical & Petrochemical Skill Development Council (RCPSDC) celebrated its Annual Awards on 16 December, 2022 in New Delhi, India. The award ceremony was held to facilitate the best performers in the rubber, chemical and petrochemical skilling ecosystem.

RCPSDC claims that the yearly awards ceremony drew active participation from government departments, the rubber, chemical and petrochemical industries, training partners and assessment agencies and important stakeholders from across the country.

KK Dwivedi, IAS, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India, was the Chief Guest at the event. Dwivedi recounted his first-hand experience of working closely with the rubber sector in Assam in his earlier innings as Principal Secretary of the state. According to RCPSDC, Dwivedi stated that there was an urgent need to equip the fast-growing rubber sector with skilled workforce, both in tapping and processing. “The rubber and chemical sector is expected to grow at eight to ten percent in the next few years and will require a continuous supply of a large skilled workforce. By upskilling one of the largest segments of the economy comprising the rubber, chemical and petrochemical sectors, RCPSDC is best placed to be a driver of India's economic growth. For that, all the stakeholders need to come in support of the sector skill council. The government is taking rubber, chemical and petrochemical as a priority sector and is committed to creating an empowering ecosystem,” said Dwivedi.

Furthermore, at the event, Vinod Patkotwar, Chairman, RCPSDC, emphasised in his welcoming speech the necessity to expand the skilling programmes in the country in order to meet the demand for a trained workforce, both domestically and internationally.

Hena Usman, IPoS, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, Government of India, also honoured the occasion as the guest of honour. RCPSDC states that Lt Col Gunjan Chowdhary, Director, National Corporation for Vocational Education & Training (NCVET), Dr Maneesh Mishra, Executive Vice President, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), Dr Deepak Paliwal, Joint Director, Pandit Sunderlal Sharma Central Institute of Vocational Education (PSSCIVE), Bhopal and Dr Vinay Swarup Mehrotra, Professor, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) were also the guests of honour.

Besides celebrating excellence, RCPSDC claims that it exchanged three MoUs at the awards ceremony, with Government Tool Room & Training Centre (GTTC), Karnataka for the execution of dual certification programmes and with Rabindranath Tagore University (RNTU), Bhopal for B Voc, and dual certification programmes. A further significant MoU was inked with the Bahadurgarh Chamber of Commerce and Industries (BCCI), Haryana for the implementation of re-skilling and upskilling programmes under various state/central government schemes.

RCPSDC further states that it launched the project ‘Utthaan’ at last year’s Annual Awards in 2021. ‘Utthaan’ is one of the ambitious projects aimed at the upskilling of workforce (unorganised or organised) in plastic waste segregation, processing and recycling job roles and to help them perform their jobs more effectively and enhance their productivity. Through an audio-visual presentation this year at the Annual Awards 2022, the participants were updated on the achievements of the project ‘Utthaan’ and how the same is transforming the lives of neglected strata of the society, according to RCPSDC. In the first phase, 205 sanitation workers have been trained under the project. On the occasion, special recognition was conferred on Dr Pradeep Mehta, State Head, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the Utthaan project, the training being imparted by Lok Bharti Group (an affiliated training partner of RCPSDC) and Rajiv Pandey, Assistant Director, Urban Development Directorate, State Urban Development Agency (SUDA), Government of Uttarakhand, as per RCPSDC.

Amongst industry partners, special awards were presented to JK Tyre & Industries (Best Industry Partner – Rubber), Varroc Polymers (Best Industry Partner – CPC) and Bridgestone India (Best CSR Project). Training partners across different training methodologies were recognised as well, claims RCPSDC. Prerna Group (Best Training Partner – RPL BICE), Yashaswi Group (Best Training Partner – NAPS), Wayline Management Consultants (Best Training Partner – RPL) and VDA Technologies (Best Training Partner – STT) were adjudged the winners. Mercer Mettl (Best Assessment Agency – First Prize) and Trendsetters Skill Assessors Private Limited (Best Assessment Agency – Second Prize) received awards as best assessment agencies, according to RCPSDC.

The best trainers and assessor’s awards were bestowed on Abhinav Swami (Best Trainer – CPC), Abdul Raoof A (Best Trainer – Rubber), Pushpendra Singh Arya (Best Assessor – Rubber) and Manash Jyoti (Best Assessor – CPC). RCPSDC states that the best trainees were chosen from a large number of entries – Sunita Devi (Best Trainee – Plastic Waste Management and Segregator, First Prize), Shobha (Best Trainee – Plastic Waste Management and Segregator Second Prize), Sandeep Prajapati (Best Trainee – CPC, First Prize), Azad Mansuri (Best Trainee – CPC, Second Prize), Dipali Das (Best Trainee – NR Plantation, First Prize), Sudip Sarkar (Best Trainee – NR Plantation, Second Prize), Kanchan Dashrath More (Best Trainee – Rubber Manufacturing, First Prize), Akash (Best Trainee – Rubber Manufacturing, Second Prize).

