Global and national environmental objectives in terms of circular economy and sustainability of production activities, including transport, are now well known and publicly consolidated. However, just when all indicators seem to predict a rosy future for all remanufacturing activities, a sector with enormous potential such as tyre retreading continues to lose ground throughout Europe, and particularly in Italy. The environmental benefits are well known: according to studies carried out by AIRP, in Italy, every 100,000 retreaded tyres account, on average, for a saving of 29 million litres of crude oil, 5,000 tonnes of raw materials, the emission of 2,700 tonnes of CO2 and the disposal of 6,500 tonnes of used tyres – this means an annual saving of around 20,000 tonnes of used tyres for disposal. In an effort to help institutional players to the urgency of reversing the current trend towards the massive use of low-cost, non-retreadable tyres and to reward best practices, AIRP organised the event "Sustainable transport: the crucial role of tyre retreading" (Trasporto sostenibile: il ruolo cruciale della ricostruzione degli pneumatici) in Rome on October 30, with the contribution of Michelin and the participation of representatives from transport companies and, above all, several representatives from the institutions. Stefano Carloni, President of AIRP, opened the meeting: "Tyre retreading is a perfect example of a circular economy, offering enormous environmental and economic benefits. If we want to promote sustainable transport in a tangible way, we must encourage the virtuous cycle that links premium tyres to retreading, both for road transport and for public services: there is still a lot to be done to help the market adopt a system based on durable and retreadable products, to benefit the environment as well as an industry that showcases our national excellence”. The idea of a durable product, necessary for retreading, explains the strong commitment of Michelin in supporting the event held in Rome. As Silvia Vergani, Marketing Director of Michelin Italiana S.p.A., explained: "Michelin has always been committed to environmental sustainability and produced and marketed the first retreadable truck tyre as far back as 100 years ago. Since then, we have been promoting the retreading process to reduce environmental impact and operating costs, in collaboration with AIRP. Retreading means giving the tyre casing a second life, saving 50 kg of raw materials. If 30% of the truck tyres sold in Italy in a year were retreaded, this would save 28,500 tonnes of raw materials, equivalent to the weight of four Eiffel Towers”. Of particular importance was the speech delivered by Vannia Gava, Deputy Minister for the Environment and Energy Security, who said: "The tyre retreading sector is an example of how Italy knows how to combine innovation and sustainability, with leading companies reducing the use of raw materials and emissions, boosting employment and consequently the economy. The MASE (Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security) is taking concrete measures in this area, such as less red tape for recovery and recycling centres and tax credits for recycled materials. In addition, we are updating the End-of-Waste Decree to assign greater value to used tyres, and, through the CAM, we are encouraging the use of retreaded tyres in public transport. This sector, although small, is an Italian excellence that we want to enhance”. Laura D'Aprile, Head of the Sustainable Development Department at the Ministry of the Environment, further announced that the Ministry is “developing a new CAM tool (minimum environmental criteria) for public transport, which will include several reward mechanisms for those who use retreaded tyres. We ask Airp to take part in the technical round table". Fabio Orecchini, Professor of Energy and Environmental Systems, Director of the Luiss Business School and of the Guglielmo Marconi University Car and Mobility Observatory, not only moderated the event, but also presented his own interesting study on the retreading sector: "A premium tyre can have up to six lives thanks to regrooving and retreading, an example of circular economy that has few equals in the industrial panorama. This is precisely why tyre retreading is seen as a growing sector worldwide in the coming decades, capable of creating jobs in the short supply chain and avoiding emissions and resource consumption. It is imperative that Italy succeeds in reversing the current trend, which is leading to a decline in the weight of retreaded tyres on the domestic market, with the consequent loss of jobs, contraction of companies and greater environmental impact," concludes the expert. Among the politicians present at the event was the Honourable Carlo Fidanza, head of the Fratelli d'Italia - ECR delegation to the European Parliament, for whom "the conference highlights a crucial issue: the role of tyre retreading in sustainable transport, pride and joy of our national industry, an excellence in the circular economy and an important source of employment that we, as MEPs, have a duty to defend. We want to do this in order to reverse the trend that has seen your sector lose 60% of sales of retreaded tyres in Italy over the last 15 years due to the competition of low-cost and low-quality products, often from Asia. This is a problem common to many sectors, and one that we need to tackle vigorously at several levels. First and foremost, we call on the EU to overcome the current regulations that force our small and medium-sized enterprises to bear excessive bureaucratic burdens and costs in order to comply with increasingly stringent environmental requirements. At the same time, we continue to strive to improve Europe's road networks through adequate investment in infrastructure. Sustainable transport is a shared priority, but to pursue it effectively, we must adopt a realistic and pragmatic approach". Mr Luca Squeri, Secretary of the Tenth Committee on Production Activities, also took the floor: “The sector is strategic, not only in economic terms, but also for the energy transition. We must make every effort to support this sector and commit ourselves to finding the most appropriate measures". For Alessandro Moroni, Head of the Ninth Department for Sustainable Mobility at the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy, "the sector represents absolute excellence in terms of know-how, technologies and specialised equipment. It is therefore necessary to carefully evaluate the conditions required in the transition process". “Ferrovie Nord Milano Autoservizi S.p.A. is a particularly virtuous company from an environmental point of view, with more than 54% of its vehicles fitted with retreaded tyres. All this brings economic benefits in terms of tyre fleet management costs and a significant reduction in environmental impact”, said Alberto Nicoletti, Technical Manager of FNMA S.p.A. Riccardo Viselli, Utilitalia Environment Sector, concluded: “Utilitalia's member companies have been complying for some time, albeit with some difficulty, with the provisions of Italian Legislative Decree 77/2021 regarding the purchase of retreaded tyres for their fleets. Moreover, in many cases, the use of retreaded tyres far exceeds the 30% threshold set by the aforementioned regulations".
