Early this week Retreading Business reported on the regulatory shift in Portugal (Portaria No. 150/2024/1) effective from January 1st 2026 that has resulted in the introduction of Ecovalor charges for each retreaded tyre placed on the domestic Portuguese market. Following its publication, the Associação de Recauchutadores de Portugal (ARP) has clarified its position on the application of the fee, as well as underlining the support the sector received from Valorpneu, the body responsible for the collection and management of end-of-life tyres in Portugal, throughout the process.
ARP: Retreading’s Circular Economy Role “Not Adequately Reflected”
Firstly, let’s quickly recap how we arrived at this point.
In March 2024 shortly after the government transition following legislative elections in Portugal, the new government published a legal decree Decree-Law No. 24/2024, which updated the base legal framework No. 152-D/2017. This base framework regulates the management of waste streams in Portugal subject to the principle of extended producer responsibility – As you might expect, one of these waste streams is tyres.
As a result, Portaria n.º 150/2024/1 was published. This legislation established the criteria for differentiating the financial contributions applicable to integrated waste management systems which included tyres. It is within this legal framework that the change in Ecovalor bonus for retreaded tyres arose for the sector.
Before the latest decree was codified, the previous legislation encouraged a differentiation of ecofees based on the environmental impact of the product and the cost of managing its resulting waste – A system that to Valorpneu granting domestically produced retreads a 100% bonus for the last 6 years. However, as we have established in our original piece, Annex V of legislation removed 90% of the bonus and applied a 10% reduced rate for retreads placed on the domestic market.
ARP responded directly to the change of the rates and underlined retreading’s key role as a circular economy player in its statement, “ARP believes the ecovalor bonus for retreaded tyres deserves reevaluation, as it (ARP) considers that it (Ecovalor bonus) does not adequately reflect the inherent nature of retreading as an activity for extending a tyre’s life, the principles of the circular economy, resource efficiency, and waste reduction.
The ARP therefore considers that this framework does not fairly translate the true contribution of retreading to sustainability, to the competitiveness of fleets, and to the optimisation of resource.”
ARP Stand by Valorpneu
Besides expressing their concern and wish for the Portuguese Government to reevaluate the Ecofees set out in the legislation in the statement, the ARP also dedicated some lines to clarify the support they had received from Valorpneu during the process, as well as how the Portuguese EPR agency have simply been complying with the regulatory obligations put into force as a result of the passing of Portaria n.º 150/2024/1.
In its statement the ARP said, “From the very first moment, Valorpneu has stood alongside the sector and has accompanied this concern of the ARP with openness and institutional integrity.
From the very first moment, Valorpneu has stood alongside the sector and has accompanied this concern of the ARP with openness and institutional integrity. There has been a willingness to listen, dialogue, and support the search for a solution that allows this situation to be corrected.
It is also important to clarify that, by communicating the ecovalor table applicable to retreaded tyres, Valorpneu was complying with the legal and regulatory obligations currently in force.
The statement continued to explain how as part of the new obligations imposed on EPR agencies through Portaria n.º 150/2024/1, a management entity and Valorpneu in this case must adapt and publish their respective financial contribution tables and that this “cannot be confused with a stance meant to penalise the sector, but rather with compliance with the law.”
The ARP concluded their statement as they committed to a constructive and ongoing dialogue with Valorpneu and public entities to deliver a more coherent solution that fairly reflects the role of tyre retreading within the circular economy and sustainable mobility.
However, the stumbling block remains the legal decree itself. Portaria n.º 150/2024/1 was signed by the outgoing Secretaries of State at the time, Nuno Fazenda and Hugo Pires, effectively as they were walking out the door. By the time the law was published on April 8th, the administration that authored it had already been replaced, leaving the current Government to manage a policy that appears to ignore the true contribution of tyre retreading to the circular economy and the drive for more sustainable solutions in commercial transport.