Sharing his views, Saif Mohammad, CEO, RCPSDC, said, “I congratulate all of the awardees and give my best wishes to RCPSDC for completing a successful decade of hard work in the skilling ecosystem. We are committed to continuing our efforts to boost the efficiency of the rubber, chemical and petrochemical sector through skill training, and unlock the sector's growth prospects. RCPSDC is actively pursuing excellence in the rubber, chemical and petrochemical sectors, and we look forward to acknowledging and celebrating the achievements of our stakeholders in the coming years.”

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Tegeta Green Planet and Shine Energy, both affiliated with Tegeta Holding, have launched a joint educational initiative to raise environmental awareness and a sense of responsibility among young people. The project addresses modern challenges such as environmental protection and sustainable development.

Company representatives are visiting schools across Tbilisi to hold informational meetings, presentations and workshops. The programme begins with presentations, followed by interactive games and activities designed to help students retain the information. At the end of each session, participants receive symbolic gifts and prizes as motivation.

Tegeta Green Planet focuses on teaching students the principles of specific waste management, including how to properly handle used tyres, batteries and oils. The sessions explain why proper waste management is essential for environmental protection and how it connects to the circular economy. Meanwhile, Shine Energy educates young people on the importance of energy, its everyday use and why developing renewable and sustainable energy resources is crucial.

The initiative is not limited to schools. In the near future, both organisations will expand their efforts to universities, aiming to broaden awareness about environmental protection, waste management and energy efficiency. The ultimate goal is to foster environmentally responsible attitudes among the younger generation, helping build a more sustainable and conscious society.

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Zeon has been recognised as a Supplier Engagement Leader in the 2025 Supplier Engagement Assessment (SEA) conducted by CDP, a United Kingdom-based international environmental nonprofit organisation. This achievement represents the first time the company has received the highest possible rating in this assessment.

The evaluation measures how corporations address climate change within their supply chains, focusing on responses to the CDP Climate Change Questionnaire across five critical areas. These include governance, emissions targets, Scope 3 emissions management, risk management and overall supplier engagement strategies.

Zeon earned the top rating for its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through supplier collaboration, a group-wide initiative, alongside continuous dialogue maintained via procurement activities. Guided by its philosophy of contributing to planetary preservation and human prosperity, Zeon remains committed to sustainable management. The company reaffirmed that it will continue working with suppliers and other stakeholders to tackle climate change and meet societal expectations.

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German chemical group WACKER has announced a price increase of up to 15 percent for its resins, dispersions and dispersible polymer powders produced at its European and US facilities. The adjustment takes effect on 1 June 2026, or as existing customer contracts permit. The move is designed to allow the company’s Polymers division to maintain high product quality, deliver technological innovations and provide superior customer service and technical support. It will also support investments aimed at securing future growth in key markets.

Rising costs for raw materials and logistics have forced the pricing measure, with the Polymers division being particularly affected. The recent conflict in the Middle East has caused significant disruptions across global commodity markets. As a direct result, prices for energy, raw materials and transportation have climbed sharply.

Despite the increase, WACKER remains focused on sustaining its commitment to customer support and long-term capability. The company underscored that the adjustment is necessary to continue meeting market demands while ensuring operational stability and future-oriented development across its focus markets.

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Pirelli North America has launched its first closed-loop circular recycling initiative, marking a significant step in the company’s broader strategy to increase recycled and bio‑based content in its tyre production. The project has received the Tire Recycling Foundation’s Value Chain Collaboration Award.

The programme recovers scrap tyres generated during Pirelli’s own North American manufacturing process. These materials are sent to Bolder Industries, which applies ISCC PLUS‑certified pyrolysis technology to produce BolderBlack recovered carbon black. Pirelli then reintroduces this material into new tyre production at its North American facilities, partially replacing virgin carbon black. The effort is part of a wider Pirelli plan to expand such industrial ecosystems across the group’s production network, aiming to valorise waste by reintegrating recovered materials into tyre manufacturing.

Beyond the award, the initiative reflects Pirelli’s broader circularity approach, which includes ongoing work to boost recycled and bio‑based material usage. The company targets over 80 percent bio‑based and recycled content in its best‑performing products and forty percent in total production by 2030.

Claudio Zanardo, CEO, Pirelli North America, said, "The Rome plant is one of the most technologically advanced manufacturing facilities in Pirelli. This initiative reflects an approach focused on increasing the use of recovered materials within existing production processes. It is part of a broader effort to gradually integrate raw materials derived from recycled resources into our products while maintaining consistency in performance and quality."

Tony Wibbeler, CEO, Bolder Industries, said, "Our collaboration demonstrates that a traceable, mass-balance approach to tyre-to-tyre circularity is not only achievable, but it's ready to scale inside a premium manufacturing environment, meeting real performance and certification requirements at every step. This is the kind of progress the industry has been working toward for many years."

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