TIA creates Environmental Advisory Council

ERJ staff report (R&PN)

Bowie, Maryland -- At the instigation of President Wayne Croswell, the Tire Industry Association has formed a new Environmental Advisory Council.

The EAC is designed to provide strategic information, advisory services, educational programs and governmental assistance to promote “green” operations and environmental awareness throughout the tyre industry, TIA said.

Replacing the Tire and Rubber Recycling Industry Council, the EAC expands on TRRAC's mission by including all facets of the tyre industry, according to TIA.

The new council will encourage TIA members and others in the industry to examine every aspect of their businesses to be energy-efficient, reduce waste, ensure safety and reuse, repair or recycle tyres as much as possible, the association said.

Tyre dealers and the tyre industry need to take a broader, more holistic approach to establishing “green” concepts and practices in their operations, Croswell said. “My goal with the EAC is to help make TIA the pre-eminent 'green' authority in the tyre industry,” he said.

TIA Secretary Larry Brandt, of MSB Tires, and TIA Board Member Dick Gust, of Liberty Tire Recycling, will be the first co-chairmen of the 12-member EAC, according to TIA. Other TIA board members on the council include Michael Baggett, Yokohama Tire Corp.; Chip Huber, Q Fix Truck Service; Brett Matschke, Richlonn's Tire & Service Centers; Glen Nicholson, Tire Kingdom; and Jim Pangle, Fountain Tire. Additional council members include Charles Astafan, general manager, Columbus McKinnon; Kevin Kendrick, president, Modified Asphalt Solutions; Robert Moyer, director, Costco Cost Centers; Tim Bent, director-environmental affairs, Bridgestone Americas; and Mary Sikora, principal, Recycling Research Institute.

Currently, the EAC is planning its schedule of meetings and events for 2010. For updates, check the TIA Web site at www.tireindustry.org.

From Rubber & Plastics News (A Crain publication)