European tire recyclers outline priorities for tire 'ecodesign' rules

Brussels – European tire recyclers are calling on EU policymakers to introduce ecodesign rules aimed at improving tire recyclability, increasing demand for recycled rubber and strengthening transparency across the value chain under the 'Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation' (ESPR).

In a position paper published 18 May, Recycling Europe Tyres said “targeted action” is needed to improve circularity in the tire sector, noting that only “around 50% of ELTs currently [are] sent for recycling in the EU”.

The ESPR, it said, should support circularity through three key measures: improving recyclability through tire design, introducing recycled content targets, and ensuring a “transparent and practical” Digital Product Passport (DPP).

On design, the group said ecodesign requirements should ensure tire materials “do not prevent or significantly hinder material recovery.”

It identified self-sealing compounds, noise-reduction foams, aramid fibres and silica as key materials of concern.

Self-sealing tires and noise-reduction foams, it said, can “disrupt tire granulation processes” by introducing additional compounds into “what is otherwise a relatively uniform waste stream”.

The sealant used in self-sealing tires can coat granulation equipment blades, “increasing fire risks and posing safety hazards for both equipment and workers”, it said.

While still a minority of the market, the group warned that growing uptake could lead to “more ELTs diverted to incineration”.

The association also highlighted aramid fibres in high-performance tires, saying they improve durability and service life but make tires “more difficult to shred and granulate”, reducing processing efficiency.

Silica does not affect mechanical recycling, but can increase ash content in recovered carbon black (rCB) in pyrolysis processes, the paper said.

Recycling Europe Tyres called for “alternative reinforcing agents with reduced impact on the rCB quality”.

Brussels-based Tyres Europe issued a position paper later in June, 'strongly opposing' materials restrictions under the future ecodesign rules. (ERJ report)

On recycled content, the group said such targets are “one of the most effective regulatory tools to drive the use of recycled materials in new products”.

It stressed that targets must reflect the specific characteristics of the tire value chain.

The association argued steel should be treated separately from rubber, as steel recycling is already well established.

Without this distinction, manufacturers could meet requirements “solely by using recycled steel”, creating “little or no demand for rubber recovered by ELTs.”

It also called for recycled content targets to remain separate from bio-based materials, saying that while bio-based inputs may reduce environmental footprint, they “do not advance circularity and risk maintaining the linear economy model that has already proven unsustainable”.

On the Digital Product Passport, the group said it should include “compulsory reporting of all substances of concern contained in the tire.”

For recyclers, the location of these substances is “crucial for optimising recycling processes to guarantee optimal material recovery”.