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EuRIC Manifesto for Tyres

Ewan Scott
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EuRIC Manifesto for Tyres

EuRIC has taken the call for better ELT processes to the European Union in its manifesto

The recycling of tyres in Europe, despite numerous EPR and Tax schemes, plus a few free market systems, has failed to maximise the value in waste tyres.

There is no single voice lobbying for tyre recycling, but EuRIC has taken a more proactive stance of late.

The EuRIC manifesto makes five calls for improvement to the way Europe handles its waste tyre arisings.

  • Boosting demand for recycled materials from ELTs: Binding targets for recycled rubber in new tyres and automotive parts are essential to drive demand, reduce reliance on virgin materials, and develop circular end[1]markets for ELT-derived materials.
  • Banning exports of unprocessed waste tyres outside the EU and establishing EU-wide EoW criteria for recycled tyre rubber: Preventing the export of unprocessed and shredded ELTs is key to avoiding environmental harm and retaining valuable materials in Europe whilst enforcing the Waste Shipment Regulation and setting harmonised EU-wide end-of-waste criteria for ELT-derived rubber will boost high-value recycling, remove trade barriers, and strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy.
  • Ensuring design for recycling with strong eco-design requirements: Ensure tyres are recyclable, retreadable, and free from harmful substances. Tyre design must support circularity, with producers held accountable for non-recyclable models.
  • Leveraging the Digital Product Passport (DPP) for tyres: Ensure tyres are designed for repair, reuse, and recyclability under the ESPR, with clear DPP data (e.g., chemical content, recyclability) to support safer and more efficient recycling processes.
  • Aligning chemicals policy with circularity goals: Ensure stable, science[1]based chemicals legislation that supports circularity, avoids unnecessary bans, and promotes transparency and standardised testing for recycled rubber materials

The EuRIC manifesto covers the steps needed in more detail and is available HERE.

Also, on June 19th at 9:00am BST, there will be a EuRIC webinar on tyre recycling with guest speakers such as Poul Steen Rasmussen from Genan.

RPM Automotive Opens Melbourne Plant

Ewan Scott
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RPM Automotive Opens Melbourne Plant

RPM Automotive Group hopes to help reduce nationwide end-of-life tyre wastage with the opening of a $4 million recycling facility in suburban Victoria and the launch of an associated tyre recycling programme

RPM is Australia’s leading automotive parts distributor and imports commercial vehicle tyres, which it sells through a network of outlets throughout Australia.

The tyre recycling development will use reverse logistics as well as sourcing tyres from the open market.

The Stage 1, 3,500 square metre facility is currently processing more than 180 tonnes of used tyres per week and has scope to increase this to more than 300t per week. At full capacity, the recycling facility will see RPM capture around 5 per cent of national market share.

RPM is ramping up its recycling program, which aims to address a critical environmental challenge by repurposing tyres that would otherwise end up as landfill. The programme will access the company’s existing distribution network and customer base to collect and recycle up to 54,000t of end-of-life tyres within the next five years.

The company plans to create recycled rubber-based products from the scrap tyres for use in applications such as road infrastructure and as low-grade diesel fuel for industrial kilns, mills and power plants.

The ban Australia’s federal government placed on the export of waste or scrap tyres in December 2021 has increased demand for domestic sustainable solutions.

RPM’s recycling program aims to address end-of-life tyre waste, where a significant gap remains between the volume of waste produced and the amount successfully recovered.

RPM comprises a number of businesses involved in tyres, mechanical repairs, motorsport apparel and safety equipment, niche manufacturing and a roadside assistance service for the transport industry.

The company launched a $4m capital campaign to to primarily fund Stage 1 and Stage 2 of its tyre recycling programme.

 The two-tranche placement issued approximately 56 million new fully paid ordinary shares at $0.072 each, plus an equal amount of free attaching options.

RPM has reported an improved performance in the three months to end March, driven by the normalisation of trading conditions, better buying and strong demand for its product range. The company recorded sales revenue of $89.9m for the period, representing a 1.4 per cent increase on the previous corresponding period. EBITDA for the quarter was up 8.2 per cent on the previous period to $9.5m. Positive outlook Chief executive officer Clive Finkelstein said the business outlook remained positive.

“Our focus this quarter has been on our tyre recycling business, which offers an exciting growth avenue and which we are confident will exceed original processing forecasts,” he said. “I am also pleased to report that our traditional businesses continue to perform in line with forecast projections.”

