Europe | The European tyre replacement market contracted dramatically in 2009 compared with 2008. Even if the sales of truck tyres fell by 30%, of passenger car tyres grew only by less than 1% and despite the fact that the recession is having a negative impact on the supply of end-of-life tyres to sorting and recycling companies, ETRMA is pleased to confirm the positive trend in the management of end of life tyres (ELTs) with a recovery rate of 96%. This achievement also promotes Europe as one of the most advanced regions in the world in the recycling and recovery of tyres.
The principal advance has been the growth in the number of environmentally-friendly and cost-effective options for recycling tyres; ELT derived products are now increasingly regarded as a useful resource for various recycling options. The EU is a pioneer in the organisation of the collection, processing and recycling of tyres, mainly as a result of basic legislation and uniform guidelines that apply to all Member States. The European tyre industry also actively encourages research into new applications for materials recovered from tyres. Meanwhile, raw material prices and growing environmental awareness among governments, manufacturers and consumers are also helping to gain wider acceptance.
In 2010, 14 different ELT management companies were operating throughout Europe, set up by the tyre manufacturers, and mandated to collect and organise the treatment of an equivalent amount (according to the principle ‘one new tyre sold one worn tyre recovered’) of the volumes of tyres sold collectively by these companies. The process is financed through an environmental fee applied to the product price, regardless of the location of the collection point. Thanks to the success of the scheme, this fee is decreasing overtime. The chain is managed by the ELT companies, from collection to recovery or recycling, with the support of a reliable and transparent traceability or auditing system. Following the new waste framework directive (2008/98/EC), ELT-derived products will be studied according to certain criteria, with the potential to be recognized as a secondary raw material or an alternative energy source. This would promote and further expand the market of tyre derived products by removing bureaucratic barriers.
The European tyre manufacturers’ ambition is to further reinforce the healthy and economically viable tyre recycling market. To this end, ETRMA actively supports the development of product standards for end-of-life derived products. A brand new technical specification has just been adopted at CEN level; these product standards help to improve the reliability of the supply chain, which is very important for the recycling and recovery operators.
The vision of ETRMA members is that the continued evolution of ELT collection and treatment will drive down the cost of recycling, and contribute to a more sustainable environment.
Acknowledgement
www.recyclinginternational.com
