Search Results

On April 26th, the European REACH Committee voted in favor of proposals to restrict the intentional introduction of microplastics in many products. This decision was made after the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) found that uncontrolled microplastics released into the environment pose a risk to health. It is estimated that over 20 years, the proposed restriction would prevent the release in the environment of about half a million tonnes of microplastics, at an estimated total cost up to €19 billion. The proposal will now be subject to a 3-month scrutiny by the European Parliament and the Council before it can be adopted by the Commission.

With the support of the POLITECNICO of TURIN an international workshop on the Use of Recycled Tyre Materials (RTMs) will be held on 29 September 2023 from 9.30 to 15.30, in Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, Turin. The EU Circular Economy Principles for Buildings Designs underline the importance, among the others on the use of recycled materials and their further recyclability.

The EMEA Synthetic Turf Council (ESTC) takes note of the publication of the European Commission's recommendations for the implementation of limitations for the introduction of purposely added microplastics onto the European market (Annex XVII REACH1). The best strategy to limit microplastic emissions, according to the Commission, is to ban the sale of purposefully added microplastic infill for synthetic turf systems in the future (most often, end-of-life tyre shred).

BlackCycle – the research project coordinated by Michelin and aimed to enable a massive circular economy of tires by designing world-first processes to produce new tires from end-of-life tires (ELTs) – is now followed by WhiteCycle project.

The European Chemical Agency’s Risk Assessment Committee (RAC) is proposing an EU-wide ban on microplastics infill in sports and other play surfaces from 2028 due to ‘possible’ environmental releases. Since our tyres contain a mixture of natural rubber and synthetic polymers (TDRM), these are deemed to have been intentionally introduced into infill materials. The ECHA further claims that 16,000 tonnes of this material is ‘released’ into the environment annually and constitutes its justification for the proposed ban.

Genan – one of the largest end-of-life tire recycling companies in the world – reports that the political discussion about the use of rubber granulate in artificial turf pitches has now been launched by the EU Commission. In its recent article, Genan informs that different committees under the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) have been asked to provide their assessments during the process leading up to the Commission recommendation. These committees include the Risk Assessment Committee (RAC), which recommends a total ban on the use of rubber granulate with a 6-year phase-in period, and the Committee for Socio-Economic Analysis (SEAC), which in addition to the ban proposes the alternative of installing Risk Management Measures (RMM) on pitches to prevent spreading.

On June 9, the Tyre and Rubber Recycling magazine published an article about the European Chemical Agency recommending restrictions on crumb rubber. The Magazine highlights that it is not usually given to speculation on leaks, but this is a case where Tyre and Rubber Recycling feels a need to highlight an issue. The material below contains citations from the article by Ewan Scott. Please read the original version here.

In total, over 9,000 votes were cast across the 18 awards categories that were open to the public vote, with significant engagement in the voting process being received from all corners of the globe. David Wilson, Managing Director of Valebridge Media Services, commented; “We were delighted to see such a high level of international participation in this first edition of the Recircle Awards, and we’d like to thank the readers of Retreading Business and Tyre & Rubber Recycling for helping to make this project into a such a globally inclusive event.”