Bridgestone Helps in Welsh River Clear-Up

Ewan Scott
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Bridgestone Helps in Welsh River Clear-Up

Bridgestone has been proving that it’s not just their premium tyres that go the extra mile, after an industrious team of volunteers went even further for a community clean-up of a picturesque Welsh river – following a substantial donation to the project

A dynamic team from the company’s Warwick head offices made the trip to South Wales to help with the Ogmore River Clean Project and the removal of thousands of tyres from the beauty spot, which are thought to have been dumped up to 40 years ago.

Bridgestone was eager to lend its support for the week-long river clean, headed up by environmental charity A Peace for Nature, featuring up to six excavators and the recovery of a huge number of tyres, which will now be recycled responsibly with some rubber crumb being used in local parks and playgrounds.

Not content with making the financial donation, Bridgestone wanted to play its part in person, too, with its volunteer group helping with the removal of hundreds of tyres on Wednesday (7th), whilst also collecting bags of litter from the surrounding river banks and nearby countryside.

A Peace for Nature Founder and CEO Alun Phillips, said: “We’re extremely grateful to Bridgestone for the donation and their help this week. Moreover, the environment is grateful too. There’s such a strong community spirit in this part of the world, and we’ve seen Bridgestone display that same ethos when visiting us, which has meant a great deal. There’s been a real sense of collectiveness and togetherness, and Bridgestone has really bought into this from the moment we contacted them. We have been able to remove thousands of tyres and have made a great deal of progress.”

Bridgestone’s Commercial Director & Head of Region North David Almazán said; “We were delighted to support the Ogmore River Clean Project. Contributing financially was one thing, but we also wanted to roll up our sleeves and make a hands-on difference too. We were proud to be part of such a special initiative.”

Niutech’s Cutting-Edge Pyrolysis Technology

Ewan Scott
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Niutech’s Cutting-Edge Pyrolysis Technology

Niutech offers a solution to the approximately 1.5 billion waste tyres generated worldwide each year, with over 50 million annually in the UK alone

In a nod to the waste tyre export issue, Niutech points out that more than half of these are transferred to developing countries through what it calls a  “grey” trade.

This transnational movement of “black pollution” exposes the global lack of effective solutions for the comprehensive utilisation of tyres.

In the face of the global challenge of safe and environmentally friendly disposal of scrap tyres, Niutech, an international leader in continuous pyrolysis, with over 30 years of focus on cutting-edge pyrolysis technology, has independently developed a “large-scale industrial continuous intelligent scrap tyre pyrolysis production line” with complete proprietary intellectual property rights.

When we spoke to Niutech at IFAT in 2024, the company was emphatic that it no longer produced batch pyrolysis systems, as these had been outlawed in China.

Leveraging a powerful AI-controlled system, Niutech technology can continuously convert scrap tyres into high-value-added renewable energy products at capacities ranging from ten thousand to one million tons.

These can then be further processed into chemical raw materials for the production of new products, creating a perfect circular loop from waste to new products. Currently, this technology has been implemented in dozens of countries and regions, including Germany, South Korea, Brazil, and China, successfully completing 10000-ton-scale industrial projects.

The Niutech production line was specifically developed for the global high-end circular economy market. It consists of “intelligent feeding system, continuous pyrolysis system, non-condensable gas scrubbing system, oil separating and cooling system, circulating water cooling system, flue gas purification system, intelligent discharge system, and fully automated control system.

Accordinmg to Niutech, the system integrates nearly 10,000 proprietary technical parameters, the pyrolysis process under AI control achieves optimal operation. The system can operate stably for several months at full capacity, from ten thousand to one million tons, with a pyrolysis rate exceeding 99.5%, and a 30% increase in efficiency.

Additionally, with proprietary heat recovery technology and multi-stage tail gas purification, the entire system reduces energy consumption by 40%. All emissions meet the environmental standards of the EU EEA and US EPA. Currently, the Niutech equipment has obtained EU CE Certification, German TUV Certification, and ATEX Certification. Related projects have passed ISCC EU/PLUS international sustainability and carbon certification, and products meet the requirements of the EU Renewable Energy Directive (RED II). They are regarded as the “ultimate solution” to global tyre pollution.

Grupo BB&G  Tech Sold

Ewan Scott
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Grupo BB&G  Tech Sold

Prismore Capital, BDI-BioEnergy International and Rieckermann Announce Strategic Investment in BB&G Tyre Pyrolysis Technology

Prismore Capital, BDI-BioEnergy International GmbH, and JR New Horizons (the investment arm of the Rieckermann Group) have jointly acquired Grupo BB&G’s advanced tyre pyrolysis technology through BB&G Recycling, a newly formed subsidiary. This strategic investment includes patents, know-how, a demo plant in Portugal, and a collaboration agreement with industry leaders, Bridgestone and Versalis (ENI).

