World Business Council for Sustainable Development

TIP: END-OF-LIFE TIRESThe WBCSD Tire Industry Project (TIP)—a voluntary, CEO-led initiative undertaken by 11 leading tirecompanies—is committed to advancing the successful recovery, reuse, and recycling of end-of-life tires(ELT). Today, it is estimated that one billion tires reach the end of their useful lives annually. This high turnoverrate necessitates cooperation between tire manufacturers, retailers, governments, and tire users.
To advance sustainability, TIP has initiated and supported extensive research on ELT management systemsglobally, and is continually evaluating the best practices, innovative methods, and recovery rates that havemade tires one of the most heavily recycled consumer products in the world. Although tire manufacturers are
not directly involved in beneficial re-use markets for ELT, TIP believes its ELT analysis can be used to assess
what beneficial re-use markets are optimal for society.
OBJECTIVES:¢ Assess and evaluate the current landscape of ELT management, recovery rates and statistics¢ Identify types and the pros & cons of ELT management systems¢ Share research on ELT management—from insight to methodology to development

FOCUS:¢ TIP formed the ELT working group in 2008 to help member companies better inform customers, government
representatives, regulators, and the environmental community about ways to recover and manage ELT. This work has
been accomplished through a series of reports published by TIP.
¢ The report Managing End-of-Life Tires (2008) provides an overview on common recovery routes and the various
management methods for ELT around the world.
¢ The report End-of-Life Tires, A framework for effective management systems (2010) provides in-depth information
about global ELT management systems and can help support the implementation or modification of an ELT
management system.
¢ The report End-of-Life Tires, A Global State of Knowledge (2017) evaluated the recovery rates, recovery routes, andmanagement methods in 51 countries that account for 89% of the world’s vehicles, updating the global map of ELT
generation and identifying some of the most promising recovery routes for developing and developed markets.
¢ Recent research shows that ~25,000 kilotons of ELT are generated per year worldwide and ~17,000 kilotons of ELT arerecovered annually.

www.wbcsd.org/Projects/Tire-Industry-Project@wbcsdfacebook.com/wbcsd

¢ Among the 51 countries TIP evaluated, tires are recovered at
approximately 67%—outpacing glass, aluminum, cardboard andpaper. Regional recovery rates for ELT include1:¢ Europe, 91%¢ United States, 87%

FACTS AND FIGURESØ It is estimated that one billion tires reachthe end of their useful life annually.

¢ Japan, 85%¢ South Korea, 95%

Ø According to the TIP report Global ELTManagement - A global state ofknowledge on collection rates, recovery
routes, and management methods, ELT
are recovered 67% of the time.

¢ Each year, recovered tires are converted into new materials, fuels andreclaimed rubber, all of which contributes to the tire industry’s efforts
to build a circular economy. Post-recycling, ELT are most commonlyused for the production of:¢ Material Recovery (47%)¢ Energy Recovery (20%)¢ Civil Engineering and Backfilling (2%)Ø ELT are recycled and recovered at
higher rates than peer materials such asaluminum cans, glass, cardboard andpaper.

¢ Effective ELT management systems may consist of extended
Producer Responsibility (EPR) systems, government responsibility
financed through a tax, and free-market systems. In practice, hybrid
systems can be implemented and other variants of these systems also
exist. However, a minimum level of intervention from the governmentis often necessary to properly develop the ELT recycling industry.

Ø Recovered tires can be used inapplications such as rubberized asphalt,
civil engineering, reclaim rubber,energy recovery, and energy andmaterial recovery in cement kilns.

THE ROAD AHEAD:¢ TIP will continue to research and identify data gaps pertaining to ELT management systems.
¢ TIP will add to the body of knowledge to help address data gaps in regulation, awareness and technologicaladvancements.
¢ TIP will communicate findings to the tire industry, trade associations and external stakeholders to help advance thebeneficial use of ELT.
End-of-Life Tires Recovery Rates by Region(Millions of Metric Tons)

RussiaCanada0.4

EuropeUnited States

0.2

3.2

10.3

3.5

MoroccoSaudi
Arabia0.1

Mexico0.3

0.3

JapanSouth
Korea

0.9

0.3

India
Thailand
0.5

2.8

ELT categories

Malaysia
0.3

Civil Engineeringand backfillingIndonesia
0.6

BrazilEnergy recovery

0.5

Material Recovery
Other (not recovered landfilled, stockpiled
or unknown)

TOTAL

Australia

South Africa

Argentina

2015 Coverage by Region:
Vehicles in Use (in thousand units)
Total Vehicles
in useVehicles in use forcountries covered

387,519

380,17898%

NAFTA (Canada, Mexico, US)

324,763324,763100%

88,96256,48063%

Asia/ Oceania/ Middle East

436,222368,91985%

Africa44,803

13,17029%World1,282,270

1,143,510

0.04

25.6

Coverage

Central & Latin America

New Zealand

20%

31%

Europe0.42%

0.2

0.1Regions

China

0.7Ukraine

47%

89% Source: OICA

1Source: Deloitte “Global ELT Management—A Global State of Knowledge onCollection Rates, Recovery Routes, and Management Methods” 2017

1ABOUT THE WORLD BUSINESS COUNCIL FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTWBCSD is a global, CEO-led organization of over 200 leading businesses working together to accelerate the transition to a sustainable world. We help make ourmember companies more successful and sustainable by focusing on the maximum positive impact for shareholders, the environment and societies.
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