ETRMA warns against 'double regulation' of tires in sustainability legislation

BRUSSELS—The European Tyre & Rubber Manufacturers Association has urged European Union policymakers to avoid "double regulation" of tires in upcoming legislation on product sustainability.

Tires have been listed as a "priority product" in the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), which mandates the European Commission to develop secondary legislation for specific product groups.

Welcoming the listing, ETRMA Secretary General Adam McCarthy said it would reinforce the tire industry's "long-standing commitment" to making its products more sustainable. The industry association, however, is seeking assurances that "all tires, whether OE or replacement," will be regulated under ESPR umbrella to avoid double regulations.

Leaving some OE tires out of the regulation could generate "legal uncertainty and unpredictability at a time of already considerable challenges for the industry," McCarthy said.

He emphasized the need to "synchronize the legislations," noting issues around which tires are to be covered by upcoming EU "end-of-life vehicle regulation" (ELVR).

Designed to introduce circular-economy provisions for vehicles, current ELVR proposals only deal with passenger cars and light trucks, so that some OE tires will not be covered by the regulation. Furthermore, critical tire properties, such as rolling resistance, wet grip and noise, are already regulated, with tire-abrasion requirements currently being negotiated within the Euro 7 regulation.

"Any further regulatory requirements need to take these performance parameters into account, particularly those related to road safety," the ETRMA said.

The ETRMA urged legislators to consider "consistent and harmonized definitions of remanufacturing/refurbishment across different legislations." It added that regulation should ensure that parts removed from a vehicle—which are suitable for re-use, remanufacturing or refurbishment—are not considered waste.

According to the association, the ELVR legislation should be designed to ensure a continued "high level of end-of-life tire management."

Replacement tires, it added, should be subject to the same tire digital product passport (DPP) obligations as the OE ones in the ELVR regulation.

The policy should also be aligned with international regulations covering the re-usability, recyclability and recoverability of vehicles, the ETRMA said.

Last but not least, it said, ELVR should set "an interface" with REACH and other chemical legislations to avoid inconsistency and unnecessary administrative burdens.