This deal was finalised after BDI-BioEnergy International, co-acquired by Rieckermann in January 2024, was approached by Prismore Capital to be a potential technology and investment partner. BDI is a supplier and innovator of greentech solutions.

The innovative tyre pyrolysis technology  produces tyre pyrolysis oil (TPO) and recovered carbon black (rCB), both of which can be utilised to manufacture new tyres or alternative rubber-based products such as seals and compound-based plastic products.

The joint venture through BB&G Recycling further strengthens the continued development of the BB&G brand through:

  • Continued process optimisation and technology roll out will lead to enhanced technology availability and high-quality product offerings in the market
  • The development of own industrial plants further supports reducing the environmental impact of tyre disposal and promotes a circular economy. This reduces waste and the need for fossil-based raw materials, contributing to environmental sustainability.
  • The marketing and sales of the process technology to international markets helps to address and solve critical environmental issues globally.

Miguel Gil Mata, CEO of Prismore Capital, commented; “This strategic investment marks a significant milestone in our efforts to strengthen and scale our circular economy vertical. We are excited to collaborate with BDI and Rieckermann to bring this cutting-edge technology to market.”

David Niederl and Manfred Baumgartner, Managing Directors of BDI, commented; “BDI is proud to be the technology partner in this joint venture. The innovative tyre pyrolysis technology not only addresses a critical environmental issue but also promotes a circular economy by converting end-of-life tyres into valuable products. This strategic investment also allows us to diversify and strengthen our position in pyrolysis technologies, thereby fostering innovation and technological advancements within the industry.”

Flynn Seidel, Chairman of Rieckermann GmbH, added; “With the tyre pyrolysis technology, our customers in Asia can look forward to the development of new and improved products and high-quality, sustainable options. Leveraging on the Rieckermann Group’s extensive operating network in Asia and MENA, we can effectively market the technology licenses and solidify BB&G’s position and ours as the first choice industrial solution provider.”

New CEO for SIGNUS Ecovalor

Ewan Scott
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New CEO for SIGNUS Ecovalor

The Board of Directors of SIGNUS has appointed Carlos Prieto Menéndez as the new CEO of SIGNUS, following the retirement of Gabriel Leal

Menéndez’ objective will focus on seeking greater operational and management optimisation and promoting circular economy initiatives through alternative recycling and recovery solutions, among other strategic lines defined by the Board of Directors.

Carlos Prieto holds a degree in Economics and Business Administration from the Autonomous University of Madrid. He has had a long professional career in various positions of responsibility at large companies such as Cepsa, Amena, and ONO.

He led the Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Services of Madrid for twelve years as Deputy General Manager and later as General Manager.

He has also served on several Boards of Directors: IFEMA, INE, Avalmadrid, INICAP Venture Capital Fund, and the Centre for Economic Forecasting (CEPREDE), among others.

For the past six years, he has served as General Manager of Plastic Energy in Spain and Vice President of the Audit Committee of COTEC. He is currently Vice President of the Circular Economy Committee of CEOE and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Autonomous University of Madrid.

REGOM Wins Green Product Award 2025

Ewan Scott
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REGOM Wins Green Product Award 2025

A record of 1500 participants from 46 countries applied for the Green Product Awards, demonstrating the growing importance of sustainable products and materials in shaping a more sustainable future. Every year, the Green Product Award recognises products and concepts that stand out in terms of design, innovation and sustainability

The winners in 11 categories have now been selected from 250 nominated products and concepts.

Tire repurposing was honoured with the Green Product Award 2025 in the Initiatives category during the award ceremony on May 15th at the Nordic Embassies in Berlin. Embassy envoys and jurors such as Uwe Melichar (Touch Design Ltd.), Prof. Claus-Christian Eckhardt (Lund University), Katja Keienburg (baby&junior) presented the awards to winners from Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

REGOM provides AI-powered solutions for identifying and grading used tyres at an industrial speed of one tyre every three seconds. Designed for tyre collectors and recyclers, its technology optimises sorting for reuse, resell, retread, material recovery and pyrolysis.

The tyre recycling sector has been slow to adopt digital transformation, relying on manual inspection for decades. REGOM disrupts this status quo by bringing AI-driven efficiency and technology increase yields for reuse applications extending tire lifespan, reducing waste, minimising environmental impact and preventing landfill accumulation.

