Following up on the European Tyre and Rubber Manufacturers’ Association (ETRMA) study of tiremaker compliance with new Reach standards, Pirelli SpA issued a press release with comments by ETRMA president and Pirelli Tyre CEO Francesco Gori.
The release read:
"ETRMA has found that more than one in 10 tires sold in Europe do not comply with European regulations governing the use of oils that are high in carcinogenic poly-aromatic-hydrocarbons. These oils have been banned from use in tires for sale within the European Union since Jan. 1, 2010, but 11% of the tires tested by the ETRMA were found to be illegal. Pirelli began to eliminate the use of these aromatic oils in its tires in 2007 – three years before the legislation was introduced.
“Over several months up to Feb. 18, 2011, the ETRMA tested a sample of 110 tires produced under 45 brand names sold in several of the largest tire markets in the EU. Of the 45 brands surveyed, 12 tires produced under nine different brand names were found to be non-compliant.
“The test program covered a variety of tire types (passenger car, light truck, motorcycle and industrial tires) produced all over the world, both within and outside the EU. The 12 non-compliant tires were all imported from outside the EU.
“‘While 11% is a cause for concern, it does take on staggering dimensions when one considers the fact that some 100 million tires are imported into the EU and placed in the market each year,’ said Gori, who has been president of the ETRMA since 2006. ‘This may very well just be the tip of the iceberg.’
“‘All tires produced within the EU, and all tires produced for the European market by Pirelli, were fully compliant,’ Gori continued. ‘Ensuring that their products are fully compliant from the start has demanded a significant investment of over 100 million Euros from our members.’
“Buying illegal tires compromises not only the environment but also performance. ‘Non-adherence to the tire label legislation could very well result in consumers being misled into buying inferior tires with inferior performance characteristics,’ added Gori. ‘If manufacturers, importers and distributors are allowed to ignore the current legislation, this is likely to compromise also the effectiveness of upcoming legislation.’
“National authorities in the United Kingdom have already announced projects to enforce the legislation banning oils that are high in poly-aromatic-hydrocarbons. ‘Legislation without effective follow-up and enforcement is damaging,’ concluded Gori. ‘Allowing non-compliant tires to enter the European Union not only undermines the credibility of EU legislation, it also increases the risk of consumers being misled and inferior or illegal tires being passed off as equal to others.’”
