Continental “Welcomes” EU Tyre Label Standardisation

Continental has released a statement welcoming the proposal by the European Commission to introduce an energy efficiency labelling scheme for tyres (see ‘European Commission Proposes Tyre Labelling Scheme’ on Tyrepress.com). The manufacturer approves of the plan to provide motorists with standardised information about tyres’ braking performance, rolling resistance and rolling noise. However, the firm also warned that leading European manufacturers have reservations about the system, namely about “inadequate implementation to the disadvantage of the consumer.”

This concern is a response to a study by the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, which in 2001 showed that self-certification measures are often abused due to a lack of inspection mechanisms and sanctions. Over 50 per cent of the electrical appliances checked in 320 German stores were incorrectly labelled or not labelled at all. “That simply may not happen with passenger tyres, considering how important they are for safety,” stressed executive board vice chairman of Continental, Dr Alan Hippe, the man responsible for the Passenger and Light Truck Tyre division.

“As the leading European manufacturer, we welcome the initiative of the European Commission to provide motorists with standardised information on tyre characteristics,” he continued. “However, we would explicitly point out the problem areas to be expected during the implementation in the twenty-seven countries of the EU. In particular, this includes the question of sanction mechanisms which can be used to move all manufacturers – as well as importers of low-price Asian tyres – toward diligent implementation. However, the proposal to put the label directly on our products is also too short-sighted because most tyre buyers do not see their tyres until they are already mounted on the vehicle.”

CDU EU delegate Andreas Schwab, the European Parliament correspon¬dent for the new European Community directive countered: “To ensure that end consumers can also comprehend and evaluate this new technical infor¬mation, the EU Commission should conduct a consumer survey before compulsory introduc¬tion.”

The EU Commission proposed that the measures should be started in 2012. The label comprises concrete specifications on the basis of seven classes (A – G) for rolling resistance (in kg per 1,000 kg wheel load) and for braking per¬formance. It will also contain details about the noise level generated by the tyre when rolling (in dB (A)).

The EU Commission reserves the right to expand the European tyre label at a later date to include the further criteria such as aquaplaning safety and cornering performance. ETRMA, the European umbrella organization of tyre and rubber producers, also took part in the discussion of the criteria relevant for the European tyre label and the classification of such criteria.

Dr Hans-Joachim Nikolin is responsible in the Continental executive board for the Commercial Vehicle Tyres division and represents the interests of Continental in the ETRMA. He said, “We are very pleased that the European Commission has taken ETRMA’s request into account by combining the rolling resistance and wet grip in its draft directive. Otherwise, the directive would have favoured the one-sided design of future tyres, which would have particularly benefited the producers of low-price Asian imports, despite the fact that in many cases the wet grip performance of these products is at a development level about 20 years behind the current premium products of European manufacturers,” he explained.