Frequently Asked Questions by Category

Formed in 2005, the Tire Industry Project (TIP) is a voluntary CEO-driven initiative with a mission to anticipate, understand, and address global environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues relevant to the tire industry and its value chain.

TIP acts by commissioning independent research of the highest standards, collaborating on sectoral solutions, and engaging with external stakeholders.

TIP currently brings together 10 leading tire companies that represent more than 60% of the world’s tire manufacturing capacity.

TIP operates under the umbrella of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). WBCSD is a global community of over 220 of the world’s leading businesses, representing a combined revenue of more than USD $8.5 trillion and 19 million employees. WBCSD transforms the systems we work in to limit the impact of the climate crisis, restore nature and tackle inequality.

End-of-life tires (ELT) are tires that have reached the end of their useful lives as tires.

Globally, more than one billion tires become ELTs every year.

ELTs and their materials are an inexpensive, yet valuable, resource for the circular economy that can be used in a variety of applications. Successful ELT management systems foster the circular-use of ELTs and help reduce the unregulated dumping of tires.

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ELT management refers to the collection, transport and treatment of tires that can no longer serve their original purpose on a vehicle. The objective of ELT management is to recover material or energy from the tires or to properly dispose of them to avoid negative impacts.

ELT management contributes to the circular economy because ELTs and their constituent materials offer valuable resources.

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TRWP are tiny debris produced by necessary friction between tires and road surface; they are an approximately half-and-half mixture of tire tread and road pavement material. With a density of ~1.8g/cm3, TRWP are expected to sink in water.

Since 2005 the Tire Industry Project (TIP) has supported research into the potential human health and environmental impacts of tires throughout their lifecycle.

The peer-reviewed studies we have sponsored to date have found TRWP are unlikely to pose significant risk to human health and the environment; however, we are mindful of an evolving scientific understanding of TRWP, including some research that has reached different conclusions, so we continue to support independent research to improve the knowledge base. 

The peer-reviewed studies we have sponsored to date have found TRWP are unlikely to pose significant risk to human health and the environment; however, we are mindful of an evolving scientific understanding of TRWP, including some research that has reached different conclusions, so we continue to support independent research to improve the knowledge base. 

Early TIP-sponsored studies have shown some potential for toxicity for TRWP, but few studies have evaluated the toxicity of TRWP using freshwater sediment – such as that found in rivers and lakes – which is likely an important sink of tire wear particles in the environment. Accordingly, TIP sponsored research into the toxicity of TRWP to freshwater – and freshwater-sediment-dwelling organisms.

In these studies, limited toxicity was observed on test species, indicating that under typical exposure conditions TRWP in sediments pose a low risk of toxicity to aquatic organisms.

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Studies have suggested that most TRWP finds its way to roadside soils or is removed from the road surface as runoff; a small fraction of TRWP are released to the air.

A study that considered the Seine watershed, France, concluded that more than 60% of TRWP released to freshwater are transported to wastewater treatment. The research indicated that most TRWP finds its way to roadside soils or is removed from the road surface as runoff. A small fraction is released to the air. The same research (part one, part two) estimated that 18% of TRWP is transported to freshwater, with 2%-5% of total TRWP transported to the estuary.

TIP is sponsoring a new study that will refine these numbers and scientific understanding of the flows, transport, and sinks of TRWP in the environment.

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