A proposed bill in Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies has ignited fierce opposition from the country’s tyre retreading sector, which sees the legislation as an ill-conceived and uninformed attack on an industry that plays a crucial role in the economy and sustainability efforts. The bill seeks to ban the use of retread tyres on buses and trucks operating on state and federal highways, a move that the industry argues is both impractical and detrimental.
Brazil is the world’s second-largest retread market, following only the United States. This achievement has been attributed to the reliability and quality of work carried out by retreaders, which has earned the market’s trust.
In September 2024, a draft bill was introduced in Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies to exercise a ban on the use of retread tyres in buses and trucks operating on state and federal highways. The Brazilian Association of Tyre Retreading (ABR) lashed out at the proposed draft, labelling it as ‘misguided and uninformed’.
Subsequently, ABR President and Federal Senator of Mato Grosso, Margareth Buzetti, told Tyre Trends, “The proposed bill focuses on retread tyres rather than broader factors such as overloading, poor road conditions or inadequate maintenance practices due to sheer misinformation on the part of the person who proposed the project. It is a simplistic and populist proposal that promises to increase road safety by fighting the wrong enemy. Tyres retreaded in Brazil undergo extremely rigorous inspections to ensure that they reach the transport companies safely and reliably.”
“We, as retreaders, meet Inmetro standards that define the technical requirements for tyre retreading, following the standards of excellence practiced in other countries. We are talking about large companies that have strict quality standards. We are in no way inferior to new tyres in terms of safety,” she added.
According to Buzetti, no reputable company would compromise on tyre safety as doing so could lead to financial losses from accidents and endanger lives. She also pointed out that the sector’s ability to generate approximately 300,000 direct and indirect jobs is a testament to the high quality of retreaded products.
Commenting on how the proposed bill might influence public perception about the sustainable practice, she noted, “The way it was proposed is terrible because it gives people the impression that retread tyres in Brazil are of poor quality and are responsible for road accidents. This is absurd misinformation. However, I do not see this issue as something that concerns the general population. Transport companies, which are the largest users of retread tyres, are aware of the reality.”
“Entities linked to both the reform and transportation sectors sent dozens of letters to the Chamber of Deputies against the proposed bill. We will continue this pressure in 2025,” she added.
The association plans to seek out the rapporteur and the author of the bill so that they understand the seriousness of the work carried out by the sector. “The right thing to do would be for the congressman to withdraw the bill he presented and file another one that focuses on combating illegally-made reforms or the poor-quality tyres that are imported from Asia without any control whatsoever. Then they will have our support. Otherwise, we will seek out partner congressmen to wage a real battle within the Chamber against the advancement of this absurd proposal,” contended Buzetti.
IMPLICATIONS OF THE BILL
Buzetti noted that if the proposed bill was implemented, then the implications would be ‘catastrophic’. “If the bill were to become law, the long-term impact on Brazil’s tyre industry would be devastating. Companies are already struggling with the rising cost of raw materials due to increase in the Dollar-Brazilian Real exchange rates. Banning tyre retreading would further cripple the sector, leading to significant financial and operational challenges,” she said.
Currently, tyre retreading saves Brazil BRL 7 billion in transportation costs. If the proposed bill becomes law, which the ABR believes is unlikely and will actively oppose, it would effectively force transportation companies to buy only new tyres overnight, causing a massive rise in costs.
Alluding to the potential impact of this legislation on Brazil’s carbon neutrality and sustainability goals, Buzetti emphasised, “The sector was recently recognised by the Ministry of the Environment as an important asset in the circular economy. This was a milestone that we achieved at great cost, and the government is finally beginning to see our importance for environmental sustainability. I believe that 2025 will be the year in which we will be able to make even more progress on this issue. We cannot ignore the importance for the environment of a sector that retreads 14 million tyres per year.”
While the association can furnish data demonstrating the safety and reliability of Inmerto-certified retread tyres to battle the proposed bill, Buzetti, attacking the project makers, said, “Can the deputy who created the project present data that guarantees that the lack of safety on the roads is caused by retread tyres?”
Commenting on the bill’s impact on small and micro enterprises if implemented, Buzetti said, “Tyre retreading supports 300,000 jobs in Brazil today. It is a well-established market. Banning retreading would be like taking food off the table for thousands of Brazilians who rely on this sector.”
ALTERNATIVE ROUTE
According to Buzetti, the legislative year ended with this bill being presented to the Chamber of Deputies’ Transport and Roads Committee and it did not receive any amendments within the statutory deadline. Now, in February, discussions on the proposal can begin and she highly doubts that it will move forward. As a senator, she will not participate in the votes in the Chamber but will personally go to the committee to talk to all the deputies to demonstrate the quality of tyre retreading in Brazil.
Speaking on the steps that the government should take to address any lingering safety concerns and prevent future proposals like this, in case the bill was withdrawn, Buzetti said, “Inspection of poor-quality tyres entering the country and incentives for tyre retreaders to continue operating within the law is a necessary step. I presented a bill that is currently pending in the Chamber of Deputies that provides tax exemption for tyre retreading companies, as a way of attracting them to formality.”
She also noted, “Instead of banning retread tyres, we could have greater oversight of imported tyres that enter Brazil illegally. We are talking about tyres that are so bad that they don’t even need to be refurbished. These should be a priority for parliamentarians. And, of course, improving road conditions and oversight of the rules that must be followed by transport companies (such as not exceeding the maximum load) are also important steps to increase road safety.”
