From PCR to TOOL Qualification: the path toward EPD verification for BR Pneumatici’s Retreaded Tyres

A rigorous, verified reporting of environmental performance is a crucial step in showcasing a company’s commitment to sustainability. Within this context lies the journey that led to the qualification of a dedicated LCA TOOL for the production of retreaded tyres—both hot and cold retreading—developed to enable BR Pneumatici to generate its own EPDs.

This is a particularly significant achievement that secured qualification across two distinct application fields and included the verification of the first two pilot EPDs generated through the TOOL, each covering three different tyres manufactured by BR Pneumatici at the Zanè production plant.

This milestone is the result of a process that began even before the tool was developed and qualified. A key prerequisite was the definition of a specific PCR dedicated to retreaded tyres, which was essential for establishing the rules, criteria, and guidelines needed to evaluate and communicate the environmental performance of this specific product category in a consistent manner.

What practical benefits does access to a qualified LCA TOOL offer a manufacturer? And what value can this achievement bring to the retreaded tyre market as a whole? We discussed this with Andrea and Filippo Busin, Managing Directors of BR Pneumatici, delving into the role of qualification in environmental data management, EPD generation, and engagement with customers, stakeholders, and domestic and international markets.

What concrete benefits have you observed from using a qualified LCA tool, both in terms of data reliability and in your dialogue with clients, contracting authorities, and market stakeholders?

Adopting a qualified LCA tool has transformed sustainability from a narrative concept into a scientific metric. The primary benefit is the elimination of any arbitrariness: every single data point regarding carbon footprint (CO2 eq), water and energy consumption, and waste management is traceable, compliant, and repeatable.

In our market interactions, this tool serves as a crucial strategic lever. It enables us to provide large fleets and advanced logistics operators with reliable Scope 3 data—essential for the CSRD directive—and to respond with mathematical precision to Minimum Environmental Criteria (CAM) in public tenders. The qualified tool shifts the sustainability of retreaded tyres from a simple “green choice” into a greenwashing-proof economic and reputational asset.

With environmental transparency increasingly in demand, how much of a competitive edge does a qualified EPD generation tool provide, particularly for companies with a wide and diversified product portfolio like yours?

For a company with an extensive product range like ours, a qualified LCA tool is the only way to manage sustainability efficiently. Without a validated instrument, certifying every individual product variant would demand substantial time and expense, diminishing the dynamism of our product offering.

The qualification of the calculation algorithm by ICMQ allows us to generate verified environmental declarations quickly, while fully respecting the verification and publication process. This secures us a distinct competitive advantage in the sector.

Your project marks the first example of an EPD TOOL qualification applied to the retreaded tyre sector. Do you think this experience could pave the way for the wider industry?

Yes, and it was a deliberate act of corporate responsibility. Being promoters of the PCR EPDItaly 052 technical standard alongside Ollum S.r.l., and the first to qualify the tool with ICMQ, means we have helped establish the benchmarks for the entire industrial commercial vehicle tyre retreading sector.

Prior to this milestone, retreaded tyres often suffered from an understated or downplayed market perception. By proving that even a complex remanufacturing process can achieve the highest standard of international scientific verification, we have charted a path for the entire industry. If other operators follow suit, the whole transport supply chain stands to benefit, highlighting the genuine value of the circular economy.

How important is it to rely on a Program Operator like EPDItaly—integrated into an established international network—to showcase the environmental benefits of retreaded tyres and bolster the credibility of EPDs across domestic and global markets?

It is fundamental. The validity of environmental data is directly proportional to the credibility of the ecosystem that validates it. Partnering with a reputable Program Operator like EPDItaly, which belongs to international mutual recognition frameworks (such as the ECO Platform), ensures our EPDs hold full legal and commercial validity both in Italy and abroad.

This international recognition strengthens the trustworthiness of the environmental information shared with customers and stakeholders. Combining qualification from an independent verification body like ICMQ with publication via EPDItaly ensures this environmental data remains transparent and readily recognized across global markets.

We would also like to take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation to EPDItaly, ICMQ, and Ollum: thanks to their professionalism, methodological rigor, and close collaboration throughout the entire process, we were able to successfully complete a complex, pioneering project that is now recognized on an international level.