Toolkit aims to drive circularity in end-of-life tire management

Geneva, Switzerland – The Tire Industry Project (TIP) has launched a toolkit to guide stakeholder efforts toward more sustainable end-of-life tire (ELT) management. 

Globally, an estimated one billion tires reach the end of their useful lives every year. ELT and their materials are an inexpensive, yet valuable, resource for the circular economy that can be used in a variety of applications. Successful ELT management systems foster the circular-use of ELTs and contribute to avoid the unregulated dumping of tires. 

Benefiting from TIP’s extensive global research on ELT, the toolkit lays out key steps for establishing and enhancing ELT management, underlining the social, economic and environmental benefits of systems that work well. 

The toolkit presents a series of maturity and progress scales for appraising existing ELT management systems and signposting checkpoints for system improvements. Good practice case studies from different regions accompany recommendations relevant to different regulatory contexts, potential environmental and health risks, and the development of ELT recovery methods, products and applications. 

To encourage that ELT stakeholders implement systems that advance the circular economy, the toolkit plots a hierarchy of the many recovery routes available for ELTs based on their relative circular-economy potential.  

TIP is actively sharing the toolkit with individuals and organizations from key geographies as part of an ongoing series of ELT workshops that aim to foster multi-stakeholder collaboration. “Better ELT management represents an important opportunity for the circular economy,” said Anne-Cécile Rémont, TIP Director, “We expect the toolkit to complement the good progress already made in several regions. Our workshops bring stakeholders together and have confirmed the benefits of regional legislative and infrastructure support for recycling, and the ongoing efforts of government authorities, the tire industry and manufacturers of ELT-derived products.” 

Actions to improve ELT management have been identified as important drivers of sustainability within the tire industry and feature in a recently published sustainability roadmap for the sector. Sustainability Driven: Accelerating Impact with the Tire Sector SDG Roadmap was produced by TIP to help the sector navigate sustainability challenges, and recognizes that whether through product, service or business model innovation, major opportunities exist for tire companies to improve business value by moving from linear to more circular value chains. 

The Roadmap includes recommendations for actions to advance innovation in product, service and business model design to enhance low-carbon and circular solutions while ensuring sustainable ELT management around the world.