Driving Towards a Cleaner Future: Addressing the Impact of Car Tyre Emissions
Policy Brief
Start
Summary
The use of wheeled vehicles as a primary means of transportation has become integral to modern life, but it may carry a significant environmental cost. One source of microplastic pollution is the wear and tear of vehicle tyres. Despite this, particulate emissions from tyres remain largely unregulated in the EU. This policy brief highlights the issue of tyre particle emissions and offers recommendations for policymakers to address this growing concern.
It is expected that limits for TWP emissions from vehicles will be set in 2025 under the Euro emissions standards. Additionally, the EU has established the Tyre Labelling Regulation, which requires all tyres sold in the EU to be labeled with information on their fuel efficiency, wet grip, and external rolling noise. This regulation encourages consumers to make more informed purchase decisions and, might lead to manufacturing tyres with increased wear and/or rolling resistance.
Micronized tyre rubber and tyre wear particles have recently gained global attention, as they have been detected in surface waters, soils, sediments, air, and wastewater treatment plant samples. In some cases, these particles may even reach the ocean when roadside drainage systems discharge untreated road runoff directly into rivers and the sea.
+ info
+ info
Description of the Problem
The abrasion of car tyres moving on the road surface creates small particles that are released into the environment, where they can harm ecosystems and human health. Once released, these tyre wear particles (TWP) stay on land and accumulate in soils, while a fraction ends up in freshwater and marine systems. Some studies estimate that between 5 to 10% of the total amount of plastics ending up in our oceans comes from TWP (IUCN, 2017).
"After heavy rainfall, stormwater runoff carries particles into drainage systems, sewers, wastewater treatment plants, and rivers, potentially reaching the ocean."
Relevance to Legislation
The Euro 7 standards will be the first global emission regulations to go beyond controlling exhaust pipe emissions and establish additional restrictions on brake particulate emissions, as well as regulations on microplastic emissions from tyres. These requirements will be applicable to all types of vehicles, including electric ones.
Click Here
The EU tyre label regulation (EU 2020/740).
The Euro 7 standards
EU planned actions
The EU tyre label regulation
Click Here
EU planned actions to tackle the issue of plastic pollution addressing both intentional and unintentional sources of microplastics.
Click Here
Policy Challenges
The generation of TWP is complex and can be influenced by various factors, including tyre characteristics, vehicle design, road surface conditions, driving behaviour, tyre maintenance, traffic composition and intensity, and weather conditions. One of the greatest policy challenges is the limited understanding of TWP and its influencing factors, largely due to the lack of effective methods for detecting these particles. This has created significant knowledge gaps regarding the sources, emission drivers, fate, and impacts of TWP on both the environment and human health. To reduce TWP generation and capture emitted particles, dedicated research and technology development are required to explore mitigation measures, assess their feasibility, and evaluate their potential effectiveness. The LABPLAS project aims to develop reliable analytical methods for determining microplastics and tyre wear markers in environmental samples, such as road dust and water run-off. This will help to evaluate the contribution of run-off waters to microplastic emissions. The project also seeks to identify the main sources, transport mechanisms, and fate of microplastics and TWP, in order to fill knowledge gaps and propose targeted mitigation measures that are effective in reducing their impact on the environment.
+ info
Policy Recommendations
Regulate the use of additives and chemical substances in tyre production, such as setting maximum limits, and encouraging the use of saferalternatives.
Focus on clean-up and retention technologies in drainage systems in road networks to collect the emitted particles, such as sediment interception systems, hydrocarbon interception systems and storm water attenuation systems. This measure does not reduce emission of particles, but decreases their accumulation in the environment.
Promote the reduction of journeys taken by car, replacing them by public transportation and rail. This reduced car usage would be an effective policy solution to decrease particle emissions, since these emissions depend on the distances traveled by vehicles.
Collaborate with international partners including car tyre manufacturers, city planners, asphalt engineers, and the wastewater industry, among others, to ensure effective policies and regulations.
Promote responsible tyre disposal practices, like requiring tyre retailers to take back used tyres from customers and foster sustainable end-of-life programs for tyres as well as incentivize owners of older cars to replace them with newer, more environmentally friendly models.
Incentivize the research and adoption of to tire (design) innovations reducing the amount of plastic released through wear and tear, such as using more durable and natural materials as well as improving the lifespan of tyres.
Require that regulations and standards addressing plastic pollution reduction take into account TWP and its characteristics, including the different types of tyres and road conditions determining abrasion.
Target driver awareness and behaviour to ensure conscious driving, which will reduce TWP emissions.