UK to Permit Crumb Rubber Infill

Ewan Scott
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UK to Permit Crumb Rubber Infill

In an Option Appraisal for Intentionally Added Microplastics, DeFRA has chosen to not ban crumb rubber infill but to advise on containment

As part of the UK REACH 2022/23 Work Programme, Defra (Dept of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) commissioned a study titled “Option Appraisal for Intentionally Added Microplastics” which evaluates the risks and policy options for microplastics intentionally added to products, and models their environmental and socioeconomic impacts of various risk management options over the period from 2024 to 2043.  The study includes a detailed assessment of containment measures for synthetic turf sports pitches.
In amongst other risks, the report looked at the Risk management Options for crumb rubber infill and advised in favour of mitigation through containment measures.

ESTC, the consultants on this review,  incorporated sustainability at the heart of its strategy and is committed to proactively advance environmental responsibility within the synthetic turf industry. The release stated; “ESTC supports well-designed legislative measures to minimise the release of polymeric infills into the environment and will continue to monitor developments under UK REACH and other national frameworks. We remain dedicated to advocating for evidence-based, proportionate policies that protect the environment while ensuring the long-term sustainability of our sector.”

It is worth noting that the ESTC estimate the average market value for crumb rubber to be £47m, and the average volume utilised to be 4742tpa.

The full document is available on the DeFRA website – details at the end of this article.

The key RMO for crumb rubber infill are as follows:

This RMO will require RMMs leading to a reduction of more than 90% of microplastic emissions from sport surface infill materials to be implemented by 2027. The RMMs might include:

• Installation of pitch barriers and containment measures: for example, perimeter barriers for preventing loss of infill material that has accumulated at the pitch edge and profiled paved margins to separate synthetic turf from the surrounding environment.

 • Specific maintenance brushes and storage areas: for example, the use of a specific maintenance brush which is used only for the synthetic turf field – in addition, the maintenance equipment (including brushes) is stored within a specific area within the facility (the brush must never leave the facility).

 • Behaviour changes: for example, signs that ask maintenance vehicles and maintenance staff and player clothes and shoes to be brushed off before leaving the pitch (boot cleaning/brushing stations will be installed next to pitches).

 • Installation of drainage and filters to stop surface water from transporting infill material away from the pitch (not considered in the mitigated emissions scenario in this report

The jury remains undecided on leachates from crumb rubber, so whilst the containment measures go some way to allaying any fears about microplastic pollution, they do not address the leachates issue that remains a concern for some lobbyists.

Whilst the UK has decided not to ban crumb rubber infill, this is a battle won, but there may be more steps to come if the leachates research comes to a negative conclusion in the future.

DeFRA page with links to the Options PDF Option Appraisal for Intentionally Added Microplastics – CB04121

Pyrum and Thermo Lysi Sign Contract

Ewan Scott
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Pyrum and Thermo Lysi Sign Contract

Pyrum Innovations AG and Thermo Lysi SA have signed an engineering contract in the amount of EUR 2.2 million

The contract marks an important milestone for the company, as it is the first engineering contract to be signed after a plant has been granted a construction permit.

Pyrum will now begin the detailed engineering of the planned plant, which is expected to take six months.

In parallel, Thermo Lysi SA is currently engaged in financing discussions, including talks about EU funding that could cover part of the total costs. Both companies have decided to initiate detailed engineering even before the final financing decision is finalised in order to prepare the next steps of the project development in a targeted manner.

Pascal Klein, CEO of Pyrum Innovations AG said; “We are delighted that the project in Greece is moving to the next phase. It is a significant step, and we are proud that our technology will help to relieve the burden on the Greek waste tyre disposal system.”

This follows the announcement in January that Thermo Lysi SA had received approval to build a Pyrum plant for waste recycling using pyrolysis. Once the detailed planning has been completed, the internationally active Greek construction company Archirodon will adapt the documents to Greek law.

The recycling plant will be built on a site around 140 kilometres north of Athens in the Livanates region. Pyrum plans to acquire a 15 per cent stake in the project company‘s equity. Both companies currently expect project preparations of the first joint plant to begin in 2025.

The 2025 Recircle Awards Winners to be Announced at Autopromotec

Naida Jahić
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The 2025 Recircle Awards Winners to be Announced at Autopromotec

Retreading Business and Tyre & Rubber Recycling magazines, the organisers of the Recircle Awards, the global industry awards event recognising sustainable innovation, production processes, management and services within the tyre retreading and recycling sectors, will reveal this year’s winners during the Autopromotec Exhibition in Bologna, Italy

The 2025 Recircle Awards ceremony will take place on 22 May at 5:30 PM in the Gallery Area between Halls 1 and 2 at the Bologna Fairground after the Future of Retreading and Recycling Conference. The event will also be livestreamed on YouTube on the official Retreading Business channel, starting at 5:30 PM. Prior to the ceremony, there will be a welcome cocktail, starting at 5:00 PM.

