This positivetrend means that Europe is now one of the most advanced regions in the world inthe recycling and recovery of tyres, ahead of, for example, Japan, which has arecovery rate of 89% and Canada, at 80%. And while the U.K. recovery rate, at95%, is above the European average, it still lags behind the 11 Europeancountries that have achieved a recovery rate of 100%.
In 2007, close to3.4 million tons of used tyres were generated in Europe. While the rate ofretreading remains unchanged (12%) and energy recovery is stable at around 32%,the major market benefiting from the diversion from landfill is materialrecycling. The European tyre manufacturers, says the ETRMA, interpret this asan encouragement to pursue the “producer responsibility” strategy theyinitiated in the late 1990s to anticipate the regulatory, environmental andeconomic challenges imposed to Member States by the EU landfill ban. The rateof material recycling in 2007 reached 38.7%, which represents a rise of 25%over the course of a decade.
According to theETRMA, the European tyre manufacturers’ ambition is to further reinforce theend of life tyre recycling market with solid product standards for end of lifederived products by participating in the development of specific standardsbeing currently developed at national levels, such as AFNOR, BSI and DIN, andEuropean levels, such as CEN/TC 366.
The tyre industrycorporate members of the ETRMA are Bridgestone Europe, Continental, CooperTires, Goodyear Dunlop Tires Europe, Marangoni, Michelin, Mitas, Nokian Tyres, Pirelli Tyre, TrelleborgWheel Systems and Vredestein. (Tyres & Accessories/Staffordshire, U.K.)
