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Vittoria has launched a programme, Vittoria Re-Cycling, to recycle used bicycle tyres and inner tubes, involving bicycle shops in Italy.
The company is offering the services of Esosport, a specialist in the collection and recycling of waste in the sport industry since 2009, to its shops, bearing all the costs. The shop owners will benefit from certified collection and recycling.
By registering to the Vittoria Re-Cycling programme, a shop is in line with the most recent rules for the disposal of used bicycle tyres and inner tubes. Esosport is a well-established reality in the sport waste sector sponsored by the Federazione Ciclistica Italiana (Italian cycling federation). Vittoria bears all the costs of waste collection and disposal, and all type and all brands of bicycle tyres and inner tubes will be collected. The ESO recycling plant in Tolentino (Macerata, Italy) has a machine to transform the tyres and inner tubes into granules. These can then be used in the creation of pavements for playgrounds and sport tracks.
In addition to dedicated containers for the tyres and inner tubes, Vittoria will provide in-store communication materials such as banners, leaflets, and posters.
Stijn Vriends, president and CEO of Vittoria, said: “We have to work hard to create real circularity in the bicycle industry. With the Vittoria Re-Cycling programme, we make a first important step. We promise that many more will follow!”
Nicolas Meletiou, managing director of ESO, said: “We are delighted that Vittoria has understood the value and the potential of our sports waste transformation project. Every small gesture, such as the collection and transformation of bicycle tyres and inner tubes, can favour environmental sustainability, and it also represents a valuable educational message. The circular economy is a great instrument for reducing the impact of waste on the environment: it is a team game, and we can only win together.”
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Vittoria believes sustainability is a key factor for success in the cycling industry. Besides Vittoria Re-Cycling, the group is involved in other initiatives aimed to reduce the environmental impact of its activities and products.
The company is part of Shift Cycling Culture, an industry body that commits to reducing greenhouse gas emissions structurally. Vittoria is also building a neutral bicycle tyre factory in Thailand, that will open in 2023.
