China sets out roadmap to tyre labels

ERJ staff report (DS)

Beijing - China will complete drafting of its green tyre standards by the end of this year. The statement was issued at the end of the Green Tyre Industry Development Conference held in Beijing on 19 April.

The statement was issued jointly by speakers and organisers, including Secretary for the Ministry of raw materials, Zhang Fan, and Fan Rende, president of the China Rubber Industry Association. Other participants included senior executives from tyre makers, Double Coin, Triangle, Hangzhou Zhongce, Aeolus, Linglong, South China, Guizhou and others. Materials suppliers Lanxess and Jiangsu Hantai also participated.

The driving force for the policy is energy-saving and safety, to improve the quality and performance of tyres made in China and also sold in the country and for export.

Initial steps on the road to implementation will include the development of a research group; drafting of the relevant standards and the establishment of relevant test facilities to ensure conformance to the new standards.

CRIA is to set up a research group which will examine four key areas: metrics and indicators; production processes; environmental indicators; and environmentally-friendly raw materials.

The plan involves the setting up of tyre lables which will be introduced according to the Korean model, with a voluntary phase followed by a mandatory phase. However, the technical limits will follow the EU requirements which will become mandatory in the EU from November this year.

The standard is likely to include performance criteria, such as wet grip and rolling resistance, but may also include a reference to production processes and ultimate disposal routes.

The plan calls for a voluntary standard to be in place by May 2013 with a mandatory standard coming into force soon after.

This is an external link and should open in a new window. If the window does not appear, please check your pop-up blocking software. ERJ is not responsible for the content of external sites.

News story from CRIA (Chinese language)

Above story auto-translated (from Chinese language)