SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE USE IN THE TYRE INDUSTRY

To meet European legislation, the UK must increase its capacity for reprocessing used tyres. A mass balance study of the entire tyre industry was undertaken to improve resource efficiency by maximising the wealth extracted from a resource before final disposal. The basis of mass balance is that mass is neither gained not lost during the processing of resources. Figures for 1998 indicated that 9070kt of fuel were used to overcome tyre rolling resistance, compared with 522kt of resource use for tyre manufacture and 7kt for disposal. A future scenario model was developed based on predictions of car ownership and use. In 1998 only five regions in the UK had the capacity to process all the used tyres that arose. By 2003, all regions would have adequate processing capacity except the South of England. Recommendations to increase sustainability are given. This paper was published in Tyre Technology International.