European Parliament votes to revise tyre labelling regulation

ETRMA welcomes the addition of tyre information to the European Product Database for Energy Labelling, but states the need for swift tyre module development

The European Tyre Manufacturers’ Association has welcomed European Parliament’s vote to revise its Tyre Labelling Regulation. As a result of the update, industry must upload information about around 120,000 different tyres to be placed on the market to the European Product Database for Energy Labelling (EPREL) by 1 May 2021. The addition of this requirement is in line with the re-design of the label itself to conform with other applicable products. The association said this would better inform and further empower tyre buyers, while promoting uptake of tyres with the best safety and environmental performances. It also sounded a note of caution about the timescale for compliance with the update. The EPREL’s tyre application is still in development.

“The European tyre industry is fully committed to the Tyre Labelling Regulation and its success,” said Fazilet Cinaralp, secretary general of ETRMA. This revision comes six years after the initial regulation and collaboration between industry and the European Institutions. The ETRMA argues that the revision to the Tyre Labelling Regulation “promotes industry innovation and benefits consumers by increasing consumer awareness of the label and strengthening market surveillance and enforcement in EU Member States.”

ETRMA states that it supports the timely development and sufficient lead-time of all pieces of the revision, particularly the EPREL. The publicly available database registering tyre performance is important in strengthening the information chain between tyre manufacturers and authorities and improving market surveillance. However, the association notes that as of today, the EPREL’s tyre application still needs to be developed.

The revision foresees the database to be completed before the final adoption of the proposal to allow for a smooth and orderly implementation of the regulation by 1 May 2021. Industry will need to upload information into the database about the tyres to be placed on the market – about 120,000 different types – by this date.

“The industry has concerns that there might not be enough time to ensure a smooth transition to this new system amidst an already challenging environment that deals with these new requirements,” Cinaralp continued.

“This now depends on extraordinary efforts from the Institutions to develop the EPREL’s tyre application in a timely manner and industry to implement it effectively. We all want this regulation to succeed in improving the market uptake of those tyres performing at the highest safety and environmental standards.”

The ETRMA added that it is “committed to emerging from the public health crisis even stronger than before” and that the “industry stands ready to cooperate with EU Institutions to make this possible and looks forward to consumers using this updated tool to inform their choices towards tyres with the best safety and environmental performance.”