Promote research and development to harmonize sampling, sample preparation, and analytical methods, improving understanding of tyre wear particle issues and offering scientifically grounded guidance to policymakers.
OUR CONSORTIUM
EUROPE
SOUTH AMERICA
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Emissions to air
Atmospheric transport and deposition
Potential human exposure
Discharge to surface water
Accumulation in the environment
Discharge to water treatment plants
Trapping in asphalt and roadside soils
Regulations and directives need to, among others:
- Encourage the adoption of technologies that reduce tyre emissions into the environment and associated chemical hazards.
- Push forward the use of alternative modes of transportation.
- Promote responsible tyre disposal practices.
Vehicles, from personal cars to commercial trucks, play a vital role in society and the economy, making it a significant challenge to address tyre particle emissions. The anticipated increase in road traffic, including the rise of electric vehicles (generally heavier than gasoline-powered cars), may likely exacerbate TWP emissions. According to EU projections, passenger transport is expected to increase by 42% by 2050, and freight transport by 60% (EC 2019). The growing car fleet, especially the popularity of heavier vehicles like SUVs, further contributes to this issue. Without intervention, pollution from TWP is very likely to rise. For all these reasons, it is essential to develop and implement strategies to (1) reduce TWP emissions, (2) minimize their flow into land and aquatic systems, and (3) mitigate their toxicological impact on biota and human health.
Currently, no specific EU regulation directly addresses TWP emissions, partly due to the absence of a standardized tyre wear test. Nonetheless, regulations, like the EU emissions standards and the Tyre Labelling Regulation may indirectly tackle the issue.
The extent to which tyre wear particles become trapped in sediments during their journey is still unknown.
Airborne transport is another concern, as wind can carry microplastics, allowing them to remain suspended in the atmosphere and eventually deposit on land or even the oceans, far from their sources. From a life cycle perspective, tyre reuse (e.g., as infill for artificial turfs) and improper disposal also contribute to microplastic pollution.
Tyre wear particles (TWP) can be as small as traffic-related pollution particles from car exhausts, measuring less than 2.5 microns, and might negatively impact human health. The complexity of the environmental issue is compounded by the diverse range of potentially harmful compounds in TWP, including fillers (e.g., carbon black, clay, silica, and calcium carbonate), stabilizers (antioxidants, antiozonants, and waxes), cross-linking agents (sulfur, accelerators, and activators), and secondary components like pigments, oils, resins, and short fibres.
LABPLAS Policy Brief 2
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Transcript
Driving Towards a Cleaner Future: Addressing the Impact of Car Tyre Emissions
Policy Brief
Start
Summary
The use of wheeled vehicles as a primary means of transportation has become integral to modern life, but it may carry a significant environmental cost. One source of microplastic pollution is the wear and tear of vehicle tyres. Despite this, particulate emissions from tyres remain largely unregulated in the EU. This policy brief highlights the issue of tyre particle emissions and offers recommendations for policymakers to address this growing concern.
It is expected that limits for TWP emissions from vehicles will be set in 2025 under the Euro emissions standards. Additionally, the EU has established the Tyre Labelling Regulation, which requires all tyres sold in the EU to be labeled with information on their fuel efficiency, wet grip, and external rolling noise. This regulation encourages consumers to make more informed purchase decisions and, might lead to manufacturing tyres with increased wear and/or rolling resistance.
Micronized tyre rubber and tyre wear particles have recently gained global attention, as they have been detected in surface waters, soils, sediments, air, and wastewater treatment plant samples. In some cases, these particles may even reach the ocean when roadside drainage systems discharge untreated road runoff directly into rivers and the sea.
+ info
+ info
Description of the Problem
The abrasion of car tyres moving on the road surface creates small particles that are released into the environment, where they can harm ecosystems and human health. Once released, these tyre wear particles (TWP) stay on land and accumulate in soils, while a fraction ends up in freshwater and marine systems. Some studies estimate that between 5 to 10% of the total amount of plastics ending up in our oceans comes from TWP (IUCN, 2017).
"After heavy rainfall, stormwater runoff carries particles into drainage systems, sewers, wastewater treatment plants, and rivers, potentially reaching the ocean."
Relevance to Legislation
The Euro 7 standards will be the first global emission regulations to go beyond controlling exhaust pipe emissions and establish additional restrictions on brake particulate emissions, as well as regulations on microplastic emissions from tyres. These requirements will be applicable to all types of vehicles, including electric ones.
Click Here
The EU tyre label regulation (EU 2020/740).
The Euro 7 standards
EU planned actions
The EU tyre label regulation
Click Here
EU planned actions to tackle the issue of plastic pollution addressing both intentional and unintentional sources of microplastics.
