Vittoria's push for sustainability without compromise earns Taipei Cycle d&i Green Prize

TAIPEI, Taiwan (BRAIN) — Taipei Cycle presented its 12th annual d&i awards Tuesday with seven products earning Gold status, but with sustainability an emerging topic in the industry and at the news conference, perhaps the most intriguing was the Green Prize winner.

Tire brand Vittoria won for its Terreno Pro T60 Mixed (Gravel Race) technology that uses 92% renewable and recycled materials. Among those materials are recycled nylon fishing nets from partners Vittoria works with, including one in Taiwan.

"And so by changing the natural composition of the tire, we have also managed to reduce carbon black, which is often associated with being in a tire," said Gregory Veerananda, sales and marketing manager for Vittoria Asia Pacific. "So if you smell the tire, it will actually smell quite different as well."

Veerananda made his comments during a sustainability panel discussion that included Georg Todtenbier, manager of R&D at e*thirteen components in Taiwan, and Bo Sung, UL Ventures innovation manager in Taiwan. The new compound is not only sustainable, it offers real performance advantages, Veerananda said.

"The recyclable rubber that we have used to provide this product is still high performance. So it will still give you all of the wet grip, the speed, but at the same time give you the suppleness and comfort that you would expect from a high-performing tire."

The Green Prize is presented to encourage the industry to engage in sustainable development and to drive innovation in environmentally friendly practices, according to Taipei Cycle.

Todtenbier, who was on the panel that selected the d&i winners, said he was impressed with Vittoria being able to blend durability and performance with recycled materials.

"And at the same time, it's also much more costly," he said. "So as manufacturers have to cut costs in order to be competitive, because unfortunately, as much as all the consumers like green products, not many are willing to pay for it. And that's the dilemma of what we are facing with being sustainable."

Todtenbier also noted that Vittoria opened a carbon-neutral factory in Bangkok, Thailand, last year.

"I think that's a really great achievement because I can only imagine how difficult that is to push this through down the manufacturing chain. And last but not least, the tire looks great. It's really outstanding."

In addition to the Green and Gold awards, there were 47 other products recognized. There were nearly 150 submissions from 12 countries.

Taipei Cycle begins Wednesday and concludes Sunday.