ECOS calls for a standardisation request on tyre abrasion

 Tyres are the main contributor to the unintentional release of microplastics into the environment, leading to 250,000 to 500,000 tonnes of microplastics pollution every year in the EU alone. Most of these microplastics are released as the vehicles run, due to tyre abrasion.

To reduce this impact, a new EU tyre label regulation will require car and truck tyres to include information on their abrasion rate as of 2025. Tyre labels that include abrasion information could help consumers choose tyres that shed less microplastics into the environment.

But for those indicators to be displayed, measurement standards common to all manufacturers must be established. The Commission has in fact recognised the importance of standards to address various sources of microplastics in its 2020 Circular Economy Action Plan.

To that end, ECOS sent a letter asking the European Commission to request the appropriate standardisation organisations to swiftly develop harmonised test methods for the measurement of tyre abrasion.

To have a standard ready on time for the new rules on labels, the European Commission should issue a standardisation request to develop harmonised test methods for the measurement of tyre abrasion as soon as possible, so that the methods are available at the latest by 2023.

ECOS has included a similar call to action as part of our response to the European Commission consultation on Strategy for a Sustainable and Smart mobility roadmap. There, we asked the Commission to address the release of microplastics through tyre abrasion and called for a legal threshold for tyre wear to exclude the most polluting tyres from the EU market.

These are just the first steps in tackling this major source of microplastics pollution, we are #tyredofmicroplastics!