Nokian Tyres Launches Betula Concept Tyre With Renewable Birch-Based Compound
- By TT News
- January 22, 2026
In a notable stride towards sustainable tyre manufacturing, Nokian Tyres has introduced the Betula concept tyre, which incorporates a pioneering compound derived from birch bark. This renewable substance is produced by the Swedish firm Reselo, which transforms residual matter from the global pulp, paper and plywood sectors into a viable tyre ingredient. For the first time, this birch-based material has been integrated into a tyre's tread compound, contributing to a tread where recycled and renewable resources now constitute 93 percent of all materials used.
This innovation is viewed as a way to enhance tyre performance. The Betula concept, which utilises the tread pattern of Nokian's Hakkapeliitta R5 winter tyre, has undergone successful testing at the company’s facilities in Ivalo, Finnish Lapland, and in Nokia, Finland. The project marks meaningful progress towards Nokian Tyres’ target of having 50 percent recycled and renewable materials in its tyres by 2030, aiming to establish new environmental standards for the industry through such pioneering efforts.
The collaboration with Reselo originated in 2023 when the biomaterials company won Nokian Tyres’ sustainable innovation challenge. A formal development agreement followed in 2024 to refine the renewable material for tyre applications, and joint development continues even after the concept tyre’s launch.
Concept tyres like the Betula are vital to Nokian’s development process, allowing new materials and technologies to be evaluated before commercial release. This approach has yielded several advanced prototypes, including the 2022 Green Step concept, which also achieved 93 percent renewable or recycled content, and the 2024 Green Step Ligna, featuring a renewable lignin-based alternative to carbon black. The company’s commitment is already reflected in production models, exemplified by the 2025 Nokian Seasonproof 2 all-season tyre for Central Europe, which contains up to 38 percent recycled and renewable materials – the highest proportion in the company’s current commercial lineup.
Teemu Soini, Vice President – Innovations & Development, Nokian Tyres, said, “Since the early stages, the potential of the material to be used in tyres has been evident. The Nokian Tyres Betula concept tyre confirms its applicability and highlights the material’s potential for commercial use in the future. Furthermore, the material is not only sustainable, but according to our testing, it also shows promise to improve tyre performance.”
Josefin Larsson, CEO, Reselo, said, “For Reselo, this partnership represents much more than a technical development project. The tyre industry’s sheer scale and traditionally conservative approach make it a challenging but vital space for rubber innovation, and seeing the collaboration with Nokian Tyres continue to the next level is something we’re especially proud of. Birch bark is a high-volume forestry side-stream abundant in the Nordics, and step by step, we are working together towards better-performing and more sustainable products with circularity at the core.”
Michelin Names Bénédicte de Bonnechose As New CFO
- By TT News
- January 22, 2026
Michelin has appointed Bénédicte de Bonnechose as its new Chief Financial Officer, with her tenure commencing on 1 June 2026. She will take over the role from Yves Chapot. Presently serving on the Michelin Executive Committee, she currently manages the European region and the Urban and Long-Distance Transportation Business lines.
De Bonnechose originally joined the group in April 2019 as the Deputy Group CFO. Her extensive professional background includes over 25 years at the Lafarge Group, where she progressed from financial management into significant operational leadership positions within its Cement, Aggregates and Concrete divisions. Most notably, she served as President of LafargeHolcim France and Belgium from 2015 to 2018. Her early career featured four years in the audit sector with Deloitte, focused on the Industrial and Retail markets.
HF GROUP to Engineer and Deliver R&D Innovation Centre for Toyo Tires’ Inđija Plant
- By TT News
- January 22, 2026
HF GROUP has been selected as the engineering and technology partner for a new research and development innovation centre being developed by Toyo Tires at its tyre manufacturing facility in Inđija.
The project forms part of Toyo Tires’ expansion of its Serbian operations and reflects the company’s strategic focus on strengthening compound research and development capabilities. The new innovation centre will cover an area of approximately 6,000 square metres and is designed to support advanced compound development for high-performance and energy-efficient tyres.
HF GROUP has been involved in the project since 2024, when both companies began working jointly on the first conceptual layout designs through a structured pre-engineering phase. This early-stage collaboration formed part of HF GROUP’s system engineering services, aimed at optimising plant layout, process integration and future scalability.
Under the agreement, HF GROUP will be responsible for the complete engineering, supply and installation of the R&D production line. The facility will be equipped with advanced mixing technology, enabling the development and processing of complex compound formulations aligned with evolving performance and sustainability requirements in the tyre industry.
The innovation centre is scheduled to be commissioned in 2027 and is expected to play a central role in Toyo Tires’ future product development activities in Europe. The project further strengthens HF GROUP’s position as a technology partner for tyre manufacturers investing in next-generation research, process innovation and high-efficiency compound development.
CEAT to Invest Up INR 36.1 M To In Tyresnmore Rights Issue
- By TT News
- January 22, 2026
CEAT Limited has approved an investment of up to INR 36.1 million in its wholly owned subsidiary Tyresnmore Online Private Limited through a rights issue of equity shares.
The investment will be made through the subscription of 29,575 equity shares, the company said in a regulatory filing.
Tyresnmore Online Private Limited, a private company incorporated in June 2014 and headquartered in New Delhi, reported a turnover of INR 322.6 M for the year ended March 31 2025. The business operates in the auto ancillary sector, selling automotive tyres and accessories and providing services including installation, wheel balancing and wheel alignment.
CEAT said the transaction qualifies as a related-party transaction under applicable regulations but will be conducted at arm’s length. Apart from Tyresnmore being a wholly owned subsidiary, the promoter group of CEAT has no interest in the entity or the transaction.
Following the investment, CEAT’s shareholding in Tyresnmore will remain unchanged at 100 percent. The consideration will be paid in cash through normal banking channels.
The company expects the equity shares to be allotted by Tyresnmore no later than 16 February 2026. No governmental or regulatory approvals are required for the transaction, CEAT said.
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