Click Here
Policy Challenges
The generation of TWP is complex and can be influenced by various factors, including tyre characteristics, vehicle design, road surface conditions, driving behaviour, tyre maintenance, traffic composition and intensity, and weather conditions. One of the greatest policy challenges is the limited understanding of TWP and its influencing factors, largely due to the lack of effective methods for detecting these particles. This has created significant knowledge gaps regarding the sources, emission drivers, fate, and impacts of TWP on both the environment and human health. To reduce TWP generation and capture emitted particles, dedicated research and technology development are required to explore mitigation measures, assess their feasibility, and evaluate their potential effectiveness. The LABPLAS project aims to develop reliable analytical methods for determining microplastics and tyre wear markers in environmental samples, such as road dust and water run-off. This will help to evaluate the contribution of run-off waters to microplastic emissions. The project also seeks to identify the main sources, transport mechanisms, and fate of microplastics and TWP, in order to fill knowledge gaps and propose targeted mitigation measures that are effective in reducing their impact on the environment.
+ info
Policy Recommendations
Regulate the use of additives and chemical substances in tyre production, such as setting maximum limits, and encouraging the use of saferalternatives.
Focus on clean-up and retention technologies in drainage systems in road networks to collect the emitted particles, such as sediment interception systems, hydrocarbon interception systems and storm water attenuation systems. This measure does not reduce emission of particles, but decreases their accumulation in the environment.
Promote the reduction of journeys taken by car, replacing them by public transportation and rail. This reduced car usage would be an effective policy solution to decrease particle emissions, since these emissions depend on the distances traveled by vehicles.
Collaborate with international partners including car tyre manufacturers, city planners, asphalt engineers, and the wastewater industry, among others, to ensure effective policies and regulations.
Promote responsible tyre disposal practices, like requiring tyre retailers to take back used tyres from customers and foster sustainable end-of-life programs for tyres as well as incentivize owners of older cars to replace them with newer, more environmentally friendly models.
Incentivize the research and adoption of to tire (design) innovations reducing the amount of plastic released through wear and tear, such as using more durable and natural materials as well as improving the lifespan of tyres.
Require that regulations and standards addressing plastic pollution reduction take into account TWP and its characteristics, including the different types of tyres and road conditions determining abrasion.
Target driver awareness and behaviour to ensure conscious driving, which will reduce TWP emissions.
Promote research and development to harmonize sampling, sample preparation, and analytical methods, improving understanding of tyre wear particle issues and offering scientifically grounded guidance to policymakers.
OUR CONSORTIUM
EUROPE
SOUTH AMERICA
Follow us!
Emissions to air
Atmospheric transport and deposition
Potential human exposure
Discharge to surface water
Accumulation in the environment
Discharge to water treatment plants
Trapping in asphalt and roadside soils
Regulations and directives need to, among others:
Vehicles, from personal cars to commercial trucks, play a vital role in society and the economy, making it a significant challenge to address tyre particle emissions. The anticipated increase in road traffic, including the rise of electric vehicles (generally heavier than gasoline-powered cars), may likely exacerbate TWP emissions. According to EU projections, passenger transport is expected to increase by 42% by 2050, and freight transport by 60% (EC 2019). The growing car fleet, especially the popularity of heavier vehicles like SUVs, further contributes to this issue. Without intervention, pollution from TWP is very likely to rise. For all these reasons, it is essential to develop and implement strategies to (1) reduce TWP emissions, (2) minimize their flow into land and aquatic systems, and (3) mitigate their toxicological impact on biota and human health. Currently, no specific EU regulation directly addresses TWP emissions, partly due to the absence of a standardized tyre wear test. Nonetheless, regulations, like the EU emissions standards and the Tyre Labelling Regulation may indirectly tackle the issue.
The extent to which tyre wear particles become trapped in sediments during their journey is still unknown. Airborne transport is another concern, as wind can carry microplastics, allowing them to remain suspended in the atmosphere and eventually deposit on land or even the oceans, far from their sources. From a life cycle perspective, tyre reuse (e.g., as infill for artificial turfs) and improper disposal also contribute to microplastic pollution. Tyre wear particles (TWP) can be as small as traffic-related pollution particles from car exhausts, measuring less than 2.5 microns, and might negatively impact human health. The complexity of the environmental issue is compounded by the diverse range of potentially harmful compounds in TWP, including fillers (e.g., carbon black, clay, silica, and calcium carbonate), stabilizers (antioxidants, antiozonants, and waxes), cross-linking agents (sulfur, accelerators, and activators), and secondary components like pigments, oils, resins, and short fibres.