European Parliament Rolls Out New Labelling Deal

In three years all new tyres on sale in Europe will be classified and labelled for fuel efficiency, wet grip and noise performance. Yesterday (Thursday 1 October) European Parliament Industry Committee and Council negotiators reached a political agreement on a labelling system similar to that used for household appliances. However, lobby group Transport & Environment said the revised text would effectively turn the scheme into a voluntary programme, with “no clear rules on how or where the labels should be displayed.”

Like the European energy label we have come to expect on our new fridges and washing machines, the tyre label will use classes ranging from best-performance (green “A” class) to worst (red “G” class). Besides indicating how much the tyre affects the car's fuel efficiency, it will also give information about its performance in wet conditions and its external rolling noise in decibels.

The revised text for what is known as regulation 316 addresses earlier concerns from inside the tyre trade about the practical application of tyre labelling. MEPs acknowledged that, unlike household appliances, tyres are not always on display in shops. As a result they “insisted” that retailers be “obliged to show the label to the buyer before the sale and also on, or with, bills.”

And it was on this point that the sustainable transport lobbyists Transport & Environment (T&E) criticised what they called the “last-minute EU deal” between the European Parliament, Commission and Member States. Their point that is that stipulating the new label should be “shown to the end user in the immediate proximity of the tyre before the sale of the tyre” is unenforceable.

T&E drew a parallel between the new text and the German government’s ‘Blue Angel’ environmental label for tyres, which is says also failed because it was voluntary.

Jos Dings of Transport & Environment said: “A labelling scheme only works when the worst as well as the best products show the same information, in the same way. A voluntary scheme won’t work and is a huge waste of legislators’ time. It’s not too late to put this back on track and help consumers choose the most efficient tyres which save on fuel bills and emissions.”

Implementation dates

However, none of this is likely to affect the implementation of the new text. From 1 November 2012, suppliers of tyres for passenger cars, light and heavy duty vehicles (C1, C2 and C3 tyres) will have to inform consumers about fuel efficiency, wet grip and noise classes in any technical promotional material, including web sites. Retreaded tyres, off-road professional tyres and racing tyres will be exempt from this requirement. All C1 and C2 tyres produced after 1 July 2012 must either have a sticker or be accompanied by the label when distributed from the factory to a shop or garage.

The tyre noise element of the new label has also been redesigned. The level of external rolling noise will now be indicated by ascending numbers of black “waves” emitted from the “speaker”. Quiet car tyres (producing noise below 68 decibels) for example, will be labelled with one white and two black “waves” next to the value in decibels.

Member States will now also be allowed to provide incentives for tyres ranked at least “class C” on fuel efficiency and wet grip or above.

Finally, the European Commission undertook to put explanations of each tyre label component and a fuel savings calculator on its website by June 2012. The compromise text agreed on 1 October still has to be formally approved by the Council before the full House gives its final endorsement.