This year’s edition of the Recircle Awards has 22 categories in total, with 19:

Best Company Director:

  • Alexei Nicolini (Budini Inc.)
  • Allen Timpany (Circtec)
  • Fred Bonney (GSL Tire Recycling)
  • Günter Ihle (Rigdon GmbH)
  • Haarjeev Kandhari (Vaculug)

Best Retreading Accessory and Consumables Supplier:

  • B&J Rocket
  • Marangoni
  • Presti Industries
  • Shamrock Marketing
  • VM Rubber

Best Retreading Equipment Supplier:

  • Cima Impianti
  • Italmatic
  • Matteuzzi
  • TRM
  • Vipal Machinery

Best Retreading Industry Innovation:

  • Cima Impianti: Ecoline Presses
  • Italmatic: Crater Tire CT 4.0 Double Skiving Robot
  • Rigdon / Innok Robotics: Autonomous Vehicles
  • Rover Research: Water Jet Technology
  • Vaculug: Zeus AI Enhanced Production System

Best Rubber Tread Supplier:

  • Leadertread
  • Marangoni
  • Midas
  • Silvercap
  • Vipal

Best Tyre Recycling Industry Supplier:

  • Eco Green Equipment
  • Mars Mineral
  • MTB
  • Rover Research
  • Zeppelin

Business Breakthrough Award:

  • Circtec
  • Circular Rubber Platform
  • LD Carbon Korea
  • Pyrum Innovations
  • Rover Research

Circular Economy Award:

  • AZuR Network
  • Circular Rubber Platform
  • Liberty Tire and Walmart
  • Tyromer
  • Vaculug

Employee of the Year:

  • Federico Parmesan (Marangoni)
  • Giampaolo Brioschi (Marangoni)
  • Jörg Taylor (Marangoni)
  • Leonardo Oliveira (Vipal Rubber)
  • Neil Bansal (Liberty Tire Recycling)

Retreader of the Year Award:

  • Colmec
  • Kal Tire
  • Marangoni
  • Rigdon GmbH
  • Vaculug

Spirit of Retreading Award:

  • 633 Tyres
  • Autobahn Retreading
  • Budini Inc
  • Recauchajes Llach
  • Vulkan Tyres

Tyre Recycler of the Year Award:

  • Contec
  • Genan
  • Hi-Green Carbon
  • Tyrecycle
  • UK Rubber

Women’s Award for the Tyre Retreading Sector:

  • Caitlin Smith (B&J Rocket)
  • Christina Guth (AZUR Network)
  • Dawn Wilson-Smith (Vaculug)
  • Elsie Alvarez (ACOLLRE)
  • Margareth Buzetti (ABR)

Women’s Award for the Tyre Recycling Sector:

  • Adele Rose (Tyrewise)
  • Amy Brackin (Liberty Tire Recycling)
  • Christina Guth (AZUR Network)
  • Ifedolapo Runsewe (Freee Recycle)
  • Isabel López-Rivadulla (Signus Ecovalor)

Tyre Industry Education Award:

  • Geoff Fowler (Imperial College, London)
  • Gisele Jung (Université Libre de Bruxelles)
  • Tire Industry Association
  • Univipal
  • Weibold Academy

Spirit of Tyre Recycling Award:

  • Freee Recycle
  • Mathe Group
  • Pliteq Inc.
  • Pretred Inc.
  • PVP Triptis

Tyre Pyrolysis Award:

  • Bolder Industries
  • Contec SA
  • Ecolomondo
  • Greenval Technologies
  • Pyrum Innovations

Spirit of Tread Rubber Manufacturing Award:

  • Eversafe
  • Galgo
  • Kartindo Rubber
  • ITG
  • Tipler

Best Tyre Recycling Innovation:

  • Evonik: Partial Reversal of Vulcanisation Using Vinyl Silanes
  • Regom: ELT sorting technology
  • Rover Research: Water Jet Demolition System for OTR, Truck and Bus ELTs
  • Rubber Conversion: New Devulcanisation Technology

Our final three categories, which don’t have a list of finalists, are as follows: Industry Achievement Award for The Tyre Recycling Sector, Lifetime Achievement Award for The Tyre Retreading Sector and Lifetime Achievement Award for The Tyre Recycling Sector.

Join us at Autopromotec or watch live on our YouTube channel to find out the winners of the 2025 Recircle Awards edition.

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