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 potential impact of TRWP on human health is a complex issue that is still being examined. 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 potential impact of TRWP on human health is a complex issue that is still being examined. 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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Scientifically validated (peer-reviewed) research that verified computational modeling with field sampling found that 2-5% of all tire and road wear particles (TRWP) emitted make it to a marine estuary and a small fraction is released into the air (Unice et al., 2019a, b).   

In recent years, several studies have tried to estimate the quantities of TRWP present in oceans. However, many of these studies (IUCN 2017, UNEP 2018, PEW 2020, Earth Action 2021, OECD 2022) have reported wide-ranging values for microplastic sources, as summarized in a recent publication (Earth Action 2024). This high variability is due to different assumptions and models used in each report, making it extremely difficult to correctly interpret the results. 

Some reports have tried to estimate the quantity of different possible sources of microplastic type and highlighted that paint might be the largest source of primary microplastic leakage into the ocean and waterways (Earth Action 2021).  

Considering all the above, it is evident that additional research is needed to further scientific understanding of the topic and to guide future actions.